"அரளிப்பூ" "Ghanera"
Biological Name : Nothapodytes nimmoniana
வெல்லம்மட்டை or ஊமத்தம்பூ"
Tamil Flowers - 67 "Horn of plenty or Downy thorn apple"
Biological Name : Datura innoxia
Datura is a herbaceous perennial with a sprawling, mounded habit, up to 3 ft high and 6 ft across. The spectacular white or pale lavender, trumpet-shaped flowers are 8 in long and 6 in across, and held erect. Datura contains the toxic alkaloids that have caused poisoning and death by Jimsonweed (Datura stramonium), also known as 'loco weed' because of it's effect on cattle. General symptoms of poisoning are agitation, choreiform (spasmodic) movement, coma, drowsiness, hallucination, elevated temperature.
"வெள்ளையிலை பூ" "Mussaenda"
Biological Name : Mussaenda erythrophylla
Biological Name : Mussaenda erythrophylla
"திலக ம் or மஞ்சாடி"
"Red Sandalwood or Coral-wood"
"Red Sandalwood or Coral-wood"
Biological Name :Adenanthera pavonina
Red Sandalwood is a timber tree. This plant is found in the wild in India. Leaves are compound bipinnate, green when young, turning yellow when old. The small, yellowish flower grows in dense drooping rat-tail flower heads, almost like cat-tail flower-heads. Fruits are curved, hanging, green pods that turn brown, coil up and split open as they ripen to reveal small bright red seeds.These attractive seeds have been used as beads in jewellery, leis and rosaries. They were also used in ancient India for weighing gold. The seeds are curiously similar in weight. Four seeds make up about one gramme. Children love the hard red seeds and few can resist collecting the brightly coloured seeds usually littered under the tree. The young leaves can be cooked and eaten. the wood is extremely hard and used in boat-building and making furniture.
Medicinal uses: [Warning: Unverified information] A red powder made from the wood is also used as an antiseptic paste. In Ancient Indian medicine, the ground seeds are used to treat boils and inflammations. A decoction of the leaves is used to treat gout and rheumatism. The bark was used to wash hair.
Red Sandalwood is a timber tree. This plant is found in the wild in India. Leaves are compound bipinnate, green when young, turning yellow when old. The small, yellowish flower grows in dense drooping rat-tail flower heads, almost like cat-tail flower-heads. Fruits are curved, hanging, green pods that turn brown, coil up and split open as they ripen to reveal small bright red seeds.These attractive seeds have been used as beads in jewellery, leis and rosaries. They were also used in ancient India for weighing gold. The seeds are curiously similar in weight. Four seeds make up about one gramme. Children love the hard red seeds and few can resist collecting the brightly coloured seeds usually littered under the tree. The young leaves can be cooked and eaten. the wood is extremely hard and used in boat-building and making furniture.
Medicinal uses: [Warning: Unverified information] A red powder made from the wood is also used as an antiseptic paste. In Ancient Indian medicine, the ground seeds are used to treat boils and inflammations. A decoction of the leaves is used to treat gout and rheumatism. The bark was used to wash hair.
"மாம்பூ" "Mango"Biological Name : Mangifera indica
It is a matter of astonishment to many that the delicious mango, one of the most celebrated of Indian fruits, is a member of the family Anacardiaceae–notorious for embracing a number of highly poisonous plants. The mango tree is erect, 30 to 100 ft high, with a broad, rounded canopy which may, with age, attain 100 to 125 ft in width, or a more upright, oval, relatively slender crown. In deep soil, the taproot descends to a depth of 20 ft, the profuse, wide-spreading, feeder root system also sends down many anchor roots which penetrate for several feet. The tree is long-lived, some specimens being known to be 300 years old and still fruiting. Nearly evergreen, alternate leaves are borne mainly in rosettes at the tips of the branches and numerous twigs from which they droop like ribbons on slender petioles 1 to 4 in long. Hundreds and even as many as 3,000 to 4,000 small, yellowish or reddish flowers, 25% to 98% male, the rest hermaphroditic, are borne in profuse, showy, erect, pyramidal, branched clusters 2 1/2 to 15 1/2 in high. There is great variation in the form, size, color and quality of the fruits. They may be nearly round, oval, ovoid-oblong, or somewhat kidney-shaped, often with a break at the apex, and are usually more or less lop-sided
"வடவனம் or துளசி"
"Holy basil"
Biological Name : Ocimum tenuiflorum
Tulsi (Ocimum sanctum) is a widely grown, sacred plant of India. Hindus grow Tulsi as a religious plant in their homes, temples and their farms. They use Tulsi leaves in routine worship. Tulsi, grown as a pot plant, is found in almost every traditional Hindu house. The natural habitat of Tulsi varies from sea level to an altitude of 2000 m. It is found growing naturally in moist soil nearly all over the globe. Tulsi is a branched, fragrant and erect herb having hair all over. It attains a height of about 75 to 90 cm when mature. Its leaves are nearly round and up to 5 cm long with the margin being entire or toothed. These are aromatic because of the presence of a kind of scented oil in them. A variety with green leaves is called Shri Tulsi and one with reddish leaves is called Krishna Tulsi. Tulsi flowers are small having purple to reddish color, present in small compact clusters on cylindrical spikes. Stalkless heart-shaped bracts are there at the base of each flower cluster. Sepal cup is not hairy within. Flowers are rarerly longer than 5 mm, calyx tube bearded outside near base. Flower tube is hairy. The fruits are small and the seeds yellow to reddish in color.
Tulsi has been used for thousands of years in Ayurveda for its diverse healing properties. It is mentioned in the Charaka Samhita,[17] an ancient Ayurvedic text. Tulsi is considered to be an adaptogen,[12] balancing different processes in the body, and helpful for adapting to stress.[18] Marked by its strong aroma and astringent taste, it is regarded in Ayurveda as a kind of "elixir of life" and believed to promote longevity.[19]
Tulsi extracts are used in ayurvedic remedies for common colds, headaches, stomach disorders, inflammation, heart disease, various forms of poisoning, and malaria. Traditionally, tulsi is taken in many forms: as herbal tea, dried powder, fresh leaf, or mixed with ghee. Essential oil extracted from Karpoora tulsi is mostly used for medicinal purposes and in herbal cosmetics, and is widely used in skin preparations due to its antibacterial activity. For centuries, the dried leaves have been mixed with stored grains to repel insects.
Tulsi or tulasi is a sacred plant for Hindus and is worshipped by Hindus as the avatar of goddess Lakshmi. Water mixed with the petals is given to the dying to raise their departing souls to heaven.[21] Tulsi, which is Sanskrit for "the incomparable one", is most often regarded as a consort of Krishna in the form of Lakshmi.[22][23] According to the Brahma Vaivarta Purana, tulsi is an expression of Sita.[24] There are two types of tulsi worshipped in Hinduism: "Rama tulsi" has light green leaves and is larger in size; "Shyama tulsi" has dark green leaves and is important for the worship of Hanuman.[25] Many Hindus have tulsi plants growing in front of or near their home, often in special pots. Traditionally, tulsi is planted in the center of the central courtyard of Hindu houses. It is also frequently grown next to Hanuman temples, especially in Varanasi.[26]
In the ceremony of Tulsi Vivah, tulsi is ceremonially married to Krishna annually on the eleventh day of the waxing moon or twelfth of the month of Kartika in the lunar calendar. This day also marks the end of the four-month Cāturmāsya period, which is considered inauspicious for weddings and other rituals, so the day inaugurates the annual marriage season in India. The ritual lighting of lamps each evening during Kartika includes the worship of the tulsi plant, which is held to be auspicious for the home. Vaishnavas especially follow the daily worship of tulsi during Kartika.[27]
Vaishnavas traditionally use japa malas made from tulsi stems or roots, which are an important symbol of initiation. Tulsi malas are considered to be auspicious for the wearer, and believed to put them under the protection of Hanuman. They have such a strong association with Vaishnavas, that followers of Hanuman are known as "those who bear the tulasi round the neck
தமிழ் மலர்கள் - 49 "வாகை or சிரிடம்"
Tamil Flowers - 49 "Woman's tongues Tree"
Biological Name : Albizia lebbeck
Albizia lebbeck (शिरीष) is a species of Albizia, native to tropical southern Asia, and widely cultivated and naturalised in other tropical and subtropical regions. English names for it include Lebbeck, Lebbek Tree, Flea Tree, Frywood, Koko and Woman's tongues Tree. The latter name is a play on the sound the seeds make as they rattle inside the pods. Being one of the most widespread and common species of Albizia worldwide, it is often simply called "siris" though this name may refer to any locally common member of the genus.[1]
It is a tree growing to a height of 18–30 m tall with a trunk 50 cm to 1 m in diameter. The leaves are bipinnate, 7.5–15 cm long, with one to four pairs of pinnae, each pinna with 6–18 leaflets. The flowers are white, with numerous 2.5–3.8 cm long stamens, and very fragrant. The fruit is a pod 15–30 cm long and 2.5-5.0 cm broad, containing six to twelve seeds.[2]
Uses
In Urdu it is called saras (سرس) and in Pakistani Punjab its name is sareenh ( سرینھ). Its uses include environmental management, forage, medicine and wood. It is cultivated as a shade tree in North and South America.[3] In India and Pakistan, the tree is used to produce timber. Wood from Albizia lebbeck has a density of 0.55-0.66 g/cm3 or higher.[4]
Even where it is not native, some indigenous herbivores are liable to utilize Lebbeck as a food resource. For example, the Greater Rhea (Rhea americana) has been observed feeding on it in the cerrado of Brazil.[5]
Ethnobotany
Lebbeck is an astringent, also used by some cultures to treat boils, cough, to treat the eye, flu, gingivitis, lung problems, pectoral problems, is used as a tonic, and is used to treat abdominal tumors.[6] The bark is used medicinally to treat inflammation.[7] This information was obtained via ethnobotanical records, which are a reference to how a plant is used by indigenous peoples, not verifiable, scientific or medical evaluation of the effectiveness of these claims. Albizia lebbeck is also psychoactive.[8]. In ancient Tamil culture, the flowers of the lebbeck decorated as a crown were used to welcome victorious soldiers
"Holy basil"
Biological Name : Ocimum tenuiflorum
Tulsi (Ocimum sanctum) is a widely grown, sacred plant of India. Hindus grow Tulsi as a religious plant in their homes, temples and their farms. They use Tulsi leaves in routine worship. Tulsi, grown as a pot plant, is found in almost every traditional Hindu house. The natural habitat of Tulsi varies from sea level to an altitude of 2000 m. It is found growing naturally in moist soil nearly all over the globe. Tulsi is a branched, fragrant and erect herb having hair all over. It attains a height of about 75 to 90 cm when mature. Its leaves are nearly round and up to 5 cm long with the margin being entire or toothed. These are aromatic because of the presence of a kind of scented oil in them. A variety with green leaves is called Shri Tulsi and one with reddish leaves is called Krishna Tulsi. Tulsi flowers are small having purple to reddish color, present in small compact clusters on cylindrical spikes. Stalkless heart-shaped bracts are there at the base of each flower cluster. Sepal cup is not hairy within. Flowers are rarerly longer than 5 mm, calyx tube bearded outside near base. Flower tube is hairy. The fruits are small and the seeds yellow to reddish in color.
Tulsi has been used for thousands of years in Ayurveda for its diverse healing properties. It is mentioned in the Charaka Samhita,[17] an ancient Ayurvedic text. Tulsi is considered to be an adaptogen,[12] balancing different processes in the body, and helpful for adapting to stress.[18] Marked by its strong aroma and astringent taste, it is regarded in Ayurveda as a kind of "elixir of life" and believed to promote longevity.[19]
Tulsi extracts are used in ayurvedic remedies for common colds, headaches, stomach disorders, inflammation, heart disease, various forms of poisoning, and malaria. Traditionally, tulsi is taken in many forms: as herbal tea, dried powder, fresh leaf, or mixed with ghee. Essential oil extracted from Karpoora tulsi is mostly used for medicinal purposes and in herbal cosmetics, and is widely used in skin preparations due to its antibacterial activity. For centuries, the dried leaves have been mixed with stored grains to repel insects.
Tulsi or tulasi is a sacred plant for Hindus and is worshipped by Hindus as the avatar of goddess Lakshmi. Water mixed with the petals is given to the dying to raise their departing souls to heaven.[21] Tulsi, which is Sanskrit for "the incomparable one", is most often regarded as a consort of Krishna in the form of Lakshmi.[22][23] According to the Brahma Vaivarta Purana, tulsi is an expression of Sita.[24] There are two types of tulsi worshipped in Hinduism: "Rama tulsi" has light green leaves and is larger in size; "Shyama tulsi" has dark green leaves and is important for the worship of Hanuman.[25] Many Hindus have tulsi plants growing in front of or near their home, often in special pots. Traditionally, tulsi is planted in the center of the central courtyard of Hindu houses. It is also frequently grown next to Hanuman temples, especially in Varanasi.[26]
In the ceremony of Tulsi Vivah, tulsi is ceremonially married to Krishna annually on the eleventh day of the waxing moon or twelfth of the month of Kartika in the lunar calendar. This day also marks the end of the four-month Cāturmāsya period, which is considered inauspicious for weddings and other rituals, so the day inaugurates the annual marriage season in India. The ritual lighting of lamps each evening during Kartika includes the worship of the tulsi plant, which is held to be auspicious for the home. Vaishnavas especially follow the daily worship of tulsi during Kartika.[27]
Vaishnavas traditionally use japa malas made from tulsi stems or roots, which are an important symbol of initiation. Tulsi malas are considered to be auspicious for the wearer, and believed to put them under the protection of Hanuman. They have such a strong association with Vaishnavas, that followers of Hanuman are known as "those who bear the tulasi round the neck
தமிழ் மலர்கள் - 49 "வாகை or சிரிடம்"Tamil Flowers - 49 "Woman's tongues Tree"
Biological Name : Albizia lebbeck
Albizia lebbeck (शिरीष) is a species of Albizia, native to tropical southern Asia, and widely cultivated and naturalised in other tropical and subtropical regions. English names for it include Lebbeck, Lebbek Tree, Flea Tree, Frywood, Koko and Woman's tongues Tree. The latter name is a play on the sound the seeds make as they rattle inside the pods. Being one of the most widespread and common species of Albizia worldwide, it is often simply called "siris" though this name may refer to any locally common member of the genus.[1]
It is a tree growing to a height of 18–30 m tall with a trunk 50 cm to 1 m in diameter. The leaves are bipinnate, 7.5–15 cm long, with one to four pairs of pinnae, each pinna with 6–18 leaflets. The flowers are white, with numerous 2.5–3.8 cm long stamens, and very fragrant. The fruit is a pod 15–30 cm long and 2.5-5.0 cm broad, containing six to twelve seeds.[2]
Uses
In Urdu it is called saras (سرس) and in Pakistani Punjab its name is sareenh ( سرینھ). Its uses include environmental management, forage, medicine and wood. It is cultivated as a shade tree in North and South America.[3] In India and Pakistan, the tree is used to produce timber. Wood from Albizia lebbeck has a density of 0.55-0.66 g/cm3 or higher.[4]
Even where it is not native, some indigenous herbivores are liable to utilize Lebbeck as a food resource. For example, the Greater Rhea (Rhea americana) has been observed feeding on it in the cerrado of Brazil.[5]
Ethnobotany
Lebbeck is an astringent, also used by some cultures to treat boils, cough, to treat the eye, flu, gingivitis, lung problems, pectoral problems, is used as a tonic, and is used to treat abdominal tumors.[6] The bark is used medicinally to treat inflammation.[7] This information was obtained via ethnobotanical records, which are a reference to how a plant is used by indigenous peoples, not verifiable, scientific or medical evaluation of the effectiveness of these claims. Albizia lebbeck is also psychoactive.[8]. In ancient Tamil culture, the flowers of the lebbeck decorated as a crown were used to welcome victorious soldiers
commonly called as தூப மலர், வெள்ளைகுன்றிகம், வெள்ளை டமார், வெள்ளை குங்கிலியம்
"Indian Coral Tree"
Biological Name : Vateria indica L
மரங்களின் பண்புகள் :
மரங்களின் பண்புகள் :
வளரியல்பு : உயர்ந்த மரம், 40 மீ. உயரம் வரை வளரக்கூடியது, சிலநேரங்களில் 60 மீ. உயரம் வரை வளரக்கூடியது.
தண்டு மற்றும் மரப்பட்டை : மரத்தின் பட்டை பழுப்பு நிறம், வழுவழுப்பானது, உள்பட்டை கிரீம் நிறமுடையது.கிளைகள் & சிறிய நுனிக்கிளைகள் : சிறுக்கிளைகள் குறுக்குவெட்டுத் தோற்றத்தில் வளையமானது, நட்சத்திர வடிவ உரோமங்களுடையது.
சாறு : ரெசினஸ் சாறு.இலைகள் : இலைகள் தனித்தவை,மாற்றுஅடுக்கமானவை, சுழல் அமைப்பு கொண்டது; இலையடிச்செதில் உதிரக்கூடியது; இலைக்காம்பு 2-3.5 செ.மீ. நுனியில் தடித்தது, உரோமங்களற்றது; இலை அலகு 8-27 X 4.5-10 செ.மீ. நீள்வட்டம்-நீள்சதுர வடிவமுடையது, அலகின் நுனி கூரியது அல்லது மழுங்கியது, அலகின் தளம் வட்டமானது, அலகின் விளிம்பு முழுமையானது, கோரியேசியஸ், உரோமங்களற்றது; மையநரம்பு மேற்புறத்தில் அலகின் பரப்பிற்கு சமமானது; இரண்டாம் நிலை நரம்புகள் 13-20 ஜோடிகள்; விளிம்பை ஒட்டி வளைவானது, மேற்பரப்பில் அலகின் பரப்பைவிட பள்ளமானது; மூன்றாம் நிலை நரம்புகள் மெலிதானது, நெருக்கமான பெர்க்கரண்ட்.
மஞ்சரி / மலர்கள் : மஞ்சரி இலைக்கோணங்களில் காணப்படும்
பேனிக்கிள்; அடர்ந்த நட்சத்திர வடிவ உரோமங்களுடையது, வெள்ளை நிறமான மலர்கள், மகரந்த பை மஞ்சள் நிறம்கனி / விதை : வெடிகனி (கேப்சூல்), வெளிறிய அரக்கு நிறம், 3-அறைகளை கொண்டது, நீள்சதுரம் 6.4 X 3.8 செ.மீ. வரை நீளமானது, புல்லி இதழ்கள் நிரந்தரமானவை, வளைந்தது; ஒரு விதை கொண்டது.வாழியல்வு :மேல்மட்ட அடுக்கு (கேனோப்பி) மரமாக முதல் எமர்ஜெண்ட் மரங்களாக (காடுகளின் மேல்மட்ட அடுக்கை விட மிக உயர்ந்த மரமாக), குறிப்பாக கடல் மட்டத்திலிருந்து 1200 மீ. உயரம் வரையான மலைகளிலுள்ள மழை அதிகம் பெறும் பசுமைமாறாக்காடுகளில் காணப்படுகிறது.காணப்படும் இடம் :மேற்கு தொடர்ச்சி மலைகளில் மட்டும் (என்டமிக்) காணப்படுகிறது தெற்கு மற்றும் மத்திய சாயாத்திரி பகுதியில் காணப்படுகிறது
தண்டு மற்றும் மரப்பட்டை : மரத்தின் பட்டை பழுப்பு நிறம், வழுவழுப்பானது, உள்பட்டை கிரீம் நிறமுடையது.கிளைகள் & சிறிய நுனிக்கிளைகள் : சிறுக்கிளைகள் குறுக்குவெட்டுத் தோற்றத்தில் வளையமானது, நட்சத்திர வடிவ உரோமங்களுடையது.
சாறு : ரெசினஸ் சாறு.இலைகள் : இலைகள் தனித்தவை,மாற்றுஅடுக்கமானவை, சுழல் அமைப்பு கொண்டது; இலையடிச்செதில் உதிரக்கூடியது; இலைக்காம்பு 2-3.5 செ.மீ. நுனியில் தடித்தது, உரோமங்களற்றது; இலை அலகு 8-27 X 4.5-10 செ.மீ. நீள்வட்டம்-நீள்சதுர வடிவமுடையது, அலகின் நுனி கூரியது அல்லது மழுங்கியது, அலகின் தளம் வட்டமானது, அலகின் விளிம்பு முழுமையானது, கோரியேசியஸ், உரோமங்களற்றது; மையநரம்பு மேற்புறத்தில் அலகின் பரப்பிற்கு சமமானது; இரண்டாம் நிலை நரம்புகள் 13-20 ஜோடிகள்; விளிம்பை ஒட்டி வளைவானது, மேற்பரப்பில் அலகின் பரப்பைவிட பள்ளமானது; மூன்றாம் நிலை நரம்புகள் மெலிதானது, நெருக்கமான பெர்க்கரண்ட்.
மஞ்சரி / மலர்கள் : மஞ்சரி இலைக்கோணங்களில் காணப்படும்
பேனிக்கிள்; அடர்ந்த நட்சத்திர வடிவ உரோமங்களுடையது, வெள்ளை நிறமான மலர்கள், மகரந்த பை மஞ்சள் நிறம்கனி / விதை : வெடிகனி (கேப்சூல்), வெளிறிய அரக்கு நிறம், 3-அறைகளை கொண்டது, நீள்சதுரம் 6.4 X 3.8 செ.மீ. வரை நீளமானது, புல்லி இதழ்கள் நிரந்தரமானவை, வளைந்தது; ஒரு விதை கொண்டது.வாழியல்வு :மேல்மட்ட அடுக்கு (கேனோப்பி) மரமாக முதல் எமர்ஜெண்ட் மரங்களாக (காடுகளின் மேல்மட்ட அடுக்கை விட மிக உயர்ந்த மரமாக), குறிப்பாக கடல் மட்டத்திலிருந்து 1200 மீ. உயரம் வரையான மலைகளிலுள்ள மழை அதிகம் பெறும் பசுமைமாறாக்காடுகளில் காணப்படுகிறது.காணப்படும் இடம் :மேற்கு தொடர்ச்சி மலைகளில் மட்டும் (என்டமிக்) காணப்படுகிறது தெற்கு மற்றும் மத்திய சாயாத்திரி பகுதியில் காணப்படுகிறது
14 "செம்பருத்திப்பூ" "China rose or shoe flower"
Biological Name : Hibiscus rosa-sinensis
It is widely grown as an ornamental plant throughout the tropics and subtropics. The flowers are large, generally red in the original varieties, and firm, but generally lack any scent. Numerous varieties, cultivars, and hybrids are available, with flower colors ranging from white through yellow and orange to scarlet and shades of pink, with both single and double sets of petals. Despite their size and red hues attractive to nectar-feeding birds, they are not visited regularly by hummingbirds when grown in the Neotropics. Generalists, like the Sapphire-spangled Emerald, Amazilia lactea, or long-billed species, like the Stripe-breasted Starthroat, Heliomaster squamosus, are occasionally seen to visit it, however.[1] In the subtropical and temperate Americas, hummingbirds are attracted to them on a regular basis.
Hibiscus rosa-sinensis was named by Carolus Linnaeus. It has prominent presence in the various parts of Indian subcontinent. It has several names in different languages செம்பருத்தி Sembaruthi (meaning red cotton) in Tamil, Hindi: गुड़हल, Jaswand in Marathi, Bengali: জবা (Jaba), Chemparathy - ചെമ്പരത്തി in Malayalam, Mondaro in Oriya,Wada Mal in Sinhala, Mamdaram (మందారం) in Telugu.
Hibiscus rosa-sinensis is the national flower of Malaysia, called Bunga Raya in Malay. Introduced into the Malay Peninsula in the 12th century, it was nominated as the national flower in the year 1958 by the Ministry of Agriculture amongst a few other flowers, namely ylang ylang, jasmine, lotus, rose, magnolia, and bunga tanjung. On 28 July 1960, it was declared by the government of Malaysia that the hibiscus would be the national flower.
The word bunga in Malay means "flower", whilst raya in Malay means "big" or "grand". The hibiscus is literally known as the "big flower" in Malay. The red of the petals symbolizes the courage, life, and rapid growth of the Malaysian, and the five petals represent the five Rukun Negara of Malaysia. The flower can be found imprinted on the notes and coins of the Malaysian ringgit.
Hibiscus flower preparations are used for hair care. The flowers themselves are edible and are used in salads in the Pacific Islands. The flowers are used to shine shoes in parts of India.It is also a pH indicator.China rose indicator turns acidic solutions to magenta/dark pink and basic solutions to green. It is also used for the worship of Devi and especially the red variety takes an important part in tantra. In Indonesia, these flowers are called "kembang sepatu", which literally means "shoe flower".
Hibiscus rosa-sinensis is considered to have a number of medical uses in Chinese herbology
Because of this characteristic, H. rosa-sinensis has become popular with hobbyists who cross and recross varieties, creating new named varieties and holding competitions to exhibit and judge the many resulting new seedlings and often strikingly unique flowers. To add to the genetic opportunities, Hibiscus rosa-sinensis has been successfully hybridized with the cold-hardy Hibiscus moscheutos and several other North American Hibiscus species, producing cold-hardy hybrids
"நீலாம்பல் " "BLUE WATER LILY"
Biological Name : Nymphaea nouchali
This aquatic plant is native to the Indian Subcontinent area. It was spread to other countries already in ancient times and has been long valued as a garden flower in Thailand and Myanmar to decorate ponds and gardens.
In its natural state the Red and blue water-lily is found in static or slow-flowing aquatic habitats of little to moderate depth.
[edit] Description
Nymphaea nouchali; pale-colored variety in Cambodia.
Nymphaea nouchali is a day blooming nonviviparous plant with submerged roots and stems. Part of the leaves are submerged, while others rise slightly above the surface. The leaves are round and green on top; they usually have a darker underside. The floating leaves have undulating edges that give them a crenellate appearance. Their size is about 20–23 cm and their spread is 0.9 to 1.8 m
This water-lily has a beautiful flower which is usually violet blue in color with reddish edges. Some varieties have white, purple, mauve or fuchsia-colored flowers. The flower has 4-5 sepals and 13-15 petals that have an angular appearance making the flower look star-shaped from above. The cup-like calyx has a diameter of 11–14 cm.
[edit] Symbolism
Sigiriya frescoes, Anuradhapura period, Central Ceylon. The lady on the left is holding a Nil Mānel.
Nymphaea nouchali is the National flower of Bangladesh (where it is known as "Shapla") and Sri Lanka (where it is known as Nil Mānel or "Nil Mahanel").[1][2] Since "Nil" means ‘blue’ in Sinhala, the Sinhalese name of this plant is often rendered as "blue lotus" in English.
In Sri Lanka this plant usually grows in buffalo ponds and natural wetlands. Its beautiful aquatic flower has been mentioned in Sanskrit, Pali and Sinhala literary works since ancient times under the names "Kuvalaya", "Indhīwara", "Niluppala", "Nilothpala" and "Nilupul" as a symbol of virtue, discipline and purity. Buddhist lore in Sri Lanka claims that this flower was one of the 108 auspicious signs found on Prince Siddhartha's footprint.[3] It is said that when Buddha died, lotus flowers blossomed everywhere he had walked in his lifetime.
The star lotus might have been one of the plants eaten by the Lotophagi of Homer's Odyssey
Biological Name : Hibiscus rosa-sinensis
It is widely grown as an ornamental plant throughout the tropics and subtropics. The flowers are large, generally red in the original varieties, and firm, but generally lack any scent. Numerous varieties, cultivars, and hybrids are available, with flower colors ranging from white through yellow and orange to scarlet and shades of pink, with both single and double sets of petals. Despite their size and red hues attractive to nectar-feeding birds, they are not visited regularly by hummingbirds when grown in the Neotropics. Generalists, like the Sapphire-spangled Emerald, Amazilia lactea, or long-billed species, like the Stripe-breasted Starthroat, Heliomaster squamosus, are occasionally seen to visit it, however.[1] In the subtropical and temperate Americas, hummingbirds are attracted to them on a regular basis.
Hibiscus rosa-sinensis was named by Carolus Linnaeus. It has prominent presence in the various parts of Indian subcontinent. It has several names in different languages செம்பருத்தி Sembaruthi (meaning red cotton) in Tamil, Hindi: गुड़हल, Jaswand in Marathi, Bengali: জবা (Jaba), Chemparathy - ചെമ്പരത്തി in Malayalam, Mondaro in Oriya,Wada Mal in Sinhala, Mamdaram (మందారం) in Telugu.
Hibiscus rosa-sinensis is the national flower of Malaysia, called Bunga Raya in Malay. Introduced into the Malay Peninsula in the 12th century, it was nominated as the national flower in the year 1958 by the Ministry of Agriculture amongst a few other flowers, namely ylang ylang, jasmine, lotus, rose, magnolia, and bunga tanjung. On 28 July 1960, it was declared by the government of Malaysia that the hibiscus would be the national flower.
The word bunga in Malay means "flower", whilst raya in Malay means "big" or "grand". The hibiscus is literally known as the "big flower" in Malay. The red of the petals symbolizes the courage, life, and rapid growth of the Malaysian, and the five petals represent the five Rukun Negara of Malaysia. The flower can be found imprinted on the notes and coins of the Malaysian ringgit.
Hibiscus flower preparations are used for hair care. The flowers themselves are edible and are used in salads in the Pacific Islands. The flowers are used to shine shoes in parts of India.It is also a pH indicator.China rose indicator turns acidic solutions to magenta/dark pink and basic solutions to green. It is also used for the worship of Devi and especially the red variety takes an important part in tantra. In Indonesia, these flowers are called "kembang sepatu", which literally means "shoe flower".
Hibiscus rosa-sinensis is considered to have a number of medical uses in Chinese herbology
Because of this characteristic, H. rosa-sinensis has become popular with hobbyists who cross and recross varieties, creating new named varieties and holding competitions to exhibit and judge the many resulting new seedlings and often strikingly unique flowers. To add to the genetic opportunities, Hibiscus rosa-sinensis has been successfully hybridized with the cold-hardy Hibiscus moscheutos and several other North American Hibiscus species, producing cold-hardy hybrids
"நீலாம்பல் " "BLUE WATER LILY"Biological Name : Nymphaea nouchali
This aquatic plant is native to the Indian Subcontinent area. It was spread to other countries already in ancient times and has been long valued as a garden flower in Thailand and Myanmar to decorate ponds and gardens.
In its natural state the Red and blue water-lily is found in static or slow-flowing aquatic habitats of little to moderate depth.
[edit] Description
Nymphaea nouchali; pale-colored variety in Cambodia.
Nymphaea nouchali is a day blooming nonviviparous plant with submerged roots and stems. Part of the leaves are submerged, while others rise slightly above the surface. The leaves are round and green on top; they usually have a darker underside. The floating leaves have undulating edges that give them a crenellate appearance. Their size is about 20–23 cm and their spread is 0.9 to 1.8 m
This water-lily has a beautiful flower which is usually violet blue in color with reddish edges. Some varieties have white, purple, mauve or fuchsia-colored flowers. The flower has 4-5 sepals and 13-15 petals that have an angular appearance making the flower look star-shaped from above. The cup-like calyx has a diameter of 11–14 cm.
[edit] Symbolism
Sigiriya frescoes, Anuradhapura period, Central Ceylon. The lady on the left is holding a Nil Mānel.
Nymphaea nouchali is the National flower of Bangladesh (where it is known as "Shapla") and Sri Lanka (where it is known as Nil Mānel or "Nil Mahanel").[1][2] Since "Nil" means ‘blue’ in Sinhala, the Sinhalese name of this plant is often rendered as "blue lotus" in English.
In Sri Lanka this plant usually grows in buffalo ponds and natural wetlands. Its beautiful aquatic flower has been mentioned in Sanskrit, Pali and Sinhala literary works since ancient times under the names "Kuvalaya", "Indhīwara", "Niluppala", "Nilothpala" and "Nilupul" as a symbol of virtue, discipline and purity. Buddhist lore in Sri Lanka claims that this flower was one of the 108 auspicious signs found on Prince Siddhartha's footprint.[3] It is said that when Buddha died, lotus flowers blossomed everywhere he had walked in his lifetime.
The star lotus might have been one of the plants eaten by the Lotophagi of Homer's Odyssey
"கோழிப்பூ" or "கோழி கொண்டை பூ"
"COCKSCOMB"
Biological Name : Celosia argentea var. plumosa
Celosia is a small genus of edible and ornamental plants in the amaranth family, Amaranthaceae. The generic name is derived from the Greek word κηλος (kelos), meaning "burned," and refers to the flame-like flower heads. Species are commonly known as woolflowers, or, if the flower heads are crested by fasciation, cockscombs. The plants are well known in East Africa’s highlands and are used under their Swahili name, mfungu.
Medicinal
It is used as a treatment for intestinal worms (particularly tapeworm), blood diseases, mouth sores, eye problems. The seeds treat chest complaints and the flowers treat diarrhea. The leaves are used as dressings for boils and sores, and the boiled vegetables are said to be slightly diuretic.
[edit] As a garden plant
Seed production in these species can be very high, 200–700 kg per hectare. One ounce of seed may contain up to 43,000 seeds. One thousand seeds can weigh 1.0-1.2 grams. Depending upon the location and fertility of the soil, blossoms can last 8–10 weeks.
Celosia cristata is a common garden ornamental plant in China and other places.
[edit] As food
Celosia argentea var. argentea or Lagos spinach (a.k.a. quail grass, Soko, Celosia, feather cockscomb) is a broadleaf annual leaf vegetable. It grows widespread across Mexico, where it is known as "Velvet flower", northern South America, tropical Africa, the West Indies, South, East and Southeast Asia where it is grown as a native or naturalized wildflower, and is cultivated as a nutritious leafy green vegetable. It is traditional fare in the countries of Central and West Africa, and is one of the leading leafy green vegetables in Nigeria, where it is known as ‘soko yokoto’, meaning "make husbands fat and happy".[3] In Spain it is known as "Rooster comb" because of its appearance.
As a grain, Cockscomb is a pseudo-cereal, not a true cereal.
These leaves, young stems and young inflorescences are used for stew, as they soften up readily in cooking. The leaves also have a soft texture and has a mild spinach-like taste. They are also pepped up with such things as hot pepper, garlic, fresh lime, and red palm oil and eaten as a side dish
"COCKSCOMB"
Biological Name : Celosia argentea var. plumosa
Celosia is a small genus of edible and ornamental plants in the amaranth family, Amaranthaceae. The generic name is derived from the Greek word κηλος (kelos), meaning "burned," and refers to the flame-like flower heads. Species are commonly known as woolflowers, or, if the flower heads are crested by fasciation, cockscombs. The plants are well known in East Africa’s highlands and are used under their Swahili name, mfungu.
Medicinal
It is used as a treatment for intestinal worms (particularly tapeworm), blood diseases, mouth sores, eye problems. The seeds treat chest complaints and the flowers treat diarrhea. The leaves are used as dressings for boils and sores, and the boiled vegetables are said to be slightly diuretic.
[edit] As a garden plant
Seed production in these species can be very high, 200–700 kg per hectare. One ounce of seed may contain up to 43,000 seeds. One thousand seeds can weigh 1.0-1.2 grams. Depending upon the location and fertility of the soil, blossoms can last 8–10 weeks.
Celosia cristata is a common garden ornamental plant in China and other places.
[edit] As food
Celosia argentea var. argentea or Lagos spinach (a.k.a. quail grass, Soko, Celosia, feather cockscomb) is a broadleaf annual leaf vegetable. It grows widespread across Mexico, where it is known as "Velvet flower", northern South America, tropical Africa, the West Indies, South, East and Southeast Asia where it is grown as a native or naturalized wildflower, and is cultivated as a nutritious leafy green vegetable. It is traditional fare in the countries of Central and West Africa, and is one of the leading leafy green vegetables in Nigeria, where it is known as ‘soko yokoto’, meaning "make husbands fat and happy".[3] In Spain it is known as "Rooster comb" because of its appearance.
As a grain, Cockscomb is a pseudo-cereal, not a true cereal.
These leaves, young stems and young inflorescences are used for stew, as they soften up readily in cooking. The leaves also have a soft texture and has a mild spinach-like taste. They are also pepped up with such things as hot pepper, garlic, fresh lime, and red palm oil and eaten as a side dish
"பன்னீர்ப்பூ"
"DAMASK ROSE"
Rosa × damascena, more commonly known as the Damask rose the Damascus rose, or sometimes as the Rose of Castile, is a rose hybrid, derived from Rosa gallica and Rosa moschata (Huxley 1992). Further DNA analysis has shown that a third species, Rosa fedtschenkoana, is associated with the Damask rose.[1]
The flowers are renowned for their fine fragrance, and are commercially harvested for rose oil (either "rose otto" or "rose absolute") used in perfumery and to make rose water and "rose concrete". The flower petals are also sometimes used directly to flavor food or to make tea and are considered safe for human consumption.
The Damask rose is a deciduous shrub growing to 2.2 metres (7 ft 3 in) tall, the stems densely armed with stout, curved prickles and stiff bristles. The leaves are pinnate, with five (rarely seven) leaflets. The roses are a light to moderate pink to light red. The relatively small flowers grow in groups. The bush has an informal shape. It is considered an important type of Old Rose, and also important for its prominent place in the pedigree of many other types.
[edit] Varieties
The hybrid is divided in two varieties:[2]
Summer Damasks (R. × damascena nothovar. damascena) have a short flowering season, only in the summer.
Autumn Damasks (R. × damascena nothovar. semperflorens (Duhamel) Rowley) have a longer flowering season, extending into the autumn; they are otherwise not distinguishable from the summer damasks.
A still popular example of R. × damascena is the Ispahan rose. The hybrid Rosa × centifolia is derived in part from Rosa × damascena, as are the Bourbon, Portland and Hybrid Perpetual classes.
The cultivar known as Rosa gallica forma trigintipetala or Rosa damascena 'Trigintipetala' is considered to be a synonym of Rosa × damascena.
"DAMASK ROSE"
Rosa × damascena, more commonly known as the Damask rose the Damascus rose, or sometimes as the Rose of Castile, is a rose hybrid, derived from Rosa gallica and Rosa moschata (Huxley 1992). Further DNA analysis has shown that a third species, Rosa fedtschenkoana, is associated with the Damask rose.[1]
The flowers are renowned for their fine fragrance, and are commercially harvested for rose oil (either "rose otto" or "rose absolute") used in perfumery and to make rose water and "rose concrete". The flower petals are also sometimes used directly to flavor food or to make tea and are considered safe for human consumption.
The Damask rose is a deciduous shrub growing to 2.2 metres (7 ft 3 in) tall, the stems densely armed with stout, curved prickles and stiff bristles. The leaves are pinnate, with five (rarely seven) leaflets. The roses are a light to moderate pink to light red. The relatively small flowers grow in groups. The bush has an informal shape. It is considered an important type of Old Rose, and also important for its prominent place in the pedigree of many other types.
[edit] Varieties
The hybrid is divided in two varieties:[2]
Summer Damasks (R. × damascena nothovar. damascena) have a short flowering season, only in the summer.
Autumn Damasks (R. × damascena nothovar. semperflorens (Duhamel) Rowley) have a longer flowering season, extending into the autumn; they are otherwise not distinguishable from the summer damasks.
A still popular example of R. × damascena is the Ispahan rose. The hybrid Rosa × centifolia is derived in part from Rosa × damascena, as are the Bourbon, Portland and Hybrid Perpetual classes.
The cultivar known as Rosa gallica forma trigintipetala or Rosa damascena 'Trigintipetala' is considered to be a synonym of Rosa × damascena.
"கடற்பாலை"
"ELEPHANT CREEPER"
Biological Name : Argyreia nervosa
Argyreia nervosa is a perennial climbing vine that is native to the Indian subcontinent and introduced to numerous areas worldwide, including Hawaii, Africa and the Caribbean. Though it can be invasive, it is often prized for its aesthetic value. Common names include Hawaiian Baby Woodrose, Adhoguda अधोगुडा or Vidhara विधारा (Sanskrit), Elephant Creeper and Woolly Morning Glory. There are two botanical varieties: Argyreia nervosa var. nervosa described here, and Argyrea nervosa var. speciosa, a species used in ayurvedic medicine, but with little to no psychoactive value.
Hawaiian Baby Woodrose seeds may be consumed for their various lysergamide alkaloids, such as ergine, which can produce psychedelic effects
The plant is a rare example of a plant whose hallucinogenic properties were not recognized until recent times. While its cousins in the Convolvulaceae family, such as the Rivea corymbosa (Ololiuhqui) and Ipomoea tricolor (Tlitliltzin), were used in shamanic rituals of Latin America for centuries, the Hawaiian Baby Woodrose was not traditionally recognized as a hallucinogen. Its properties were first brought to attention in the 1960s, despite the fact that the chemical composition of its seeds is nearly identical to those of the two species mentioned above, and the seeds contain the highest concentration of psychoactive compounds in the entire family.
Within the first one to two years of growth, this plant grows into a compact bush. After that, some of the leaves will fall off and it will elongate into vines. The vines have been known to grow up to 10 metres (33 ft) in length. If consistent water availability is not maintained, these vines may die out and be replaced by fresh growth. The vine will dry out to the closest node during this point.[citation needed]
Hawaiian Baby Woodrose is very well adapted to a dry tropical climate such as areas near rivers and creeks but with a distinct wet and dry season. It is not naturally found in the Wet tropics.[citation needed]
[edit] Flowers
The plant can start growing flowers as early as 18 months from seed. For this to occur, there must be sufficient watering and adequate room for the roots to grow; it can take up to five years for the first signs of flowering to become visible.
"ELEPHANT CREEPER"
Biological Name : Argyreia nervosa
Argyreia nervosa is a perennial climbing vine that is native to the Indian subcontinent and introduced to numerous areas worldwide, including Hawaii, Africa and the Caribbean. Though it can be invasive, it is often prized for its aesthetic value. Common names include Hawaiian Baby Woodrose, Adhoguda अधोगुडा or Vidhara विधारा (Sanskrit), Elephant Creeper and Woolly Morning Glory. There are two botanical varieties: Argyreia nervosa var. nervosa described here, and Argyrea nervosa var. speciosa, a species used in ayurvedic medicine, but with little to no psychoactive value.
Hawaiian Baby Woodrose seeds may be consumed for their various lysergamide alkaloids, such as ergine, which can produce psychedelic effects
The plant is a rare example of a plant whose hallucinogenic properties were not recognized until recent times. While its cousins in the Convolvulaceae family, such as the Rivea corymbosa (Ololiuhqui) and Ipomoea tricolor (Tlitliltzin), were used in shamanic rituals of Latin America for centuries, the Hawaiian Baby Woodrose was not traditionally recognized as a hallucinogen. Its properties were first brought to attention in the 1960s, despite the fact that the chemical composition of its seeds is nearly identical to those of the two species mentioned above, and the seeds contain the highest concentration of psychoactive compounds in the entire family.
Within the first one to two years of growth, this plant grows into a compact bush. After that, some of the leaves will fall off and it will elongate into vines. The vines have been known to grow up to 10 metres (33 ft) in length. If consistent water availability is not maintained, these vines may die out and be replaced by fresh growth. The vine will dry out to the closest node during this point.[citation needed]
Hawaiian Baby Woodrose is very well adapted to a dry tropical climate such as areas near rivers and creeks but with a distinct wet and dry season. It is not naturally found in the Wet tropics.[citation needed]
[edit] Flowers
The plant can start growing flowers as early as 18 months from seed. For this to occur, there must be sufficient watering and adequate room for the roots to grow; it can take up to five years for the first signs of flowering to become visible.
"காந்தள்" "GLORY LILY"
Biological Name : Gloriosa superba L.
All parts of the plant, especially the tubers, are extremely poisonous.
G. superba is a semi-woody herbaceous,
branching climber, reaching approximately 5 metres in
height. 1 to 4 stems arise from a single V-shaped
fleshy cylindrical tuber. The leaves are stalkless,
lance-shaped, alternate or opposite or in whorls of up
to 3; leaf size: 5 to 15 cm long by 4 to 5 cm wide
with parallel veins and tips ending in spiral tendrils
which are used for climbing. Large, showy, long-
stalked flowers are made up of 6 long reflexed petals
usually with wavy margins. Flower size: 6 to 10 cm
long by 1 to 2.5 cm wide. Flower colour: usually
very bright ranging from red with yellow margins to
very pale yellow forms with a mauve or purple stripe;
pale white forms also occur. Many additional colour
forms have arisen through cultivation. The fruit is
oblong, 6 to 12 cm by 2 to 2.5 cm and contains about
20 globose red seeds in each valve (Huxley, 1992;
Neuwinger, 1994; Burkill, 1995).
3.1.2 Habitat
The plant grows in sunny positions in free-
draining soil; it is very tolerant of nutrient-poor
soils. In warm tropical countries it occurs in
thickets, bushland, forest edges and cultivated areas
up to a height of 2530 metres above sea level. It is
widely grown as an ornamental in cool temperate
countries under glass or in conservatories (Neuwinger,
1994).
3.1.3 Distribution
A native of tropical Africa and is now found
growing naturally throughout much of tropical Asia
including: India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Burma
(Jayaweera, 1982); G. superba is also planted
outdoors in the southern United States. In cool
temperate countries it is treated as a greenhouse or
conservatory plant
Biological Name : Mirabilis jalapa
A curious aspect of this plant is that flowers of different colors can be found simultaneously on the same plant.
Different color variation in the flower and different color flowers in same plant.
Variegated flower on a four o'clock plant.
Naturally occurring color variation on four o'clock flowers.
Additionally, an individual flower can be splashed with different colors. Another interesting point is a color-changing phenomenon. For example, in the yellow variety, as the plant matures, it can display flowers that gradually change to a dark pink color. Similarly white flowers can change to light violet.
A four o'clock plant in full bloom.
The flowers usually open from late afternoon onwards, then producing a strong, sweet-smelling fragrance, hence the first of its common names. In Pakistan it is called "Gul Abas" (Urdu: گل عباس). In Southern India it is called "Anthi Mandhaarai" (Tamil: அந்தி மந்தாரை). In Andhra Pradesh it is called "Chandrakantha"(Telugu: చ౦దరకా౦త). In Kerala it is called 'Naalu mani poovu'. In Maharashtra it is called "Gulabakshi"
M. jalapa hails from tropical South America, but has become naturalised throughout tropical and warm temperate regions. In cooler temperate regions, it will die back with the first frosts, regrowing in the following spring from the tuberous roots. The plant does best in full sun. It grows to approximately 0.9 m in height. The single-seeded fruits are spherical, wrinkled and black upon maturity (see picture), having started out greenish-yellow. The plant will self-seed, often spreading rapidly if left unchecked in a garden. Some gardeners recommend that the seeds should be soaked before planting, but this is not totally necessary. In North America, the plant perennializes in warm, coastal environments
Around 1900, Carl Correns used Mirabilis as a model organism for his studies on cytoplasmic inheritance. He used the plant's variegated leaves to prove that certain factors outside the nucleus affected phenotype in a way not explained by Mendel's theories.[2] Correns proposed that leaf color in Mirabilis was passed on via a uniparental mode of inheritance.[2]
Also, when red-flowered plants are crossed with white-flowered plants, pink-flowered offspring, not red, are produced. This is seen as an exception to Mendel's Law of Dominance, because in this case the red and white genes are of equal strength, so none completely dominates the other. The phenomenon is known as incomplete dominance.
Seed
[edit] Uses
The flowers are used in food colouring. The leaves may be eaten cooked as well, but only as an emergency food.[3]
An edible crimson dye is obtained from the flowers to colour cakes and jellies.[3]
In herbal medicine, parts of the plant may be used as a diuretic, purgative, and for vulnerary (wound healing) purposes. The root is believed an aphrodisiac as well as diuretic and purgative. It is used in the treatment of dropsy.
The leaves are used to reduce inflammation. A decoction of them (mashing and boiling) is used to treat abscesses. Leaf juice may be used to treat wounds.
Powdered, the seed of some varieities is used as a cosmetic and a dye.[3] The seeds are considered poisonous
"குறிஞ்சி மலர்" "KURINJI"
Biological Name : Strobilanthes kunthiana
Neelakurinji (Strobilanthes kunthiana) (Malayalam: നീലക്കുറിഞ്ഞി)(Tamil: நீலக்குறிஞ்சி), is a shrub that used to grow abundantly in the shola grasslands of the Western Ghats in South India above 1800 metres. The Nilgiri Hills, which literally means the blue mountains, got their name from the purplish blue flowers of Neelakurinji that blossoms gregariously only once in 12 years. The Paliyan tribal people apparently used it to calculate their age.[1]
This plant belongs to the genus Strobilanthes which was first scientifically described by Nees in the 19th century. The genus has around 250 species, of which at least 46 are found in India. Most of these species show an unusual flowering behaviour, varying from annual to 16-year blooming cycles, on the national scale there is often confusion about which plant is flowering.[2]
Plants that bloom at long intervals like Strobilanthes kunthiana are known as plietesials, the term plietesial has been used in reference to perennial monocarpic plants “of the kind most often met with in the Strobilanthinae” (a subtribe of Acanthaceae containing Strobilanthes and allied genera) that usually grow gregariously, flower simultaneously following a long interval, set seed, and die. Other commonly used expressions or terms which apply to part or all of the plietesial life history include gregarious flowering, mast seeding, and supra-annual synchronized semelparity.
Neelakurinji is the best known of a genus, Strobilanthes, that has flowering cycles ranging from one to 16 years. Plants that bloom at long intervals like kurinji are called plietesials. Besides the Western Ghats, Neelakurinji is seen in the Shevroys in the Eastern Ghats. It occurs at an altitude of 1300 to 2400 metres. The plant is usually 30 to 60 cm high on the hills. They can, however, grow well beyond 180 cm under congenial conditions.
[edit] Masting
Some species of Strobilanthes including this one are examples of a mass seeding phenomenon termed as masting[5] which can be defined as "synchronous production of seed at long intervals by a population of plants",[6] strict masting only occurs in species that are monocarpic (or semelparous) -- individuals of the species only reproduce once during their lifetime, then die.[7]
[edit] Habitat
They once used to cover the Nilgiri Hills and Palani Hills like a carpet during its flowering season. Now plantations and dwellings occupy much of their habitat. In 2006, Neelakurunji flowered again in Kerala and Tamil Nadu after a gap of 12 years. Apart from Nilgris, Neelakurinji grow in grass lands of Eravikulam, hills between Klavarai in Tamil Nadu and Vattavada, near Munnar in Kerala during the season from August to December. Kurinji has again flowered in some parts of Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
[edit] Conservation
Kurinjimala Sanctuary protects the kurinji approximately 32 km² core habitat of the endangered Neelakurinji plant in Kottakamboor and Vattavada villages in Devakulam Taluk, Idukki district of Kerala, The Save Kurinji Campaign Council organises campaigns and ,programmes for conservation of the Kurinji plant and its habit.[4]
[edit] References in Literature
The Kurinji flower and the associated mountainous landscape where it blooms was used in classical Tamil literature (Sangam literature) as a symbol for the union of lovers (See Sangam landscape). The famous poetic fragment "Red Earth and Pouring Rain" from the Kuruntokai makes an indirect reference to the flower
தமிழ் நந்தியார்வட்டை"
commonly called as நந்தியாவட்டம்
"Crape jasmine"
Biological Name : Tabernaemontana divaricata
Tabernaemontana is a genus of 100-110 species of flowering plants in the family Apocynaceae. It has a pan-tropical distribution. These plants are shrubs and small trees growing to 1-15 m tall. The leaves are evergreen, opposite, 3-25 cm long, with milky sap; hence it is one of the diverse plant genera commonly called "milkwood". The flowers are fragrant, white, 1-5 cm in diameter.
The cultivar T. divaricata cv. 'Plena', with doubled-petaled flowers, is a popular houseplant. Crape Jasmine (T. coronaria) is also popular as an ornamental plant.
Some members of the genus Tabernaemontana are used as additives to some versions of the psychedelic drink Ayahuasca[1]; the genus is known to contain ibogaine (e.g. in Bëcchëte, T. undulata) conolidine[2] and voacangine (namely in T. africana). T. sananho preparations are used in native medicine to treat eye injuries and as an anxiolytic, and T. heterophylla is used to treat dementia in the elderly[3]. Conolidine may be developed as a new class of pain-killer.[4] Caterpillars of the Oleander Hawk-moth (Daphnis nerii) have been found to feed on Pinwheel Flower (T. divaricata)
Biological Name : Gloriosa superba L.
All parts of the plant, especially the tubers, are extremely poisonous.
G. superba is a semi-woody herbaceous,
branching climber, reaching approximately 5 metres in
height. 1 to 4 stems arise from a single V-shaped
fleshy cylindrical tuber. The leaves are stalkless,
lance-shaped, alternate or opposite or in whorls of up
to 3; leaf size: 5 to 15 cm long by 4 to 5 cm wide
with parallel veins and tips ending in spiral tendrils
which are used for climbing. Large, showy, long-
stalked flowers are made up of 6 long reflexed petals
usually with wavy margins. Flower size: 6 to 10 cm
long by 1 to 2.5 cm wide. Flower colour: usually
very bright ranging from red with yellow margins to
very pale yellow forms with a mauve or purple stripe;
pale white forms also occur. Many additional colour
forms have arisen through cultivation. The fruit is
oblong, 6 to 12 cm by 2 to 2.5 cm and contains about
20 globose red seeds in each valve (Huxley, 1992;
Neuwinger, 1994; Burkill, 1995).
3.1.2 Habitat
The plant grows in sunny positions in free-
draining soil; it is very tolerant of nutrient-poor
soils. In warm tropical countries it occurs in
thickets, bushland, forest edges and cultivated areas
up to a height of 2530 metres above sea level. It is
widely grown as an ornamental in cool temperate
countries under glass or in conservatories (Neuwinger,
1994).
3.1.3 Distribution
A native of tropical Africa and is now found
growing naturally throughout much of tropical Asia
including: India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Burma
(Jayaweera, 1982); G. superba is also planted
outdoors in the southern United States. In cool
temperate countries it is treated as a greenhouse or
conservatory plant
தமிழ் மலர்கள் - 6 "அனிச்சம்"
Tamil Flowers - 6 "BLUE PIMPERNAL or SCARLET PIMPERNAL"
Biological Name : Anagallis arvensis Linn.
Anagallis is a genus of about 20–25 species of flowering plants in the myrsine family Myrsinaceae, commonly called pimpernel and perhaps best known for the Scarlet pimpernel referred to in literature. The botanical name is from the Greek, ana, "again", and agallein, "to delight in", and refers to the opening and closing of the flowers in response to environmental conditions.
These are annual or perennial plants, growing in tufts on weedy and uncultivated areas. The stems are prostrate or decumbent. The leaves are opposite, rarely whorled, and sometimes with a few alternate leaves at the end of the stem. They are usually ovate in shape with a cordate base. Some of the species produce flowers of various colors. The flowers are radially symmetrical and have 5 sepals. The corolla consists of a short tube and 5 lobes. The tube may be so short that the lobes appear to be separate petals. They are usually solitary in the leaf axils, but sometimes are on short spikes at the end of the stem. Pimpernel flowers remain open only under direct sun-light. The stamens are opposite the corolla lobes. The staminal filaments have conspicuous hairs. The ovary is superior, globose, and circumscissile near the middle.
They were formerly classified as members of the primrose family (Primulaceae), but a genetic and morphological study by Källersjö et al.[1] showed that they belong to the closely related family Myrsinaceae. In the APG III system, published in 2009, Primulaceae is expanded to include Myrsinaceae, thus Anagallis is in Primulaceae sensu lato.
Another study by Ulrika Manns and Arne A. Anderberg (2005), based on molecular phylogeny, states that Anagallis in its present circumscription is paraphyletic and should also include in its clade the small genera Asterolinon and Pelletiera, as well as two Lysimachia species (Lysimachia nemorum and Lysimachia serpyllifolia)
Tamil Flowers - 6 "BLUE PIMPERNAL or SCARLET PIMPERNAL"
Biological Name : Anagallis arvensis Linn.
Anagallis is a genus of about 20–25 species of flowering plants in the myrsine family Myrsinaceae, commonly called pimpernel and perhaps best known for the Scarlet pimpernel referred to in literature. The botanical name is from the Greek, ana, "again", and agallein, "to delight in", and refers to the opening and closing of the flowers in response to environmental conditions.
These are annual or perennial plants, growing in tufts on weedy and uncultivated areas. The stems are prostrate or decumbent. The leaves are opposite, rarely whorled, and sometimes with a few alternate leaves at the end of the stem. They are usually ovate in shape with a cordate base. Some of the species produce flowers of various colors. The flowers are radially symmetrical and have 5 sepals. The corolla consists of a short tube and 5 lobes. The tube may be so short that the lobes appear to be separate petals. They are usually solitary in the leaf axils, but sometimes are on short spikes at the end of the stem. Pimpernel flowers remain open only under direct sun-light. The stamens are opposite the corolla lobes. The staminal filaments have conspicuous hairs. The ovary is superior, globose, and circumscissile near the middle.
They were formerly classified as members of the primrose family (Primulaceae), but a genetic and morphological study by Källersjö et al.[1] showed that they belong to the closely related family Myrsinaceae. In the APG III system, published in 2009, Primulaceae is expanded to include Myrsinaceae, thus Anagallis is in Primulaceae sensu lato.
Another study by Ulrika Manns and Arne A. Anderberg (2005), based on molecular phylogeny, states that Anagallis in its present circumscription is paraphyletic and should also include in its clade the small genera Asterolinon and Pelletiera, as well as two Lysimachia species (Lysimachia nemorum and Lysimachia serpyllifolia)
"வெட்சி" "SCARLET IXORA"
Biological Name : Ixora coccinea.L
xora coccinea (or Jungle Geranium, Flame of the Woods, and Jungle Flame) is a species of flowering plant in the Rubiaceae family. It is a common flowering shrub native to Southern India and Sri Lanka. It has become one of the most popular flowering shrubs in South Florida gardens and landscapes. Its name derives from an Indian deity.
I. coccinea is a dense, multi-branched evergreen shrub, commonly 4–6 ft (1.2–2 m) in height, but capable of reaching up to 12 ft (3.6 m) high. It has a rounded form, with a spread that may exceed its height. The glossy, leathery, oblong leaves are about 4 in (10 cm) long, with entire margins, and are carried in opposite pairs or whorled on the stems. Small tubular, scarlet flowers in dense rounded clusters 2-5 in (5–13 cm) across are produced almost all year long.
Cultivation and Use
Ixora coccinea with flowers
Although there are around 500 species in the genus Ixora, only a handful are commonly cultivated, and the common name, Ixora, is usually used for I. coccinea. I. coccinea is used in warm climates for hedges and screens, foundation plantings, massed in flowering beds, or grown as a specimen shrub or small tree. In cooler climes, it is grown in a greenhouse or as a potted house plant requiring bright light. I. coccinea is also grown in containers, looking very distinguished as a patio or poolside plant. This tight, compact shrub is much branched and tolerates hard pruning, making it ideal for formal hedges, although it is at its best when not sheared. There are numerous named cultivars differing in flower colour (yellow, pink, orange) and plant size. Several popular cultivars are dwarfs, usually staying under 3 ft (1 m) in height. Ixora 'Nora Grant' is a popular dwarf and 'Super King' is a popular hybrid with much larger flower clusters than the species. Many new cultivars and hybrids of I. coccinea have come to market in the last couple of decades, leading to a resurgence in popularity for the beautiful flame-of-the-woods
Biological Name : Ixora coccinea.L
xora coccinea (or Jungle Geranium, Flame of the Woods, and Jungle Flame) is a species of flowering plant in the Rubiaceae family. It is a common flowering shrub native to Southern India and Sri Lanka. It has become one of the most popular flowering shrubs in South Florida gardens and landscapes. Its name derives from an Indian deity.
I. coccinea is a dense, multi-branched evergreen shrub, commonly 4–6 ft (1.2–2 m) in height, but capable of reaching up to 12 ft (3.6 m) high. It has a rounded form, with a spread that may exceed its height. The glossy, leathery, oblong leaves are about 4 in (10 cm) long, with entire margins, and are carried in opposite pairs or whorled on the stems. Small tubular, scarlet flowers in dense rounded clusters 2-5 in (5–13 cm) across are produced almost all year long.
Cultivation and Use
Ixora coccinea with flowers
Although there are around 500 species in the genus Ixora, only a handful are commonly cultivated, and the common name, Ixora, is usually used for I. coccinea. I. coccinea is used in warm climates for hedges and screens, foundation plantings, massed in flowering beds, or grown as a specimen shrub or small tree. In cooler climes, it is grown in a greenhouse or as a potted house plant requiring bright light. I. coccinea is also grown in containers, looking very distinguished as a patio or poolside plant. This tight, compact shrub is much branched and tolerates hard pruning, making it ideal for formal hedges, although it is at its best when not sheared. There are numerous named cultivars differing in flower colour (yellow, pink, orange) and plant size. Several popular cultivars are dwarfs, usually staying under 3 ft (1 m) in height. Ixora 'Nora Grant' is a popular dwarf and 'Super King' is a popular hybrid with much larger flower clusters than the species. Many new cultivars and hybrids of I. coccinea have come to market in the last couple of decades, leading to a resurgence in popularity for the beautiful flame-of-the-woods
"நாகப்பூ"
"INDIAN ROSE CHESNUT"
Commonly called as FLOWER OF INDIA
"அந்தி மந்தாரை" "Four O'clock Flower""INDIAN ROSE CHESNUT"
Commonly called as FLOWER OF INDIA
Biological Name : Mesua ferrea
Mesua ferrea (Ceylon ironwood, Indian rose chestnut, Cobra's saffron or locally, Penaga Lilin,Na (Sinhalese) or Nahar/Nahor, Sanskrit Nāga नाग, नागर, नागकेशर) is a species in the family Calophyllaceae. The plant is named after the heaviness of its timber and cultivated in tropical climates for its form, foliage, and fragrant flowers. It is native to tropical Sri Lanka but also cultivated in Assam, southern Nepal, Indochina, and the Malay Peninsula.
It is a tall tree reaching up to 100 feet tall, often buttressed at the base with a trunk up to 2 meters in diameter. It is common in wet zone at Sri Lanka up to 1500 meters. It has simple, narrow, oblong, dark green leaves 7–15 cm long, with a whitish underside; the emerging young leaves are red to yellowish pink and drooping. The flowers are 4–7.5 cm diameter, with four white petals and a center of numerous yellow stamens.
The National Ironwood Forest is a 96 ha (238 acre) forest in Sri Lanka where Mesua ferrea trees dominate the vegetation. It is said[by whom?] that during King Dappula IV's period (8th century AD) this forest was created and the remaining trees are the shoots of it. Hence it is considered the oldest man-made forest in Sri Lanka. According to botanists this is the only ironwood forest in the dry zone with wet zone vegetation.
Symbolism and uses
It is the National tree in Sri Lanka.
The wood is very heavy, hard and strong. Weight is about 72 lbs per cubic foot & density is 1.12 ton/m3. Color is deep dark red. Refractory in sawing & mechanics moderately well. It is used for railroad ties and heavy structural timber.
Its resin is slightly poisonous, but many parts have medicinal properties. It enhances the complexion. It leads to fragility transparency to the skin. The flowers are acrid, anodyne, digestive, constipating, stomachache[clarification needed]. They are useful in conditions like asthma, leprosy, cough, fever, vomiting and impotency[citation needed]. The seed oil is considered to be very useful in conditions like vata and skin diseases. Dried flowers are used for bleeding hemorrhoids and dysentery with mucus. Fresh flowers are useful remedy for itching, nausea, erysipelas, bleeding piles, metrorrhagea, menorrhagea, excessive thirst, and sweating[citation needed]. Oil from the seeds is used for sores, scabies, wounds, and rheumatism
Mesua ferrea (Ceylon ironwood, Indian rose chestnut, Cobra's saffron or locally, Penaga Lilin,Na (Sinhalese) or Nahar/Nahor, Sanskrit Nāga नाग, नागर, नागकेशर) is a species in the family Calophyllaceae. The plant is named after the heaviness of its timber and cultivated in tropical climates for its form, foliage, and fragrant flowers. It is native to tropical Sri Lanka but also cultivated in Assam, southern Nepal, Indochina, and the Malay Peninsula.
It is a tall tree reaching up to 100 feet tall, often buttressed at the base with a trunk up to 2 meters in diameter. It is common in wet zone at Sri Lanka up to 1500 meters. It has simple, narrow, oblong, dark green leaves 7–15 cm long, with a whitish underside; the emerging young leaves are red to yellowish pink and drooping. The flowers are 4–7.5 cm diameter, with four white petals and a center of numerous yellow stamens.
The National Ironwood Forest is a 96 ha (238 acre) forest in Sri Lanka where Mesua ferrea trees dominate the vegetation. It is said[by whom?] that during King Dappula IV's period (8th century AD) this forest was created and the remaining trees are the shoots of it. Hence it is considered the oldest man-made forest in Sri Lanka. According to botanists this is the only ironwood forest in the dry zone with wet zone vegetation.
Symbolism and uses
It is the National tree in Sri Lanka.
The wood is very heavy, hard and strong. Weight is about 72 lbs per cubic foot & density is 1.12 ton/m3. Color is deep dark red. Refractory in sawing & mechanics moderately well. It is used for railroad ties and heavy structural timber.
Its resin is slightly poisonous, but many parts have medicinal properties. It enhances the complexion. It leads to fragility transparency to the skin. The flowers are acrid, anodyne, digestive, constipating, stomachache[clarification needed]. They are useful in conditions like asthma, leprosy, cough, fever, vomiting and impotency[citation needed]. The seed oil is considered to be very useful in conditions like vata and skin diseases. Dried flowers are used for bleeding hemorrhoids and dysentery with mucus. Fresh flowers are useful remedy for itching, nausea, erysipelas, bleeding piles, metrorrhagea, menorrhagea, excessive thirst, and sweating[citation needed]. Oil from the seeds is used for sores, scabies, wounds, and rheumatism
Biological Name : Mirabilis jalapa
A curious aspect of this plant is that flowers of different colors can be found simultaneously on the same plant.
Different color variation in the flower and different color flowers in same plant.
Variegated flower on a four o'clock plant.
Naturally occurring color variation on four o'clock flowers.
Additionally, an individual flower can be splashed with different colors. Another interesting point is a color-changing phenomenon. For example, in the yellow variety, as the plant matures, it can display flowers that gradually change to a dark pink color. Similarly white flowers can change to light violet.
A four o'clock plant in full bloom.
The flowers usually open from late afternoon onwards, then producing a strong, sweet-smelling fragrance, hence the first of its common names. In Pakistan it is called "Gul Abas" (Urdu: گل عباس). In Southern India it is called "Anthi Mandhaarai" (Tamil: அந்தி மந்தாரை). In Andhra Pradesh it is called "Chandrakantha"(Telugu: చ౦దరకా౦త). In Kerala it is called 'Naalu mani poovu'. In Maharashtra it is called "Gulabakshi"
M. jalapa hails from tropical South America, but has become naturalised throughout tropical and warm temperate regions. In cooler temperate regions, it will die back with the first frosts, regrowing in the following spring from the tuberous roots. The plant does best in full sun. It grows to approximately 0.9 m in height. The single-seeded fruits are spherical, wrinkled and black upon maturity (see picture), having started out greenish-yellow. The plant will self-seed, often spreading rapidly if left unchecked in a garden. Some gardeners recommend that the seeds should be soaked before planting, but this is not totally necessary. In North America, the plant perennializes in warm, coastal environments
Around 1900, Carl Correns used Mirabilis as a model organism for his studies on cytoplasmic inheritance. He used the plant's variegated leaves to prove that certain factors outside the nucleus affected phenotype in a way not explained by Mendel's theories.[2] Correns proposed that leaf color in Mirabilis was passed on via a uniparental mode of inheritance.[2]
Also, when red-flowered plants are crossed with white-flowered plants, pink-flowered offspring, not red, are produced. This is seen as an exception to Mendel's Law of Dominance, because in this case the red and white genes are of equal strength, so none completely dominates the other. The phenomenon is known as incomplete dominance.
Seed
[edit] Uses
The flowers are used in food colouring. The leaves may be eaten cooked as well, but only as an emergency food.[3]
An edible crimson dye is obtained from the flowers to colour cakes and jellies.[3]
In herbal medicine, parts of the plant may be used as a diuretic, purgative, and for vulnerary (wound healing) purposes. The root is believed an aphrodisiac as well as diuretic and purgative. It is used in the treatment of dropsy.
The leaves are used to reduce inflammation. A decoction of them (mashing and boiling) is used to treat abscesses. Leaf juice may be used to treat wounds.
Powdered, the seed of some varieities is used as a cosmetic and a dye.[3] The seeds are considered poisonous
Biological Name : Strobilanthes kunthiana
Neelakurinji (Strobilanthes kunthiana) (Malayalam: നീലക്കുറിഞ്ഞി)(Tamil: நீலக்குறிஞ்சி), is a shrub that used to grow abundantly in the shola grasslands of the Western Ghats in South India above 1800 metres. The Nilgiri Hills, which literally means the blue mountains, got their name from the purplish blue flowers of Neelakurinji that blossoms gregariously only once in 12 years. The Paliyan tribal people apparently used it to calculate their age.[1]
This plant belongs to the genus Strobilanthes which was first scientifically described by Nees in the 19th century. The genus has around 250 species, of which at least 46 are found in India. Most of these species show an unusual flowering behaviour, varying from annual to 16-year blooming cycles, on the national scale there is often confusion about which plant is flowering.[2]
Plants that bloom at long intervals like Strobilanthes kunthiana are known as plietesials, the term plietesial has been used in reference to perennial monocarpic plants “of the kind most often met with in the Strobilanthinae” (a subtribe of Acanthaceae containing Strobilanthes and allied genera) that usually grow gregariously, flower simultaneously following a long interval, set seed, and die. Other commonly used expressions or terms which apply to part or all of the plietesial life history include gregarious flowering, mast seeding, and supra-annual synchronized semelparity.
Neelakurinji is the best known of a genus, Strobilanthes, that has flowering cycles ranging from one to 16 years. Plants that bloom at long intervals like kurinji are called plietesials. Besides the Western Ghats, Neelakurinji is seen in the Shevroys in the Eastern Ghats. It occurs at an altitude of 1300 to 2400 metres. The plant is usually 30 to 60 cm high on the hills. They can, however, grow well beyond 180 cm under congenial conditions.
[edit] Masting
Some species of Strobilanthes including this one are examples of a mass seeding phenomenon termed as masting[5] which can be defined as "synchronous production of seed at long intervals by a population of plants",[6] strict masting only occurs in species that are monocarpic (or semelparous) -- individuals of the species only reproduce once during their lifetime, then die.[7]
[edit] Habitat
They once used to cover the Nilgiri Hills and Palani Hills like a carpet during its flowering season. Now plantations and dwellings occupy much of their habitat. In 2006, Neelakurunji flowered again in Kerala and Tamil Nadu after a gap of 12 years. Apart from Nilgris, Neelakurinji grow in grass lands of Eravikulam, hills between Klavarai in Tamil Nadu and Vattavada, near Munnar in Kerala during the season from August to December. Kurinji has again flowered in some parts of Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
[edit] Conservation
Kurinjimala Sanctuary protects the kurinji approximately 32 km² core habitat of the endangered Neelakurinji plant in Kottakamboor and Vattavada villages in Devakulam Taluk, Idukki district of Kerala, The Save Kurinji Campaign Council organises campaigns and ,programmes for conservation of the Kurinji plant and its habit.[4]
[edit] References in Literature
The Kurinji flower and the associated mountainous landscape where it blooms was used in classical Tamil literature (Sangam literature) as a symbol for the union of lovers (See Sangam landscape). The famous poetic fragment "Red Earth and Pouring Rain" from the Kuruntokai makes an indirect reference to the flower
"குவளை" "FRAGRANT WATER LILY"
Biological Name : Nymphaea odorata Ait
A floating aquatic plant with large, fragrant, white or pink flowers and flat, round, floating leaves. The leaves have long stems and are bright green above and reddish or purplish underneath, almost round. They are narrowly and deeply cut almost to the center, where the stem is attached. They are up to 10 inches across, floating on the surface of the water or just beneath. There is 1 flower to a stem, white, fragrant, 2–6 inches across, and floating on the water. Flowers open in the early morning and close about noon. There are 4 sepals and many rows of white petals, often more than 25, which are 3/4–4 inches long, thick, and pointed at the tip. There are more than 70 stamens. The outer ones are large and petal-like; they become smaller toward the center.
One of the most common white water-lilies, Fragrant Water-lilys flowers and leaves float on the water. It usually flowers only from early morning until noon. The stomata, tiny openings on the leaf surface through which carbon dioxide and other gases pass into the plant, are on the upper, shiny leaf surface rather than on the lower surface as is the case for most dry-land plants. The leaf stalk, which is soft and spongy, has 4 main air channels for the movement of gases, especially oxygen, from the leaves to the large stems (rhizomes) buried in the muck, which are frequently eaten by muskrats. The Small White Water-lily (N. tetragona), has white flowers 2 1/2 (6.3 cm) wide with only 7—13 petals, that open in the afternoon. Native to the northeastern United States, it is found in Canada, south to northwest Maine, and west to northern Michigan and Minnesota and a few places in Washington and Idaho
தமிழ் "வாடாமல்லி" "GLOBE AMARNATH"
Commonly known as "Bachelor Button"
Biological Name : Gomphrena globosa
Gomphrena globosa, commonly known as Globe Amaranth or Bachelor Button, is an annual plant that grows up to 24 inches in height. The true species has magenta bracts, and cultivars have colors such as purple, red, white, pink, and lilac.
In Trinidad the flowers are boiled to make a tea which is used for baby gripe, oliguria, cough and diabetes; cooling.[1]
In Hawaii, it is commonly used in long-lasting leis since it retains its shape and color after drying.
This flower is used to make a garland for Brother's Day in Nepal. The garland is put around the brother's neck by their sister for Protection
Biological Name : Nymphaea odorata Ait
A floating aquatic plant with large, fragrant, white or pink flowers and flat, round, floating leaves. The leaves have long stems and are bright green above and reddish or purplish underneath, almost round. They are narrowly and deeply cut almost to the center, where the stem is attached. They are up to 10 inches across, floating on the surface of the water or just beneath. There is 1 flower to a stem, white, fragrant, 2–6 inches across, and floating on the water. Flowers open in the early morning and close about noon. There are 4 sepals and many rows of white petals, often more than 25, which are 3/4–4 inches long, thick, and pointed at the tip. There are more than 70 stamens. The outer ones are large and petal-like; they become smaller toward the center.
One of the most common white water-lilies, Fragrant Water-lilys flowers and leaves float on the water. It usually flowers only from early morning until noon. The stomata, tiny openings on the leaf surface through which carbon dioxide and other gases pass into the plant, are on the upper, shiny leaf surface rather than on the lower surface as is the case for most dry-land plants. The leaf stalk, which is soft and spongy, has 4 main air channels for the movement of gases, especially oxygen, from the leaves to the large stems (rhizomes) buried in the muck, which are frequently eaten by muskrats. The Small White Water-lily (N. tetragona), has white flowers 2 1/2 (6.3 cm) wide with only 7—13 petals, that open in the afternoon. Native to the northeastern United States, it is found in Canada, south to northwest Maine, and west to northern Michigan and Minnesota and a few places in Washington and Idaho
தமிழ் "வாடாமல்லி" "GLOBE AMARNATH"Commonly known as "Bachelor Button"
Biological Name : Gomphrena globosa
Gomphrena globosa, commonly known as Globe Amaranth or Bachelor Button, is an annual plant that grows up to 24 inches in height. The true species has magenta bracts, and cultivars have colors such as purple, red, white, pink, and lilac.
In Trinidad the flowers are boiled to make a tea which is used for baby gripe, oliguria, cough and diabetes; cooling.[1]
In Hawaii, it is commonly used in long-lasting leis since it retains its shape and color after drying.
This flower is used to make a garland for Brother's Day in Nepal. The garland is put around the brother's neck by their sister for Protection
தமிழ் மலர்கள் - 13 "செங்கோடுவெரி"
Tamil Flowers - 13 "Scarlet leadwort"
Biological Name : Plumbago rosea L
Plumbago is a genus of 10-20 species of flowering plants in the family Plumbaginaceae, native to warm temperate to tropical regions of the world. Common names include plumbago and leadwort (names which are also shared by the genus Ceratostigma). The generic name, derived from the Latin words plumbum ("lead") and agere ("to resemble"), was first used by Pliny the Elder (23-79) for a plant known as μολυβδαινα (molybdaina) to Pedanius Dioscorides (ca. 40-90).[2][3] This may have referred to its lead-blue flower colour (OED), the ability of the sap to create lead-colored stains on skin,[4] or Pliny's belief that the plant was a cure for lead poisoning.[5]
Plumbago indica
Plumbago zeylanica
The species include herbaceous plants and shrubs growing to 0.5–2 m (1.6–6.6 ft) tall. The leaves are spirally arranged, simple, entire, 0.5–12 cm (0.20–4.7 in) long, with a tapered base and often with a hairy margin. The flowers are white, blue, purple, red, or pink, with a tubular corolla with five petal-like lobes; they are produced in racemes.
The flower calyx has glandular trichomes (hairs), which secrete a sticky mucilage that is capable of trapping and killing insects; it is unclear what the purpose of these trichomes is; protection from pollination by way of "crawlers" (ants and other insects that typically do not transfer pollen between individual plants), or possible protocarnivory
"குறுநறுங்கண்ணி"
commonly called as குன்னிமுத்து பூ
"Coral bead vine"
Biological Name : Abrus precatorius
Abrus precatorius, known commonly as Jequirity, Crab's Eye, Rosary Pea, John Crow Bead, Precatory bean, Indian Licorice, Akar Saga, Giddee Giddee or Jumbie Bead in Trinidad & Tobago,[1] is a slender, perennial climber that twines around trees, shrubs, and hedges. It is a legume with long, pinnate-leafleted leaves. It is also known as Gunja in Sanskrit and some Indian languages and Ratti in Hindi. The plant is best known for its seeds, which are used as beads and in percussion instruments, and which are toxic due to the presence of abrin. The plant is native to Indonesia and grows in tropical and subtropical areas of the world where it has been introduced. It has a tendency to become weedy and invasive where it has been introduced.
The toxin abrin is a dimer consisting of two protein subunits, termed A and B. The B chain facilitates abrin's entry into a cell by bonding to certain transport proteins on cell membranes, which then transport the toxin into the cell. Once inside the cell, the A chain prevents protein synthesis by inactivating the 26S subunit of the ribosome. One molecule of abrin will inactivate up to 1,500 ribosomes per second. Symptoms are identical to those of ricin, except abrin is more toxic by almost two orders of magnitude; the fatal dose of abrin is approximately 75 times smaller than the fatal dose of ricin. Abrin can kill with a circulating amount of less than 3 micrograms.[citation needed]Abrin has an estimated human fatal dose of 0.1-1 mug/kg. Ingesting the intact seeds typically results in no clinical findings, as they pass through the gastrointestinal tract due to their hard shell.[2]
Abrus precatorius, called kudri mani in Tamil and guru ginja in Telugu, has been used in Siddha medicine for centuries. The Tamil Siddhars knew about the toxic effects in plants and suggested various methods which is called "suththi seythal" or purification. This is done by boiling the seeds in milk and then drying them. The protein is denatured when subjected to high temperatures which removes it toxicity.[citation needed][dubious – discuss]
In March 2012 a recall was issued for bracelets made using Jequirity Beans sold by the Eden Project and other outlets in the UK.[3]
This plant is also poisonous to horses.
In Siddha medicine, the white variety is used to prepare oil that is claimed to be an aphrodisiac.[4] A tea is made from the leaves and used to treat fevers, coughs and colds.[5] Seeds are poisonous and therefore are used after mitigation
The seeds of Abrus precatorius are much valued in native jewelry for their bright coloration. Most beans are black and red, suggesting a ladybug, though other colors are available. Jewelry-making with jequirity seeds is dangerous, and there have been cases of death by a finger-prick while boring the seeds for beadwork[citation needed]. However, it has long been a symbol of love in China, and its name in Chinese is xiang si dou (Chinese: 相思豆), or "mutual love bean". In Trinidad in the West Indies the brightly coloured seeds are strung into bracelets and worn around the wrist or ankle to ward off jumbies or evil spirits and "mal-yeux" - the evil eye. The Tamils use Abrus seeds of different colors. The red variety with black eye is the most common, but there are black, white and green varieties as well.
The seeds of Abrus precatorius are very consistent in weight. Formerly Indians used these seeds to weigh gold using a measure called a Ratti, where 8 Ratti = 1 Masha; 12 Masha = 1 Tola (11.6 Grams
Tamil Flowers - 13 "Scarlet leadwort"
Biological Name : Plumbago rosea L
Plumbago is a genus of 10-20 species of flowering plants in the family Plumbaginaceae, native to warm temperate to tropical regions of the world. Common names include plumbago and leadwort (names which are also shared by the genus Ceratostigma). The generic name, derived from the Latin words plumbum ("lead") and agere ("to resemble"), was first used by Pliny the Elder (23-79) for a plant known as μολυβδαινα (molybdaina) to Pedanius Dioscorides (ca. 40-90).[2][3] This may have referred to its lead-blue flower colour (OED), the ability of the sap to create lead-colored stains on skin,[4] or Pliny's belief that the plant was a cure for lead poisoning.[5]
Plumbago indica
Plumbago zeylanica
The species include herbaceous plants and shrubs growing to 0.5–2 m (1.6–6.6 ft) tall. The leaves are spirally arranged, simple, entire, 0.5–12 cm (0.20–4.7 in) long, with a tapered base and often with a hairy margin. The flowers are white, blue, purple, red, or pink, with a tubular corolla with five petal-like lobes; they are produced in racemes.
The flower calyx has glandular trichomes (hairs), which secrete a sticky mucilage that is capable of trapping and killing insects; it is unclear what the purpose of these trichomes is; protection from pollination by way of "crawlers" (ants and other insects that typically do not transfer pollen between individual plants), or possible protocarnivory
"கருவிளம்"
commonly called as சங்கு பூ
"Butterfly Pea"
Biological Name : Clitoria ternatea L
This plant is native to tropical equatorial Asia, but has been introduced to Africa, Australia and America.
It is a perennial herbaceous plant. Its leaves are elliptic and obtuse. It grows as a vine or creeper, doing well in moist neutral soil. The most striking feature about this plant are its vivid deep blue flowers. They are solitary, with light yellow markings. They are about 4 cm long by 3 cm wide. There are some varieties that yield white flowers.
The fruits are 5 – 7 cm long, flat pods with 6 to 10 seeds in each pod. They are edible when tender.
It is grown as an ornamental plant and as a revegetation species (e.g., in coal mines in Australia), requiring little care when cultivated. Its roots fix nitrogen and therefore this plant is also used to improve soil quality.
In traditional Ayurvedic medicine, it has been used for centuries as a memory enhancer, nootropic, antistress, anxiolytic, antidepressant, anticonvulsant, tranquilizing and sedative agent.[1]
Flower and pods in different states of ripeness
In Southeast Asia the flowers are used to colour food. In Malay cooking, an aqueous extract is used to colour glutinous rice for kuih ketan (also known as pulut tai tai in Peranakan/Nyonya cooking) and in nonya chang. In Thailand, a syrupy blue drink is made called nam dok anchan (น้ำดอกอัญชัน). In Burma the flowers are used as food, often they are dipped in batter and fried.
In animal tests the methanolic extract of Clitoria ternatea roots demonstrated nootropic, anxiolytic, antidepressant, anticonvulsant and antistress activity.[2] The active constituent(s) include Tannins, resins, Starch, Taraxerol & Taraxerone.
Clitoria ternatea root extracts are capable of curing whooping cough if taken orally[citation needed]. The extract from the white-flowered plant can cure goiter. The roots are used in ayurveda Indian medicine.[3]
Recently, several biologically active peptides called cliotides have been isolated from the heat-stable fraction of Clitoria ternatea extract. Cliotides belong to the cyclotides family[4] and acvities studies show that cliotides display potent antimicrobial activity against E. coli, K. pneumonia, P. aeruginosa and cytotoxicity against HeLa cells.[5] These peptides have potential to be lead compound for the development of novel antimicrobial and anti-cancer agents.
commonly called as சங்கு பூ
"Butterfly Pea"
Biological Name : Clitoria ternatea L
This plant is native to tropical equatorial Asia, but has been introduced to Africa, Australia and America.
It is a perennial herbaceous plant. Its leaves are elliptic and obtuse. It grows as a vine or creeper, doing well in moist neutral soil. The most striking feature about this plant are its vivid deep blue flowers. They are solitary, with light yellow markings. They are about 4 cm long by 3 cm wide. There are some varieties that yield white flowers.
The fruits are 5 – 7 cm long, flat pods with 6 to 10 seeds in each pod. They are edible when tender.
It is grown as an ornamental plant and as a revegetation species (e.g., in coal mines in Australia), requiring little care when cultivated. Its roots fix nitrogen and therefore this plant is also used to improve soil quality.
In traditional Ayurvedic medicine, it has been used for centuries as a memory enhancer, nootropic, antistress, anxiolytic, antidepressant, anticonvulsant, tranquilizing and sedative agent.[1]
Flower and pods in different states of ripeness
In Southeast Asia the flowers are used to colour food. In Malay cooking, an aqueous extract is used to colour glutinous rice for kuih ketan (also known as pulut tai tai in Peranakan/Nyonya cooking) and in nonya chang. In Thailand, a syrupy blue drink is made called nam dok anchan (น้ำดอกอัญชัน). In Burma the flowers are used as food, often they are dipped in batter and fried.
In animal tests the methanolic extract of Clitoria ternatea roots demonstrated nootropic, anxiolytic, antidepressant, anticonvulsant and antistress activity.[2] The active constituent(s) include Tannins, resins, Starch, Taraxerol & Taraxerone.
Clitoria ternatea root extracts are capable of curing whooping cough if taken orally[citation needed]. The extract from the white-flowered plant can cure goiter. The roots are used in ayurveda Indian medicine.[3]
Recently, several biologically active peptides called cliotides have been isolated from the heat-stable fraction of Clitoria ternatea extract. Cliotides belong to the cyclotides family[4] and acvities studies show that cliotides display potent antimicrobial activity against E. coli, K. pneumonia, P. aeruginosa and cytotoxicity against HeLa cells.[5] These peptides have potential to be lead compound for the development of novel antimicrobial and anti-cancer agents.
commonly called as குன்னிமுத்து பூ
"Coral bead vine"
Biological Name : Abrus precatorius
Abrus precatorius, known commonly as Jequirity, Crab's Eye, Rosary Pea, John Crow Bead, Precatory bean, Indian Licorice, Akar Saga, Giddee Giddee or Jumbie Bead in Trinidad & Tobago,[1] is a slender, perennial climber that twines around trees, shrubs, and hedges. It is a legume with long, pinnate-leafleted leaves. It is also known as Gunja in Sanskrit and some Indian languages and Ratti in Hindi. The plant is best known for its seeds, which are used as beads and in percussion instruments, and which are toxic due to the presence of abrin. The plant is native to Indonesia and grows in tropical and subtropical areas of the world where it has been introduced. It has a tendency to become weedy and invasive where it has been introduced.
The toxin abrin is a dimer consisting of two protein subunits, termed A and B. The B chain facilitates abrin's entry into a cell by bonding to certain transport proteins on cell membranes, which then transport the toxin into the cell. Once inside the cell, the A chain prevents protein synthesis by inactivating the 26S subunit of the ribosome. One molecule of abrin will inactivate up to 1,500 ribosomes per second. Symptoms are identical to those of ricin, except abrin is more toxic by almost two orders of magnitude; the fatal dose of abrin is approximately 75 times smaller than the fatal dose of ricin. Abrin can kill with a circulating amount of less than 3 micrograms.[citation needed]Abrin has an estimated human fatal dose of 0.1-1 mug/kg. Ingesting the intact seeds typically results in no clinical findings, as they pass through the gastrointestinal tract due to their hard shell.[2]
Abrus precatorius, called kudri mani in Tamil and guru ginja in Telugu, has been used in Siddha medicine for centuries. The Tamil Siddhars knew about the toxic effects in plants and suggested various methods which is called "suththi seythal" or purification. This is done by boiling the seeds in milk and then drying them. The protein is denatured when subjected to high temperatures which removes it toxicity.[citation needed][dubious – discuss]
In March 2012 a recall was issued for bracelets made using Jequirity Beans sold by the Eden Project and other outlets in the UK.[3]
This plant is also poisonous to horses.
In Siddha medicine, the white variety is used to prepare oil that is claimed to be an aphrodisiac.[4] A tea is made from the leaves and used to treat fevers, coughs and colds.[5] Seeds are poisonous and therefore are used after mitigation
The seeds of Abrus precatorius are much valued in native jewelry for their bright coloration. Most beans are black and red, suggesting a ladybug, though other colors are available. Jewelry-making with jequirity seeds is dangerous, and there have been cases of death by a finger-prick while boring the seeds for beadwork[citation needed]. However, it has long been a symbol of love in China, and its name in Chinese is xiang si dou (Chinese: 相思豆), or "mutual love bean". In Trinidad in the West Indies the brightly coloured seeds are strung into bracelets and worn around the wrist or ankle to ward off jumbies or evil spirits and "mal-yeux" - the evil eye. The Tamils use Abrus seeds of different colors. The red variety with black eye is the most common, but there are black, white and green varieties as well.
The seeds of Abrus precatorius are very consistent in weight. Formerly Indians used these seeds to weigh gold using a measure called a Ratti, where 8 Ratti = 1 Masha; 12 Masha = 1 Tola (11.6 Grams
தமிழ் நந்தியார்வட்டை"commonly called as நந்தியாவட்டம்
"Crape jasmine"
Biological Name : Tabernaemontana divaricata
Tabernaemontana is a genus of 100-110 species of flowering plants in the family Apocynaceae. It has a pan-tropical distribution. These plants are shrubs and small trees growing to 1-15 m tall. The leaves are evergreen, opposite, 3-25 cm long, with milky sap; hence it is one of the diverse plant genera commonly called "milkwood". The flowers are fragrant, white, 1-5 cm in diameter.
The cultivar T. divaricata cv. 'Plena', with doubled-petaled flowers, is a popular houseplant. Crape Jasmine (T. coronaria) is also popular as an ornamental plant.
Some members of the genus Tabernaemontana are used as additives to some versions of the psychedelic drink Ayahuasca[1]; the genus is known to contain ibogaine (e.g. in Bëcchëte, T. undulata) conolidine[2] and voacangine (namely in T. africana). T. sananho preparations are used in native medicine to treat eye injuries and as an anxiolytic, and T. heterophylla is used to treat dementia in the elderly[3]. Conolidine may be developed as a new class of pain-killer.[4] Caterpillars of the Oleander Hawk-moth (Daphnis nerii) have been found to feed on Pinwheel Flower (T. divaricata)
"எறுழ்"
"Paper Flower Climber"
Biological Name : Calycopteris floribunda
Calycopteris floribunda, commonly known as Ukshi, is a large climbing shrub which is 5-10 m long, with vines that are about 5–10 cm in diameter, the stem and leaves are said to have medicinal properties. Ukshi is found extensively in the low-lying tropical evergreen forests of the Western Ghats. These are also found in "Kavus" or the Sacred Groves of Kerala.
It bears grey bark and tenuous branches with thick fluff on the surface. The keratinous leaves, ovoid or oval, are 5–12 cm long. New branches are hairy and rust coloured. The flowers occur in dense clusters are the end of branches. The bracts of the small flowers are ovoid or oval, with thick fluffs on the surface. Petals are absent and the 10 stamens are arranged in 2 cycles.
The fruit inception bears 1 ventricle and 3 pendulous ovules inside. The fluffy sham-winged fruit, which is about 8 mm long, has 5 edges and 5 persistent calyxes which enlarges into the fluffy wing 10–14 mm in length. The sepals are prominent, hairy and green.
[edit] Uses
Ukshi is revered as a life-saver by the forest dwellers who regularly depend on this vine during summer when streams dry up. Sections of the vine store water, which people often use to quench their thirst.
"மல்லிகை"
"Arabian jasmine"
Biological Name : Jasminum sambac
Jasminum sambac is a species of jasmine native to South and Southeast Asia.[3] It is a small shrub or vine growing up to 0.5 to 3 m (1.6 to 9.8 ft) in height. It is widely cultivated for its attractive and sweetly fragrant flowers. The flowers are also used for perfumes and for making tea. It is known as the Arabian jasmine in English. It is the national flower of the Philippines, where it is known as sampaguita. It is also one of the three national flowers of Indonesia, where it is known as melati putih.
It is one of the most commonly grown ornamentals in India and Bangladesh, where it is native.[19][11] They are used to make thick garlands used as hair adornments. In Oman, Jasminum sambac features prominently on a child's first birthday. Flowers are spinkled on the child's head by other children while chanting "hol hol". The fragrant flowers are also sold packed in between large leaves of the Indian almond (Terminalia catappa) and sewn together with strips of date palm leaves
Jasminum sambac is an evergreen vine or shrub reaching up to 0.5 to 3 m (1.6 to 9.8 ft) tall.[11] The species is highly variable, possibly a result of spontaneous mutation, natural hybridization, and autopolyploidy. Only a few varieties reproduce by seed in the wild. Cultivated Jasminum sambac generally do not bear seeds and the plant is reproduced solely by cuttings, layering, marcotting, and other methods of asexual propagation.[12][13][3]
The leaves are ovate, 4 to 12.5 cm (1.6 to 4.9 in) long and 2 to 7.5 cm (0.79 to 3.0 in) wide. The phyllotaxy is opposite or in whorls of three, simple (not pinnate, like most other jasmines).[14] They are smooth (glabrous) except for a few hairs at the venation on the base of the leaf.[12]
The flowers bloom all throughout the year and are produced in clusters of 3 to 12 together at the ends of branches.[13] They are strongly scented, with a white corolla 2 to 3 cm (0.79 to 1.2 in) in diameter with 5 to 9 lobes. The flowers open at night (usually around 6 to 8 in the evening), and close in the morning, a span of 12 to 20 hours.[3] The fruit is a purple to black berry 1 cm (0.39 in) in diameter.
The sweet, heady fragrance of Jasminum sambac is its distinct feature. It is widely grown throughout the tropics from the Arabian peninsula to Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands as an ornamental plant and for its strongly scented flowers.[16] Numerous cultivars currently exist.[14]
Typically, the flowers are harvested as buds during early morning. The flower buds are harvested on basis of color, as firmness and size are variable depending on the weather. The buds have to be white, as green ones may not emit the characteristic fragrance they are known for.[13] Open flowers are generally not harvested as a larger amount of them is needed to extract oils and they lose their fragrance sooner.
"Arabian jasmine"
Biological Name : Jasminum sambac
Jasminum sambac is a species of jasmine native to South and Southeast Asia.[3] It is a small shrub or vine growing up to 0.5 to 3 m (1.6 to 9.8 ft) in height. It is widely cultivated for its attractive and sweetly fragrant flowers. The flowers are also used for perfumes and for making tea. It is known as the Arabian jasmine in English. It is the national flower of the Philippines, where it is known as sampaguita. It is also one of the three national flowers of Indonesia, where it is known as melati putih.
It is one of the most commonly grown ornamentals in India and Bangladesh, where it is native.[19][11] They are used to make thick garlands used as hair adornments. In Oman, Jasminum sambac features prominently on a child's first birthday. Flowers are spinkled on the child's head by other children while chanting "hol hol". The fragrant flowers are also sold packed in between large leaves of the Indian almond (Terminalia catappa) and sewn together with strips of date palm leaves
Jasminum sambac is an evergreen vine or shrub reaching up to 0.5 to 3 m (1.6 to 9.8 ft) tall.[11] The species is highly variable, possibly a result of spontaneous mutation, natural hybridization, and autopolyploidy. Only a few varieties reproduce by seed in the wild. Cultivated Jasminum sambac generally do not bear seeds and the plant is reproduced solely by cuttings, layering, marcotting, and other methods of asexual propagation.[12][13][3]
The leaves are ovate, 4 to 12.5 cm (1.6 to 4.9 in) long and 2 to 7.5 cm (0.79 to 3.0 in) wide. The phyllotaxy is opposite or in whorls of three, simple (not pinnate, like most other jasmines).[14] They are smooth (glabrous) except for a few hairs at the venation on the base of the leaf.[12]
The flowers bloom all throughout the year and are produced in clusters of 3 to 12 together at the ends of branches.[13] They are strongly scented, with a white corolla 2 to 3 cm (0.79 to 1.2 in) in diameter with 5 to 9 lobes. The flowers open at night (usually around 6 to 8 in the evening), and close in the morning, a span of 12 to 20 hours.[3] The fruit is a purple to black berry 1 cm (0.39 in) in diameter.
The sweet, heady fragrance of Jasminum sambac is its distinct feature. It is widely grown throughout the tropics from the Arabian peninsula to Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands as an ornamental plant and for its strongly scented flowers.[16] Numerous cultivars currently exist.[14]
Typically, the flowers are harvested as buds during early morning. The flower buds are harvested on basis of color, as firmness and size are variable depending on the weather. The buds have to be white, as green ones may not emit the characteristic fragrance they are known for.[13] Open flowers are generally not harvested as a larger amount of them is needed to extract oils and they lose their fragrance sooner.
"இலவம்"
"Red-flowered silk-cotton tree"
Biological Name : Bombax ceiba
Bombax ceiba, like other trees of the genus Bombax, is commonly known as cotton tree or tree cotton. This tropical tree has a straight tall trunk and its leaves are deciduous in winter. Red flowers with 5 petals appear in the spring before the new foliage. It produces a capsule which, when ripe, contains white fibres like cotton. Its trunk bears spikes to deter attacks by animals. Although its stout trunk suggests that it is useful for timber, its wood is too soft to be very useful.
Cultivation
This tree is commonly known as Semal (Hindi:सेमल) in India. It is widely planted in parks and on roadsides there because of its beautiful red flowers which bloom in March/April. This tree is quite common in New Delhi although it doesn't reach its full size of 60m there because of the semi arid climate. The cotton fibers of this tree can be seen floating in the wind around the time of early May.
It is also called the hero tree in Hong Kong, because it flowers when students are preparing for exams. (You must be the hero.)
This tree shows two marked growth sprints in India- in spring and during the monsoon months.
Sumbal tree grows in southern districts of KPK. In Dera Ismail Khan there are large number of naturally growing Sumbal trees. When it blooms millions of honey bees are attracted by the red color of the big cup like flower
"Red-flowered silk-cotton tree"
Biological Name : Bombax ceiba
Bombax ceiba, like other trees of the genus Bombax, is commonly known as cotton tree or tree cotton. This tropical tree has a straight tall trunk and its leaves are deciduous in winter. Red flowers with 5 petals appear in the spring before the new foliage. It produces a capsule which, when ripe, contains white fibres like cotton. Its trunk bears spikes to deter attacks by animals. Although its stout trunk suggests that it is useful for timber, its wood is too soft to be very useful.
Cultivation
This tree is commonly known as Semal (Hindi:सेमल) in India. It is widely planted in parks and on roadsides there because of its beautiful red flowers which bloom in March/April. This tree is quite common in New Delhi although it doesn't reach its full size of 60m there because of the semi arid climate. The cotton fibers of this tree can be seen floating in the wind around the time of early May.
It is also called the hero tree in Hong Kong, because it flowers when students are preparing for exams. (You must be the hero.)
This tree shows two marked growth sprints in India- in spring and during the monsoon months.
Sumbal tree grows in southern districts of KPK. In Dera Ismail Khan there are large number of naturally growing Sumbal trees. When it blooms millions of honey bees are attracted by the red color of the big cup like flower
"குடசம்" "Indrajao"
Biological Name : Holarrhena antidysenterica
Indrajao is a deciduous shrub or a small tree, growing up to 3 ms high. Short stem has pale bark and several branches. Oppositely arranges, ovate, obtusely acuminate leaves are 10-20 cm long. Leaf stalks are very short. White flowers appear in corymb-like cymes, 5-15 cm across, at the end of branches. Flowers have five white petals 2-3 cm long which turn creamish yellow as they age. The flowers are beautiful with oblong petals which are rounded at the tip, and remind one of frangipani.
Medicinal uses: [Warning: Unverified information] It is a medicinal plant in Ayurveda. One of its botanical synonyms Holarrhena antidysenterica says it all. It is one of the best drug for Diarrhoea. In chronic diarrhoea & to check blood coming from stool,it should be given with Isobgol, caster oil or Indrayav. According to Ayurveda, the bark is useful in treatment of piles, skin diseases and biliousness. The bark is used externally in case of skin troubles. The bark is mostly mixed with cow urine and apply it in affected parts. In treatment of urinary troubles, the bark is given with cow milk. The fresh juice of bark is considered good to check the diarrhoea. In Bleeding piles Decoction of Kutaj bark with sunthi checks mucus & blood. Application of this herb is useful in Rh. Arthritis & Oestioarthritis
Indrajao is a deciduous shrub or a small tree, growing up to 3 ms high. Short stem has pale bark and several branches. Oppositely arranges, ovate, obtusely acuminate leaves are 10-20 cm long. Leaf stalks are very short. White flowers appear in corymb-like cymes, 5-15 cm across, at the end of branches. Flowers have five white petals 2-3 cm long which turn creamish yellow as they age. The flowers are beautiful with oblong petals which are rounded at the tip, and remind one of frangipani.
Medicinal uses: [Warning: Unverified information] It is a medicinal plant in Ayurveda. One of its botanical synonyms Holarrhena antidysenterica says it all. It is one of the best drug for Diarrhoea. In chronic diarrhoea & to check blood coming from stool,it should be given with Isobgol, caster oil or Indrayav. According to Ayurveda, the bark is useful in treatment of piles, skin diseases and biliousness. The bark is used externally in case of skin troubles. The bark is mostly mixed with cow urine and apply it in affected parts. In treatment of urinary troubles, the bark is given with cow milk. The fresh juice of bark is considered good to check the diarrhoea. In Bleeding piles Decoction of Kutaj bark with sunthi checks mucus & blood. Application of this herb is useful in Rh. Arthritis & Oestioarthritis
"செருந்தி"commonly called as கல்குருவி "Golden champak"
Biological Name : Ochna squarrosa L.
வளரியல்பு : சிறியமரங்கள் 8 மீ. உயரம் வரை வளரக்கூடியது.
தண்டு மற்றும் மரப்பட்டை : மரத்தின் பட்டை சாம்பல் நிறமானது, வழவழப்பானது; உள்பட்டை பிங்க் நிறமானது.கிளைகள் & சிறிய நுனிக்கிளைகள் : சிறியநுனிக்கிளைகள் குறுக்குவெட்டுத் தோற்றத்தில் வளையமானது, பட்டைத்துளைகள் (லெண்டிசெல்லேட்) உடையது, உரோமங்களற்றது.இலைகள் : இலைகள் தனித்தவை, மாற்றுஅடுக்கமானவை, இருநெடுக்கு_வரிசையிலையடுக்
தெற்கு ஆசியா; மேற்கு_தொடர்ச்சி மலைகளில் - தெற்கு, மத்திய மற்றும் மஹாராஷ்ட்ரா சயாத்திரியிலும் காணப்படுபவை
வளரியல்பு : சிறியமரங்கள் 8 மீ. உயரம் வரை வளரக்கூடியது.
தண்டு மற்றும் மரப்பட்டை : மரத்தின் பட்டை சாம்பல் நிறமானது, வழவழப்பானது; உள்பட்டை பிங்க் நிறமானது.கிளைகள் & சிறிய நுனிக்கிளைகள் : சிறியநுனிக்கிளைகள் குறுக்குவெட்டுத் தோற்றத்தில் வளையமானது, பட்டைத்துளைகள் (லெண்டிசெல்லேட்) உடையது, உரோமங்களற்றது.இலைகள் : இலைகள் தனித்தவை, மாற்றுஅடுக்கமானவை, இருநெடுக்கு_வரிசையிலையடுக்
தெற்கு ஆசியா; மேற்கு_தொடர்ச்சி மலைகளில் - தெற்கு, மத்திய மற்றும் மஹாராஷ்ட்ரா சயாத்திரியிலும் காணப்படுபவை
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