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

    FLOWERS TO INDIA

        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. 

Mountain Thistle

              FLOWERS TO INDIA

                  Mountain Thistle


Common name: Mountain Thistle, Bear's Breeches
Botanical name: Acanthus montanus    Family: Acanthaceae (Ruellia family)



Mountain Thistle is a thinly branched perennial with basal clusters of oblong to lance-shaped glossy, dark green leaves reaching up to a foot long. Leaves are shallow to deeply lobed, toothed with short spines, dark glossy green above and pale green below, and have silver marks. The plant reaches up to 6 feet tall and about 2 ft wide. Spikes of pale pink flowers appear from summer to fall. It prefers shady situations and occasional deep watering, but tolerates sunny, dry situations too. Its aggressive roots make this plant perfect for slopes. Mountain Thistle is native to Africa, cultivated in India. 

Violet Asystasia

              FLOWERS TO INDIA

                   Violet Asystasia

Common name: Violet Asystasia • Marathi: Neelkanth
Botanical name: Asystasia dalzelliana    Family: Acanthaceae (Ruellia family)



Violet Asystasia is a perennial branched herb, about 60-100 m. Stem quadrangular, swollen at nodes. Leaves opposite, unequal ovate or elliptic-lanceolate. Flowers purplish violet. Flowers are trumpet shaped, 3-4 cm long, 2-lipped. Upper lip is 4-lobed. Lower lip is dark violet, spotted, projecting out. Flowering: August-November. 

Common Asystasia

                  FLOWERS TO INDIA
                  Common Asystasia 
  
Common name: Common Asystasia, Chinese violet, Coromandel Primrose
Botanical name: Asystasia intrusa    Family: Acanthaceae (Ruellia family)


Common Asystasia is a small, branching herb with ovate or ovate-lanceshaped leaves, found along jungle edges and wasteland. Leaves whitish with hint of purple. The flowers are bluish-purple, whitish on the edges, tubular in shape, wth 5-petalled. There are pink forms also. Flowers are borne in racemes at the at the end of branches. Common Asystasia has now become a garden plant, although in some countries it is considered a weed. 
      

Indian Asystasia

                    FLOWERS TO INDIA

                   Indian Asystasia

Common name: Indian Asystasia
Botanical name: Asystasia indica    Family: Acanthaceae (Ruellia family)



Indian Asystasia is an erect, diffuse glandular hairy herb or underhrub, growing to 50-120 cm tall. This is a new species described very recently (2006). Branched stems are quadrangular. Oppositely arranged leaves are stalked, ovate, with a tapering tip, sparsely velvety on both sides, sometimes with dark purple tinge. Flowers are borne in a 2-14 flowered, 1-sided raceme. Flowers are 1-1.5 cm across, white with strongly purple- violet spotted lip. Flowers are distinctly smaller than the flowers of the close relative Ganges Primrose where flowers are up to 3 cm across. Sepals are 5, linear-lanceshaped, 4-5 X 1 mm. Flowers are funnel-shaped, with 5 petals which are joined till 3/4th of the length to form a tube. Indian Asystasia is distributed in West Bengal. Flowering: November-December. 

Ganges Primrose

                FLOWERS TO INDIA

                   Ganges Primrose

Common name: Ganges Primrose, Chinese violet, Creeping foxglove • Kannada: Meddhe soppu, Lavan-valli, Maithaala kaddi • Malayalam: Valli-upu-dali • Marathi: Lavana valli • Tamil: Parchorri, Chorri, Mekampokki • Telugu: Mukka mungera, Poda beera
Botanical name: Asystasia gangetica    Family: Acanthaceae (Ruellia family)

Asystasia means inconsistency and relates to the fact that the corolla is more or less regular which is unusual in the family Acanthaceae. The word gangetica is derived from the Ganga river in India where it is presumed the species occurs. The Marathi name Lavana valli means salt resistant creeper. Ganges primrose is an attractive, fast-growing, spreading, herbaceous groundcover that grows from 30 cm to 60 cm in height. The stems root easily at the nodes. Leaves are simple and dark green. It produces a cream-coloured flower with tessellated purple markings on the palate (lower petal of the corolla) in spring and summer. Flowers are produced over a long period and are followed by capsules with brown seeds. It is semi-hardy, and young plants require protection in areas of heavy frost. In tropical areas it can grow rampantly.

Kariyat

                 FLOWER TO INDIA

                          Kariyat

Common name: Kariyat, Creat • Hindi: Kirayat, Kalpanath • Manipuri:  Vubati • Marathi: Oli-kiryata, Kalpa • Tamil:  Nilavembu • Malayalam: Nelavepu, Kiriyattu • Telugu: Nilavembu • Kannada: Nelaberu • Bengali:  Kalmegh • Oriya: Bhuinimba • Konkani: Vhadlem Kiratyem • Urdu: Naine-havandi • Assamese:  Kalmegh • Gujarati: Kariyatu • Sanskrit: Kalmegha, Bhunimba • Mizo: Hnakhapui
Botanical name: Andrographis paniculata    Family: Acanthaceae (Ruellia family)

Kariyat is an erect annual herb extremely bitter in taste in all parts of the plant. It grows erect to a height of 1-4 ft in moist shady places with smooth leaves and white flowers with rose-purple spots on the petals. Stem dark green, 0.3 - 1.0 m in height, 2-6 mm in diameter, quadrangular with longitudinal furrows and wings on the angles of the younger parts, slightly enlarged at the nodes; leaves glabrous, up to 8.0 cm long and 2.5 cm broad, lanceolate, pinnate; flowers small, in lax spreading axillary and terminal racemes or panicles; capsules linear-oblong, acute at both ends, 1.9 cm x 0.3 cm; seeds numerous, sub quadrate, yellowish brown.
Medicinal uses: Since ancient times, Kariyat is used as a wonder drug in traditional Siddha and Ayurvedic systems of medicine as well as in tribal medicine in India and some other countries for multiple clinical applications. The therapeutic value of Kalmegh is due to its mechanism of action which is perhaps by enzyme induction. The plant extract exhibits antityphoid and antifungal activities. 

False Waterwillow

                   FLOWERS TO INDIA

        False Waterwillow

Common name: False Waterwillow • Gujarati: Kalukariyatun • Malayalam: Pitumba • Marathi: Ranchimani • Oriya: lavalata • Tamil: Gopuram tangi
Botanical name: Andrographis echioides    Family: Acanthaceae (Ruellia family)


False Waterwillow is an annual forb with very hairy stems growing up to 45 cm tall, branched from the base. Leaves are oblong, up to 7.5 cm long, 2.4 cm wide, or sometimes oblong-spade-shaped, narrowed at the base. Leaves are hairy on both sides. Flowers are borne in spike-like racemes, up to 2 cm long. The stalk carrying the raceme is densely hairy. Flowers are erect. Sepal tube is 2 mm long, with thread-like sepals up to 9 mm long. Flowers have a 4 mm long tube, opening into two lips. Upper lip is oblong, up to 5.5 x 2 mm, 2-lobed above. Lower lip is up to 7 mm long, with 3 oblong-lanceshaped lobes, marked with purple. Stamen filaments are flattened. False Waterwillow is found in India and Sri Lanka. Flowering: March-June, October-December

Blue Trumpet Bush

                FLOWERS TO INDIA

                 Blue Trumpet Bush

Common name: Blue Trumpet Bush • Nepali:  Kangaraito phool
Botanical name: Aechmanthera gossypina    Family: Acanthaceae (Ruellia family)
Synonyms: Aechmanthera tomentosa, Ruellia tomentosa



Blue Trumpet Bush is a small shrub, up to 1.2 m tall, with densely white- felted lower branches. Oppositely arranged leaves are elliptic, pointed, 5-10 cm long, margin with rounded teeth. Leaf underside is often dense white-woolly. Leaves are stalked. Flowers are blue, violet or purplish, borne in 4-8 flowered clusters. Flowers are up to 2.5 cm long, narrow tubular at the base, enlarged upwards, opening into 5 rounded spreading petals. Sepal cup is densely glandular-hairy, with linear sepals about 1 cm. Blue Trumpet Bush is found in the Himalayas, from Pakistan to Bhutan, at altitudes of 300-2400 m. Flowering: August-October. 

Sea Holly

                       FLOWERS TO INDIA
                    Sea Holly

 Common name: Sea Holly, Holly-leaved Acanthus, 
                             Holly Mangrove

  Hindi: Hargoza • Marathi:  Marandi, Nivagur • Tamil: Kaludaimulli • Malayalam: Payinachhulli • Telugu: Alasyakampa • Kannada: Mulluchulli • Bengali: Kentki, Harkuchkanta • Konkani: Moramdo • Sanskrit: Harikusa

 Botanical name: Acanthus ilicifolius    Family: Acanthaceae (Ruellia family)


 These mangrove plants have leaves which look like the spiny holly leaves. In fact, not all the leaves have the spiny edges that give them their common name. Leaves growing the deep shade can be totally spineless. Unlike some mangrove plants, Sea Holly do not exclude salt at the root level. In fact, their sap is salty and excess salt is secreted through the leaves, to be removed by rain or wind. Sometimes, the salt can be seen as a white crystalline layer on the upper surface. The plant produces a cluster of flowers which appear in neatly organized spikes at branch tips. Flowers have a single large petal large, showy and light violet. When the pods ripen, they explode to propel the seeds up to 2m away. The plants flower gregariously. Flowering: December-May.

               

LOTUS

            FLOWERS TO INDIA

Lotus is the sacred and also the National Flower of India. The plant is an aquatic perennial and symbolizes purity, divinity, fertility, richness, wealth, serenity and knowledge. This plant has bright fragrant flowers and broad floating leaves with long stems that contain air spaces.  The flowers are rosy pink with little bit of white shade and are a wonderful addition to your backyard ponds.