The grassland consists of grasses and flowering plant species resistant to frost and fire. The shrub known as neelakurinji (Strobilanthes kunthiana) grows in the grassland and flowers once every twelve years and afterwards dies. It is a spectacular sight when in flower and mass flowerings took place in 1994 and 2006 in the Anaimalai and Palni Hills. The flora of Karian Shola National Park includes a number of plants valued for their use in traditional medicine.