Vajradanti

 Vajradanti Barleria prionitis is used for dental problems in Ayurveda. In Sanskrit Vajra means diamond and Danta  meas tooth.. The use of this plant is supposed to give one teeth as hard as diamonds.The flowers are large and white. There is anothervariety of Vajradanti with yellow flowers.

This plant is used in Ayurveda to treat coug, cold, asthma, bronchitis and even tuberculosis.

Unknown wild flower

I came across tis wild flower in a friend's garden in the Western Ghats. It seems to be a cousin of Gloxinia. It might be a garden escape too.

Jungle Plantain

 Ensete superbum  is known as Kadu bale in Kannada and Kallvalai in Tamil. It grows in arid, unfertile regions of the Western Ghats. The fruit are not edible as they have numerous black seeds, hard as small pebbles.

 The Jungle plantain is sometimes grown as an ornamental in some gardens. It is supposed to have medicinal qualities.

You can see some interesting blogs at Our World Tuesday.

The Mangroves of Sundarban

 Flower of the mangrove tree Bruguiera.
Sundarban area is a large wetland area in West Bengal in India and Bangladesh. this area has been created by the tidal activities in the river systems comprising of Bidyadhari, Piali and Malta., as well as the Ganga- Brahmaputra delta.  Sundarban is named after the Sundari tree , a mangrove tree, which is found everywhere here. The people of Sundarbans are mostly muslims and Hindus, and they speak Bengali.
Wild boars, deer and monitor lizards are to be seen everywhere. The most famous denizen of the Sundarbans is the royal bengal tiger. This large carnivore is also a maneater.
One travels by boat from one island to another in this area. 

Selenium Wallichianum- a Himalayan Wildflower

Wildflower enthusiasts will be wonderstruck by the beauty of Wallaich's Selenium in the Valley of Flowers. This flower is also known as Milk Parsley and Wallaich's Everlasting.

Velvet Bean- the itchy plant.

 Velvet bean, Mucuna pruriens is an annual creeper which flowers in November and December. The flower clusters are a beautiful purple and white.

Velvet bean is called Nasugunne in Kannada. It is a native of India and Africa. The leaves when young, cause itchiness if you touch them. The fruit of this plant is covered with orange hairs, and they cause severe itch if touched.

The seeds of the Mucuna pruriens is used to treat Parkinson's disease in Ayurveda and Unani medicine, as they contain L dopa. Extracts from the plant is used to treat cobra bite .

The plant covers any small tree near it completely in its growing season.

Lichen

 Lichens are composite organisms. In a lichen, algae and cyanobacteria live among the filaments of a fungus, They help each other to survive. The fungus benefits by the relationship, because algae and cyanobacteria produce food by photosynthesis. The algae and bacteria benefit as they are protected by the filaments of the fungus, which also attracts moisture. 
Lichens can grow on bare rock, or on living trees too. They use the branches only for support. They can survive in very harsh environments.

Lichens come in different colours and textures. I found orange, black and white lichens on the rock above.
Some lichen found in the Western Ghats is a major component of the curry powder. Now,I believe it is forbidden to gather those lichens from the forest.
Lichens warn us of pollution in the air. They are useful for assessing pollution levels.
I thank Mrs.Nesbitt, the founder of ABCWednesday, and Roger and his team who so ably are carrying it forward.

Desert Grass- Stipagrotis

 The desert grasses play an important role in holding the shifting sands of the desert with their roots. The Stipagrotis which is found in the Thar desert, looks like pale gold hair. The flowers are very tiny and are wind pollinated.

The roots of the grass are home to nitrogen fixing bacteria.The clumps of grass act as a shady retreat for small birds and animals in the relentless heat of the desert.
I came across this grass in the Rao Jodha Deser Rock Park in Jodhpur, Rajasthan.

Job's Tear Grass

 The curious grass in these pictures grows beads with holes to string them! Village children love to gather the 'beads' and make necklaces and other jewelry out of them. The 'beads' have a natural pearly sheen. They can be easily dyed or painted.

Coix lacrymis jobi, or Job's tear grass grows in swampy places in the tropics. It is usually seen at the edge of coffee plantations. It is called Hullu Mani in Kannada.It is used as a fodder for cattle. Wild elephants are said to be fond of this grass. In Nagaland, the grain is brewed to make a beer. The grain is said to be highly nutritious.

East Indian Screw Tree

 Helicteris isora, the East Indian Screw tree has attractive orange flowers. The fruit of the tree is curiously shaped like a screw. The tree is a small one, more like a bush.When in flower, the tree is abuzz with honeybees.

The roots of this tree are used to treat stomach ailments like colic and gastritis.

Wildflower Rhynchoglossum notonianum

 This plant belongs to the family Gesnariaceae. The intense blue flowers make the tiny plant very attractive.

I came across these beauties in Valparai, in Tamil Nad. These plants were clinging to some moss covered walls.

Insectivorous Plant- Bladderwort

 I came across these Striped Bladderwort plants last weekend while walking in the Western Ghats.They get their necessary protein by consuming small insects .The leeches got at me  while trying to photograph them. They had their fill of protein anyway.

The botanical name of this plant is Utricularia striatula, belonging to the family Lentibulariaceae.

Foxtail Orchid

 The Foxtail orchid Rhynchostylis retusa is called Kopou phool in Assam, and Draupadi Dande in Karnataka.It flowers profusely just before the onset of the monsoons. The flowers are arranged close together so that they resemble a fox's tail.

The Foxtail orchid is a native of India and SriLanka. It occurs in the forests of the Western Ghats in the wild. The beautiful flowers last almost a month.
The plant has medicinal uses.

Tree Turmeric- Berberis aristata

You find the Tree turmeric flowering all along the toad in the Himalayan foothills in May. The attractive yellow flowers  are buzzing with bees, When the fruits appear, the bushes look pretty.

The Tree Turmeric is also found in Kerala. It has many uses in Ayurveda.

Wrightia

 Wrightia tinctoria is a small tree native to India. It has mildly scented white flowers which seem like snowflakes from a distance.Wrightia is named after a Scottish physician William Wright(1740-1827)

Wrightia is a very useful as well as ornamental tree.The leaves are used to extract a blue dye known as Pala indigo. The bark and leaves are used in Ayurveda medicine system for skin diseases like psoriasis.
My thanks to Mrs.Nesbitt and her team of ABCWednesday.

Combretum rotundifolium

 The Monkey Brush, Combretum rotundifolium  has stunningly beautiful inflorescence. It is a vine, which can be trimmed to have a bushy habit. The colour of the inflorescence ranges from yellow to orange to red, making the whole plant look spectacular

Thiss combretum is a native of South America, and it has adjusted nicely to our tropical conditions.

Hardy Hopbush

The Hardy Hopbush Dodonaea viscosa is distributed throughout the tropical and subtropical regions. In Australia, it was used in the preparation of beer, hence the name 'Hopbush'.It is a plant which can grow happily in arid regions. The wood is tough, and is used to make tools and farm implements.
Dodonaea is called Netrani in Kannada, and has many medicinal uses. The leaves are used for tooth ache.
The winged capsules change colour from light green to maroon red.
Dodonaea is named after the 16th century French botanist Dodoens. Viscosa means sticky in Latin.

Dazzling Dahlia

 Dahlia is a native of tropical America, but it has happily made India its home. There are around 36 species of Dahlia. There are the pretty single flowers and  the dazzling dinner plate varieties.  The colours range from purple to white,  in the hybrid varieties.

 Since they have eight sets of chromosomes, unlike other plants which have only two.

Dahlia is named after the scientist Anders Dahl.

Chocolate Plant

Pseuderanthemun alatum is called the Chocolate Plant because of its chocolate coloured leaves. The small purple flowers bloom throughout the year. Although it is a native of Mexico, this plant has adapted itself to the climate in Bangalore.

A Black Beauty- Bat Flower

 The Bat Flower Tacca chantrieri belongs to the family Dioscoreaceae (Yam). It is native to India and Southeast Asia. The unusual black flower has long whiskers and looks like a bat.

Only diehard gardeners seem to like its outlandish beauty. The plant itself is attractive with bright green leaves, but it is hardly seen in any garden.