Aloe Leaf Cymbidium

FLOWERS TO INDIA

              Aloe Leaf Cymbidium
Common name: Aloe Leaf Cymbidium • Konkani: Sonu
Botanical name: Cymbidium aloifolium    Family: Orchidaceae (Orchid family)
Synonyms: Cymbidium intermedium, Cymbidium erectum, Epidendrum pendulam
Commonly found in North-East India and the Andaman, Aloe Leaf Cymbidium is an orchid growing on trees or rocks. It has very thick, rigid leaves, which remind one of Aloe. The species name aloifolium means Aloe-leafed. Plant blooms on a 75 cm pendant inflorescence with up to 75 flowers. Flowers are 4.25 cm wide with red stripes on petals and sepals. The flowers can be easily confused with Cymbidium dayanum but differs by having a rounded lip edge and an hourglass shape in the center of the lip. Flowering: March-May.

Cymbidium Alison Shaw

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        Cymbidium Alison Shaw
Common name: Cymbidium Alison Shaw Orchid
Botanical name: Cymbidium 'Alison Shaw'    Family: Orchidaceae (orchid family)

The genus Cymbidium consists of more the 50 species world wide ranging from Australia and New Guinea and throughout Asia. The popularity of miniature Cymbidium is now spreading from Asia to the worldwide orchid community. These ancient flowers have been treasured, in numerous societies, for nearly two thousand years. Many orchid lovers are most charmed by its fragrance and form rather than its petite size. Fleshy, leathery, strap shaped leaves have thickened bases called pseudobulbs. Cymbidiums have irregular, waxy, almost translucent petals with entire margins. Center is often a contrasting color. Flowers are very showy. 

Red Cryptochilus

FLOWERS TO INDIA

                Red Cryptochilus

Common name: Red Cryptochilus
Botanical name:  Cryptochilus sanguineus    Family: Orchidaceae (Orchid family)

Red Cryptochilus is an orchid found in the eastern Himalayas, Assam, Nepal, Bhutan, Sikkim, Myanamar, Thailand to S. China in broad-leafed forests on mossy trees, at elevations of 1800-2300 m. It is a small to medium sized orchid growing on trees or occasionally on rocks. It has egg-shaped pseudobulbs enveloped basally by sheaths, carrying 1-3, leathery, oblong to elliptic, drooping, pointed, bright green leaves. The plant blooms on a terminal, erect to lateral, up to a foot long, several to many flowered inflorescence. Floral bracts are shorter than the externally pubescent red tubular flowers which are drooping and all held to one side. Flowers are 6-11 mm - sepal-tube scarlet with purple tip.

Inverted Crepidium

                 FLOWERS TO INDIA

                Inverted Crepidium
Common name: Inverted Crepidium
Botanical name: Crepidium resupinatum    Family: Orchidaceae (Orchid family)
Synonyms: Epidendrum resupinatum, Crepidium plantagineum, Malaxis resupinata

Inverted Crepidium is a ground orchid, growing up to 40 cm tall. Stem is up to 10 cm long. Leaves are 4-7, ascending, glossy green, wide-oval, up to 20 cm long, 8 cm wide. Flowers are borne on a spike up to 30 cm long, at the end of the stem. Flowers are small, 7 mm, purplish to maroon. 

Indian Mangrove

                 FLOWERS TO INDIA

              Indian Mangrove 
Common name: Indian Mangrove, White Mangrove • Hindi: Bina • Marathi:  Tivar • Tamil: Madaipattai • Malayalam: Orei, Uri • Telugu: Madda, Nallamada • Kannada: Uppati • Bengali:  Bina • Konkani: Upati • Sanskrit: Sagarodurga
Botanical name: Avicennia officinalis    Family: Acanthaceae (Ruellia family)


Indian Mangrove is an evergreen tree, sometimes to 25 m, trunk to 1 m in diameter. Numerous upright air-filled roots rise above soil from long shallow, horizontal roots. Bark brownish-gray, thin, becoming rough and blackish, or outer bark yellowish-green and inner bark whitish. oppositely arranged obovate or broadly oblong leaves are 4–12 cm long, 2–6 cm wide, rounded at tip, acute or rounded at base, thick, leathery, edges slightly rolled under. The upper leaf surface is shiny green and hairless, underneath with fine gray-green hairs and resin dots. Cymes headlike in panicles, upright near ends of twigs, to 15 cm long and wide. Flowers many 2–12 together, stalkless, 7–10 mm long, 12–15 mm across. Flowers are bell-shaped, tubular, yellow or yellow-brown, turning orange, with 4 unequal spreading petals, stamens 4, inserted in notches of corolla tube. Ovary is conical, hairy, imperfectly 4-celled with 4 ovules. Capsule broadly ovoid, flattened, 2.5 cm long. Seed 1, large, flattened, without seed coat, germinating in water. 

Grey Mangrove

                 FLOWERS TO INDIA

                      Grey Mangrove 

Common name: Grey Mangrove, White mangrove • Gujarati: tavarian • Kannada: Ipati • Malayalam:  Orayi • Marathi: Tavir, Tivar • Tamil: Kanna • Telugu:  Tella mada
Botanical name: Avicennia marina    Family: Acanthaceae (Ruellia family)



Grey mangrove is a species of mangrove tree, found in large parts of Asia and Africa. It grow as a shrub or tree to a height of 3-14 m. The tree form is a gnarled arrangement of multiple branches. It has smooth light-grey bark made up of thin, stiff, brittle flakes, which gives it its common name. The leaves are thick, ovate-lanceshaped, 5-8 cm long, a bright, glossy green on the upper surface, and silvery-white, or grey, with very small matted hairs on the surface below. As with other Avicennia species, it has aerial roots. These grow to a height of about 20 cm, and a diameter of 1 cm. These allow the plant to absorb oxygen, which is deficient in its habitat. The flowers range from white to a golden yellow color, are less than a cm across, and occur in clusters of 3-5. The fruit contains a large fleshy seed, often germinating on the tree and falling as a seedling.

Mysore Asystasia

                    FLOWERS TO INDIA

                     Mysore Asystasia

Common name: Mysore Asystasia
Botanical name: Asystasia mysurensis    Family: Acanthaceae (Ruellia family)
Synonyms: Ruellia mysurensis, Asystasia lawiana


Mysore Asystasia is a very rare erect herb, 1 m tall, with quadrangular, 3-forked, knotted stem. Leaves are large, elliptic-oblong, pointed, suddenly narrowing into a 1 inch long leaf stalk. Leaves are roughish above, hairy on the nerves beneath. Short flower spikes are borne at the top, singly. Flowers are stalkless, white, shorter than bracts. Flowers are 2-lipped, upper lip 4-lobed, and the lower one unlobed. Bracts and bracteoles are lanceshaped, leaf-like, 3-nerved, hairy.