Morphological, physicochemical and phytochemical characterization of Butea Monosperma (Lam) taub flowers collected from different locations of Jammu region

Butea monosperma (Lam.) Taub., sometimes referred to as Palash or Flame of the Forest, is a significant medicinal tree that is found all throughout the Indian subcontinent and is a member of the Fabaceae family. The blooms are prized for their natural hues, substantial nutritional content and variety of bioactive chemicals that provide important anti-oxidant and medicinal qualities. The current study "Morphological, Physico-chemical and Phytochemical Characterization of Butea monosperma (Lam.) Taub. Flowers Collected from Different Locations of Jammu Region," was carried out at the Division of Post Harvest Management, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Jammu (SKUAST-Jammu) during 2025-2026 due to their growing potential in functional foods, nutraceuticals and pharmaceutical applications. Four districts in the Jammu region viz., Kathua, Samba, Jammu and Udhampur were used to gather fresh flowers, which were then subjected to conventional analytical techniques. In addition to physico-chemical and phytochemical parameters like ash, crude protein, crude fat, titratable acidity, total sugars, reducing sugars, total phenolic content, ascorbic acid, total carotenoids and mineral composition, the study evaluated morphological features like flower color, dimensions, calyx characteristics, moisture content and visual quality. For the examined quality parameters, the analysis showed significant diversity among the chosen regions. Ash content varied between 6.90 and 11.00 per cent, crude protein between 2.96 and 3.16 per cent, crude fat between 3.52 and 5.69 per cent, titratable acidity between 2.82 and 3.18 per cent, ascorbic acid between 6.92 and 10.76 mg/100g, total carotenoids between 3.81 and 4.45 mg/100g and total phenolic content between 18.20 and 41.70 mg GAE/100g. The flowers' potential as a useful natural source of bioactive components was demonstrated by their notable quantities of nutrients and anti-oxidant chemicals. The results show that B. monosperma flowers' nutritional and phytochemical content is greatly influenced by their geographic location and emphasize its appropriateness for use in the functional food, pharmaceutical, nutraceutical and natural colorant sectors.