FLAME OF THE FOREST

BUTEA MONOSPERMA

Good for Nitrogen Fixing and Ecological

restoration
Slow growing
Taub.(Family:Papilionaceae) IN OUR popular literature there are several
trees that go under the above name; in particular the Silk-Cotton Tree
(Bombax or
Salmalia) the Indian Coral Tree (Erythina) and the Palas Tree (Butea
monosperma) are now and then referred to as the
Flame of the Forest. The only tree to which the name should be applied is
Butea monox Roxb. as it is given in Taub. (or Butea
frondosa most of our floras), known a Palas.

DESCRIPTION It is a small to medium sized deciduous tree, with a crooked

trunk and branches; in most parts of Bombay it seldom rises beyond
6metres in height. Its bark is greyish or light brown in the order parts of the
tree. The leaves are trifoliate, that is to say, they
consist of a stalk 8-12 cm. long and three leaflets, of which two 8—12 cm
across are opposite to each other, the third and larger,
12—20 cm across, being some distance away from the other ; all the leaflets
are leathery and stiff the terminal one with equal
sides at the base the laterals very strongly unequal-sided at the base, all obtuse
or rounded at the apex young leaflets are finely
silky, older ones more or less smooth but hairless. The leaves fall off in
winter; the flowers appear on the tree at the beginning of
the hot season, that is, from February to March, when the tree is completely
leafless. The flowers are large, at times as large as
an adult human thumb, densely crowded on the leafless branches, several
flowers at a time on a swollen node on young
branches the latter as well as the flower stalks are velvety dark olive-green in
colour, sometimes very dark, almost black. The
calyx of the flowers forms a sort of irregular cup at the base outside, and 33 of
the same colour as the young twigs on the outer,
but clothed with fine silky hair on the inner side. The rim of the calyx cup
should normally have five teeth, but usually the two
upper ones are fused, and the result is a cup with four teeth. The corolla is 3—
5 cm. long of a rich orange or salmon-red colour,
silky hairy outside with silvery hah-. The fruit is a flat pod or legume, 12-18
cm. long, about 4—5 cm. broad, narrowing
somewhat towards the tip, in which a large solitary seed is enclosed. When
young, the pods are velvety with dense hair when
they attain length, they become more or less hairy. Dry pods are not elegant;
they hang down on the tree, and I do not know for
what reason, to me they always appear like a large number of chappals hung
up in the air to dry!
Plate 3. THE FLAME OF THE FOREST (Butea monosperma Taub)
Page 16
DISTRIBUTION
The Flame of the Forest, Butea monosperma, is found all over India and
Burma up to1000 m. it is also common in dry
deciduous forests in Central India. It is also common in some of the sandy
area in Gujarat and Saurashtra. Nearer Bombay, the
tree is common on the hills from Kalyan to Igatpuri or to Khandala along the
main road or the railway lines. At the end of
February or the beginning of March, one can appreciate the correctness of the
name, Flame of the Forest; some parts of the
forest are a vivid mass of colour, which is very striking in the general leafless
condition of most trees in such areas.

USES
The Palas tree is seldom cultivated in gardens or along the streets of towns;
the tree looks very wild and rugged except when it
is in full bloom. Unfortunately the tree suffers from the constant lopping or
cutting of leaves and branches; our farmers in the
Konkan and elsewhere collect such branches and spread them on their rice
fields; when the branches are thoroughly dry, they
are set on fire, either by themselves or mixed with cowdung. If left to itself,
the Palas tree can succeed even on poor soil; it does
well too in some of the more sandy and arid areas in India. This simply means
that the tree can profitably be used for the
regeneration of poor soils. In many parts of India this tree is used for the
cultivation of the lac insect; it is said that the quantity of
lac produced exceeds that on any other tree, even though the quality is not of
the best. When the bark of the tree is cut or
scratched, it gives out a red or reddish juice, which on exposure to air hardens
into a glassy ruby-red gum ; commercially this gum
is known as ‘Bengal Kino’ it is a powerful astringent and is medicinally used
in the treatment of many forms of chronic diarrhoea.
The seeds have long been used in India against roundworms and tapeworms
though they seem to be ineffective against hookworms.
The leaves of the Palas are made into platters, cups, etc.; in some parts of the
country they are also used as bidi wrappers.
If you wish to see an impressive and colourful sight, you might just go along
the main road to Tansa Lake, or while travelling on
the Western Railway from Bombay to Delhi keep your eyes open in the
neighbourhood of Kotah. You will then easily understand
why this tree has been called by the very appropriate and expressive name,
the Flame of the forest.
The name Butea was coined by Koeing or Roxburgh in honour of John Stuart,
3rd Earl of Bute who “for several years lived in
retirement in Bute, engaged in agricultural and botanical pursuits”. (Encycl.
Brit. 4: 459, 1959). The specific name frondosa
means ‘leafy’ or ‘full of leaves’; the other name, monosperma, means ‘one-
seeded’ and refers to the fruit with a single seed near
its apex.
Butea monosperma var. lutea (Witt) Mahesh is a striking yellow-flowered
variety which has been reported from various parts of
India. “Instead of the dazzling blaze of orange with which we are all so
familiar, this tree blossoms into a pale yellow. The bases
of the petals are primrose yellow, and they shade off into a creamy tint on the
edges and on their reverse sides. The corolla
contrasts very beautifully with its rich olive-brown downy calyx. Except in
the colour of the corolla, the tree seems to be in all
respects precisely the same as the Pates’”. (H.T. Ommanney in Jour. Bom.
Nat. Hist, Soc. 6:107, 1891). All those who have
seen such tree agree both on the striking beauty of the flowers and on the
rarity of the tree. Efforts have been made to grow this
variety in gardens, but the author is unaware of any fruitful result of such
efforts
 Yay location
removed

Common name: Indian Coral Tree, Lenten tree, Tiger claw • Hindi: Pangara पंगार
Botanical name: Erythrina variegata Family: Fabaceae (pea family)
Synonyms: Erythrina indica
Good for Nitrogen Fixing and Ecological
restoration
Fast growing
Indian Coral Tree is a showy, spreading tree legume with brilliant red blossoms.
This highly valued ornamental has been described as one of the gems of the
floral world. It is a picturesque, broad and spreading, deciduous tree that can get
60-80 ft tall and spread 20-40 ft It has many stout branches that are armed with
black tiger's claw spines. There are curved spines (really more like prickles) on
the long leaf stalks too. The leaves are compound, with three diamond shaped
leaflets, each about 6 in long. Before the leaves come out in late winter or early
spring, coral tree puts on a spectacular show with bright crimson flowers 2-3 in
long in dense terminal clusters. It may flower a little during the summer, too. The
beanlike pods that follow the flowers are cylindrical, about 15 in long, and
constricted between the reddish brown seeds. The naturally occurring variety
orientalis has the veins of its leaflets highlighted with yellow or pale green.
'Parcellii', with yellow variegated leaves, may be just another name for the same
variety. 'Alba' has white flowers.

The coral, pangara in Marathi and Hindi, is one of the many trees that sports red or reddish
flowers around now, ushering in our fierce summers. The many varieties of coral span the
whole spectrum from orange to scarlet to crimson, from which flows the generic half of its
botanical name, Erythrina indica. The flowers, flame-shaped and borne in thick clusters at
the tips of branches, are put out between February and April, when the tree is bare of leaves.
A magnet for birds, early mornings the tree turns into a veritable aviary as orioles, mynas,
ioras, sunbirds, all descend to feast on its nectar; even carrion-eaters like the crow are drawn
to it irresistibly. Corals have a distinctive bark, a soft grey ground streaked with lincoln
green, and thorny branches. Being prickly and easy to propagate (cuttings grow readily), rows
of young trees are widely used to form living, beautiful fences. Erythrina’s trifoliate leaves,
like those of the palash, are deified, being held to represent, by Hindus, the Trimurti of Shiva,
Brahma and Vishnu, and by Christians, the Holy Trinity. Different varieties show striking
variations: the leaves of some are painted with thick white veins, while there is a rare outlier
that bears white, not red, flowers. Our campus used to have the lone specimen of the latter,
which after gracing the Middle Gate road for many years was turned into dust by termites.

Cassia-Fistula-bahava(Indian Laburnum)

Good for Nitrogen Fixing and Ecological

restoration
Good Wood for carving etc
Nature of Cassia fistula it is a medium sized tree with compound leaves. leaflets larg and
shining. flowers are bright yellow and borne in long hanging bunches. pod is cylindrical and
dark brown when ripe. Distribution: It is found throughout india up to a certain altitude.
common in moist and evergreen forest. Special characteristics of Cassia fistula: Beautiful
golden yellow flowers in hanging bunch. medicinal uses of Cassia fistula: Seeds and fruit
pulp used as mild laxative. tender leaves juice used in the treatment of scabies. It's a very
good avenue and garden tree.position: Commonly found in the forest.

The fruit (sheng) are left in water and mixed with milk and boiled, cooled and served as
shorbet.

Bauhinia variegate-Kanchan

Common name: Orchid Tree, Varigated Bauhinia • Hindi: Kachnar कचनार • Marathi:
kanaraj, kavidara, kanchan, rakta-kanchan • Malayalam: chovanna-mandaru, chuvanna-
mandaram • Telugu: Bodanta, Daevakanchanamu • Kannada: arisinantige, ayata,
bilikanjivala, irkubalitu • Bengali: ৰককংচন Raktakanchan • Oriya: vau-favang, vaube, kachan •
Khasi: Dieng long, Dieng tharlong • Assamese: Kotora, Kurol • Mizo: Vau-favang, Vaube,
Vaufawang • Sanskrit: Ashmantaka, asphota, Chamarika, Chamari • Nepali: Takki
Botanical name: Bauhinia variegata Family: Caesalpiniaceae (Gulmohar family)
Hardy Tree with Nitrogen fixing capacity
Orchid tree is closely related to peacock flower and to the tree many consider
the world's most beautiful, the royal poinciana - and it shows! Orchid tree is
staggeringly beautiful when in bloom - and it blooms for several months! Orchid
tree grows 20-40 ft tall and 10-20 ft wide with a spreading crown of briefly
deciduous leaves which are 4-6 in across and rounded with lobed ends and heart
shaped bases. The leaves are shaped a little like a cow's hoof. The flowers are
reminiscent of showy orchids, with five irregular, usually slightly overlapping
petals in shades of magenta, lavender, purplish blue or even white. The flowers
often make their first appearance in late winter while the tree is bare of leaves.
The blooming period then lasts until early summer. The flowers are 3-5 in across
and carried in clusters at the branch tips. A postal stamp was issued by the
Indian Postal Department to commemorate this tree.

Species identity
Taxonomy
Current name: Madhuca latifolia
Authority: Roxb.
Family: Sapotaceae

Synonym(s)
Bassia latifolia Roxb.
Madhuca indica Gmel.
Madhuca longifolia Macbride

Common names (Hindi) : mahua Botanic description Madhuca latifolia is a large, much
branched deciduous tree up to 18 m high and 80 cm dbh. Bole short, crown rounded, bark
grey to black with vertical cracks, exfoliating in thin scales. Leaves oblong-shaped, rigid,
clustered at the end of branches, 6-9 cm x 13-23 cm, thick and firm, exuding a milky sap
when broken. Young leaves pinkish and wooly underneath. Flowers cream, corollas fleshy,
juicy, clustered at the end of branches. Fruit ovoid, fleshy, greenish, 3-5 cm long, 1-4 seeded.
Seed large, 3-4 cm long, elliptical, flattened on one side. The specific epithet latifolia is
derived from the Latin Lati- (broad) and –folius (leaved).
Ecology and distribution
Natural Habitat Mahua is a frost resisting tree of the dry tropics and sub-tropics, common in
deciduous forests and dry sal plain forests. The tree is usually found scattered in pastures and
cultivated fields in central India. It is extensively cultivated near villages.
Geographic distribution Native : India
Biophysical limits Altitude: up to 1 200 m Mean annual temperature: 2-46 deg C Mean
annual rainfall: 550-1 500 mm Soil type: M. latifolia grows best in deep loamy or sandy-loam
soils with good drainage, it also occurs on shallow bouldery, clayey and calcereous soils.

Reproductive Biology Leaf fall occurs from February to April, flowers appear in March-
April, fruits ripen from June to August. M. latifolia is long-lived and starts bearing from
about the 10th year. A full grown tree can produce up to 90 kg of flowers in a year. It is
believed to be pollinated by bats which feed on the corollas.

Propagation and management

Propagation methods M. latifolia is propagated by direct seeding, seedlings or stumps. Seeds

should be sown when fresh in long polypots to accommodate the long taproot. Seedlings
should be ready to plant in 2-4 months, or can be maintained for longer with regular root
pruning. Seedlings are frost tender. 1-year-old stumps establish more successfully than bare
root seedlings.
Tree Management Mahua can be planted at a spacing of 3-8 m x 3-8 m and worked on 25-30
year coppice cycle to produce a mean annual increment of 3-5 cu. m/ha. Fire tracing and
fencing of plantations are essential in the early stages along with clean weeding and soil
working around seedlings. The tree is a light demander, drought resistant and frost hardy. It
coppices well if felled in the hot season.
Germplasm Management There are about 450 seeds/kg. Seeds are produced plentifully every
second or third year. They lose viability within a short period and the oily fruit should be
sown directly in the field as the seeds become available.

Functional uses

Products Food: The sweet, fleshy corolla is eaten fresh or dried, powdered and cooked with
flour. The fruit contains valuable oil that is sometimes used for cooking by the locals. Outer
fruit coat is eaten as a vegetable and the fleshy cotyledons are dried and ground into a meal.
Ripe fruits are used for fermenting liquor. Fodder: Leaves, flowers and fruits are lopped for
goats and sheep. Seed cake is also fed to cattle. Timber: The heartwood is reddish brown,
strong, hard and durable; very heavy (929 kg/cu. m), takes a fine finish. It is used for house
construction, naves and felloes of cartwheels, door and window frames. Lipids: Oil from the
fruit kernels principally consists of palmitic and stearic acids and is mainly used for soap and
candle making. Poison: Mahua oil is used to treat seeds against pest infestation. Other
products: De-fatted seed kernels contain 26-50 % saponin.

Service Erosion control: Mahua has a large spreading superficial root system that
holds soil together. Shade or shelter: The wide spreading crown provides shade for animals.
Reclamation: Mahua is planted on wasteland with hard lateritic soils in India. Nitrogen
fixing: Vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizal associations and root colonization have been
observed in mahua. Soil improver: The seed cake has been used as fertilizer Ornamental:
Mahua is occasionally planted as an avenue tree. Boundary or barrier or support: It is planted
along the boundaries of fields. Intercropping: M. latifolia can be raised with agricultural
crops.

Pests and diseases Stathmopoda basiplectra is a serious pest of seeds. Among the defoliators
of the tree are Achaea janata, Anuga multiplicans, Bombotelia nugatrix, Metanastria hyrtaca
and the larvae of Acrocercops euthycolona and A. phaeomorphia mine the leaves. Unaspis
acuminata is a sap sucker and Indarbella quadrinotata feeds on the bark. The fungi,
Polystictus steinheilianus causes decay in felled timber, Fomes caryophylli causes heartrot;
Cercospora haticola causes leaf spot and Scopella echimulata is a leaf rust. Loranthus is a
serious pest of trees in some localities. Leaf blight is caused by Pestalotiopsis dichaeta.

Populus euphratica

Species identity
Taxonomy
Current name: Populus euphratica
Authority: Oliv.
Family: Salicaceae

Common names (Arabic) : bahan, bhan, gharab, hodung (English) : Euphrates poplar, Indian
poplar

Botanic description Populus euphratica is a medium-size to large deciduous tree with rarely a
straight stem; often bushy, but attaining a height of about 15 m and a girth of 2.5 m under
favourable conditions. Bark on old stems is thick and rough, olive green, with irregular
vertical figures; stem is often bent and nearly always forked; sapwood is white and broad;
heartwood is reddish, often almost black at the centre. It is shallow rooted, the roots
spreading widely. Leaves are highly polymorphic; juvenile leaves 7-15 cm x 6-12 cm,
narrowly oblong, usually entire; petiole 7-15 cm long; leaves on mature shoots 5-7.5 cm long,
very variable, usually broader than long, rhombic or ovate, sharply lanceolate in the upper
half, base 3-5 nerved; petiole 1-5 cm long, rather slender, usually with large glands at the top
on either side. Catkins lax, male 2.5-5 cm long, female 5-7 cm long. Fruit ovoid-lanceolate
capsule, 7-12 mm long; pedicel 4-5 mm. Seed minute, enveloped in silky hairs. The generic
name is the classical Latin name for poplars, possibly from ‘paipallo’ (vibrate or shake), or
originating in ancient times when the poplar was called ‘arbor populi’ (the tree of the people),
because in Rome it was used to decorate public places.

Ecology and distribution

Natural Habitat In its natural habitat, P. euphratica is found in subtropical, broadleaved, hill
forests, wet temperate, moist temperate deciduous forests and dry temperate forests. It
requires a lot of light for normal development. Although now almost completely destroyed to
supply firewood, throughout its vast range it had always constituted dense forests (mixed
with willow, tamarisk, mulberry) along watercourses and their tributaries. It also grows on
land that is seasonally flooded and that on which no other form of cultivation appears
possible.

Geographic distribution Native : Algeria, China, Egypt, India, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Libyan Arab
Jamahiriya, Pakistan, Syrian Arab Republic, Turkey, Turkmenistan
Exotic : Kenya

Biophysical limits Altitude: Up to 4 000 m, Mean annual temperature: -5 to 52 deg. C, Mean

annual rainfall: 75-200 mm Soil type: It is found on rocky and hilly soils. The tree tolerates a
high degree of salinity and brackish water. The soil pH best suited for the poplar is 5.0-6.5.
Soils with impeded drainage and little aeration are not suitable.

Propagation and management

Propagation methods Natural reproduction is through root suckers or seed. The seedlings
spring up on fresh alluvial soil after the floods recede. Three sizes of cuttings are used for
rooting in the nursery for subsequent plantings. Seed pretreatment is not required.

Tree Management Planting is spaced at 2 x 3 m, although wider spacing is sometimes used

to provide space for sowing alfalfa for improving soil and to provide fodder. The tree
coppices well, and the few remnants of natural forests still being exploited for firewood are
managed by coppice on short rotations of 1 or 2 years. Planted woodlots are adapted for
treatment under coppice or coppice-with-standards, reproduction being obtained from roots
or root suckers. The tree grows fast, with annual girth increments of 4-5.3 cm.

Germplasm Management Seed storage behaviour is orthodox; hermetic storage at subzero

temperatures with less than 6% mc recommended for long-term storage. P. euphratica seeds
remain viable for about 3 weeks when kept at room temperature. Viability of seeds can be
prolonged to 1 year if the seeds are stored in sealed bottles and kept in a refrigerator. Properly
dried seeds with 4-5% mc stored in vacuum-packed jars and kept at a temperature of 0-20
deg. C remain viable for 3-5 years.

Functional uses
Products
Fodder: The leaves afford good fodder for sheep, goats and camels. Fuel: Its wood is
moderately hard and light. The lops, tops, rejects, wastes and material derived through
pruning are used as fuelwood. The calorific value is reported to be 5019 kcal/kg for sapwood
and 5008 kcal/kg for the heartwood. Fibre: P. euphratica holds excellent promise as a source
of fibre for various grades of paper, fine paper, packing paper and newsprint. Timber: The
wood is easy to saw and works to a good finish. It is good for turnery and can be peeled off
with a rotary cutter. Used for planking, lacquer work, artificial limbs, matchboxes and splints.
It is also suitable for plywood, cricket bats, shoe heels and bobbins. Poison: The bark is
reportedly a vermifuge. Medicine: The twigs are chewed and used for cleaning teeth.

Services
Erosion control: P. euphratica comes up well in burnt areas and acts as a colonizer on
exposed soils, eroded hill slopes and land slips. Shade or shelter: The main branches are
simple and spread fairly wide, resulting in a dense, conical crown with abundant foliage. It
therefore acts as a windbreak and shelters the crops from insolation. Reclamation: Due to its
salt tolerance, it is the main species for afforestation of saline soils in sandy desert regions,
for example in Mongolia, China. Soil improver: The tree crown intercepts rain and checks
soil erosion, thereby improving soil physical properties. Ornamental: P. euphratica is largely
used for roadside planting and lends decor to avenues. Boundary or barrier or support: A
single line of P. euphratica plants along field boundaries, roads, around orchards and in parks
improves the landscape and additionally serves as a windbreak, benefiting the fruits and
agricultural crops. Intercropping: P. euphratica is one of the forest species considered ideal
for intercropping with agricultural crops due to its characteristics such as leaflessness during
winter, multiple uses, soil-enriching properties and compatibility with agricultural crops. The
spacing under an agroforestry system is generally kept at 5 x 4 m or 5 x 5 m. Crops tried with
this species include maize, wheat, cowpea, potatoes and sugarcane.

Pests and diseases In the Near East, the tree is subject to attack by various beetles of the
genus Capnodis and by Cuscuta monogyna. It is also attacked by a number of other
defoliators, borers and gall-forming pests.
Heterophragma quadriloculare(Waras)

ative
Common name: Waras • Marathi: वारस Waras, Murus, Panlag • Tamil: Bara-kalagoru •
Telugu: kapa-gargu, kala-goru, baray-kalikod, bondugu • Kannada: Bechadi mara, Kaligottu
mara Botanical name: Heterophragma quadriloculare Family: Bignoniaceae (Jacaranda
family)Synonyms: Heterophragma roxburghii, Spathodea roxburghii

Waras is a large deciduous tree, 5-15 m tall, with brown bark. Compound leaves are 1-2 ft
long, crowded near the end of branches. Each leaf has 3-5 pairs of leaflets, and a terminal
one. The elliptic leaflets are 5-12 cm long, unequal sided at the base. Flowers occur in
panicles, which are densely velvet covered, at the end of branches. Flowers are 5-6 cm, white
with a rosy tinge. The five petals are rounded with crinkled margins. Stamens are 4, with
hairy filaments. Fruit is 20-30 cm long, and 3-5 cm broad, pointed. Flowering: February.
Good for afforestation, good smelling and low rainfall.

Climbers/Creepers
Argyreia nervosa

Common name: Elephant Creeper, Hawaiian baby woodrose, silky elephant glory, woolly
morning glory • Hindi: घाव बेल ghav bel, समुनदर का पाट samundar-ka-pat, समुद शोख samudra-
sokh, िवधर vidhara • Marathi: गुगगुळी gugguli, समुदसोक samudrasoka • Tamil: கடற்பாைல
katar-palai, சமுத்திரப்பாைல samuttira-p-palai • Malayalam: samudrappacha • Telugu:
చందరపద chandra poda • Kannada: ಸಮುದರ ಹಳ samudra haale, ಸಮುದರವಲ samudravalli •
Bengali: bichtarak, goguli • Konkani: समुदसोक samudra somk • Sanskrit: मूवा murva, समुदफलक
samudraphalaka, समुदशोष samudrashosha, वृददार vriddadaru
Botanical name: Argyreia nervosa Family: Convolvulaceae (Morning glory family)
Synonyms: Argyreia speciosa, Convolvulus nervosus, Lettsomia nervosa

Elephant Creeper is a vigorous vine native to India, introduced world-wide. It has large,
leathery heart-shaped leaves, which are white on the underside due to hairs. It is called
elephant creeper because of the large leaves which look like elephant ears. Leaf blades are
15-25 cm long, and 13-20 cm wide, heart-shaped. Trumpet-shaped flowers are borne in
cymes, on long, white-velvety stalks. Sepals are 1.3-1.5 cm long, velvety like the leaves.
Flower-stalks are up to 15 cm long. Flowers are 5-7.5 cm long, with a short tube and bell-
shaped limb, lavender to pink, the throat being of a darker shade. The flowers are followed by
hard, woody capsules, which when they ripen break open to resemble miniature roses. The
toxic seeds should not be eaten as they contain alkaloids. Flowering: July-December, March-
April.
Calycopteris floribunda

ative
Common name: Paper flower climber • Marathi: Ukshi उकशी • Hindi: Kokoray • Bengali:
Gaichha lata • Kannada: Enjarigekubsa • Tamil: Pullanji Valli • Sanskrit: Susavi • Telugu:
Murugudutige • Oriya: Dhonoti • Malayalam: Pullani Botanical name: Calycopteris
floribunda Family: Combretaceae (rangoon creeper family)
Ukshi is a large climbing shrub which is 5-10 meters long, with vines that are about two to
four inches in diameter, the stem and leaves are said to be medicinal. 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 barks and tenuous branches
with thick fluffs on the surface. The keratinous leaves, ovoid or oval, are 5 to 12 centimeters
long. New branches are hairy and rust colored. 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. 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
millimeters long, has 5 edges and 5 persistent calyxes which enlarges into the fluffy aliform
with 10 to 14 millimeters in length. hairy and green sepals are prominent. 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.

Gloriosa superba

ative
Common name: Glory Lily, Gloriosa lily, Tiger claw, claw • Hindi: बचनाग bachnag,
kadyanag, करी हरी kari hari, languli, उलट चनदल ulatchandal • Marathi: कळ लावी Kal-lavi, indai,
khadyanag, वाघचबका vaghachabaka • Tamil: கலப்ைப கிழங்கு Kallappai kilangu •
Malayalam: Kithonni, Mendoni • Telugu: అగనసఖ Agnisikha • Kannada: ಅಗನೀಸಖ
Agnisikhe, karadikanninagadde, siva-raktaballi, siva-saktiballi • Bengali: Bishalanguli,
Ulatchandal • Oriya: garbhhoghhatono, meheriaphulo, ognisikha, panjangulia • Urdu: Kanol,
Kulhar • Gujarati: દૂિધઓ Dudhio, વછોનાગ Vacchonag • Sanskrit: अिगनमुखी Agnimukhi,
अिगनिशखा Agnisikha, ailni, garbhaghatini, Kalikari, Langalika • Nepali: नेपाली केवारा Nepali
kewara Botanical name: Gloriosa superba Family: Liliaceae (Lily family)
Synonyms: Gloriosa rothschildiana, Gloriosa speciosa, Gloriosa simplex

Glory Lily is a most unusual and splendid flower, which is a sight to

behold. In bud, the pale green petals face downward. As the blossom
matures, the petals elongate and wrinkle and gradually arch backward
while sequencing through a spectrum of color from green to yellow to scarlet. The stamens
are extremely prominent and spread outward in graceful curves that follow the petals in their
backward progression. The flower is 3-5 in in length. Glory Lily is a twining vine that is able
to climb up with tendrils formed at the tips of the leaves. Leaves are bright green and lance
shape, 2-3 in. long. The leaf tip elongates into a slender tendril that coils around nearby
supports to get a grip. A postal stamp was issued by the Indian Postal Department to
commemorate this flower.

Cochlospermum religiosum (Buttercup tree)

ative
Common name: Buttercup tree, Yellow slik cotton tree, Golden silk cotton tree • Hindi:
Galgal • Marathi: Ganeri गणेरी • Tamil: Kattupparutti • Konkani: Kondagogu • Bengali: Sonali
simul • Kannada: Arasina buruga • Malayalam: Cempanni • Telugu: Konda gogu
Botanical name: Cochlospermum religiosum Family: Bixaceae (Annatto family)
Synonyms: Bombax gossypium, Cochlospermum gossypium, Maximilianea gossypium

Buttercup Tree is native to India, Burma and Thailand. It is a small tree growing upto 7.5 m.
The bark is smooth and pale grey. It is sparsely clothed with leaves and sheds them at the
height of the flowering season. The leaves appear at the tips of the branches and are
palmately lobed. The flowers of the Buttercup tree are the most conspicuous part of the tree.
They are large, growing upto about 10 cm, buttercup shaped and bright yellow. The stamens
are orange. The flowering season is between February and April, particularly after the leaves
are shed. The fruits are brown and oval shaped. They come in the form of a capsule made up
of five segments. The capsule splits open to release the seeds which are embedded in the
silky cotton contained within. This silky cotton is said to induce sleep when stuffed into
pillows. The botanical name has the following meaning - Cochlospermum because the seed
resembles a snail. Religiosum because the flowers are used as temple offerings.
Abrus Precatorius

ative
Common name: Coral bead vine, Rosary pea • Hindi: रती Ratti, गुंची Gunchi • Sanskrit: गुंजा
Gunjaa • Kannada: गुलगुंजी Gulugunji • Bengali: गुंच Gunch • Gujarati: Ratti रती • Tamil:
குந்து மணி kundu maNi • Marathi: गुंज Gunja Botanical name: Abrus precatorius
Family: Fabaceae (pea family)

A high-climbing, twining, or trailing woody vine with alternately

compound leaves, indigenous to India. Leaves alternate, 5-13 cm
long, even-pinnately compound with 5-15 pairs of leaflets, these
oval to oblong, to 1.8 cm long, with margins entire. The flowers,
shaped like pea flowers, are small, pale, violet to pink and arranged
in clusters. Fruit a short, oblong pod, splitting before falling to
reveal 3-8 shiny hard seeds, 6-7 mm long, scarlet with black bases. The seeds of abrus
precatorius are much valued in native jewelry for their bright coloration. The third of the bean
with the hilum (attachment scar) is black, while the rest is bright red, suggesting a ladybug.
Jewelry-making with jequirity seeds is dangerous, and there have been cases of death by a
finger-prick while boring the seeds for beadwork. The seeds were traditionally used to weigh
jewellery in India. The measure ratti रती is equal to the weight of one seed.