The Wood Rose Argyreia nervosa is a native of India, although it is commonly called Hawaiian Baby Wood Rose. The plant is a cousin of the Morning glory, and its flowers resemble the morning glory flowers. It is only when they are fertilized, that they form the beautiful rose-like seed pods.
I found the vine growing wild on my walk recently. I was enchanted by the woody, rose shaped seed pods.
The flower itself is not as attractive as its cousin the ipomea.
The rare aquamarine flowers of the Green Ice Crossandra Ecbolium ligustrium are called Neelambari in Kannada. It is also known as the Green Shrimp Plant. This wild flower is found in the slopes of the Western Ghats. I found this rare plant in the Campus of IIT Bombay, in Mumbai, which still boasts of some wild patches of forestland.
Butea monosperma, which is also known as Flame of the forest,flowers in abundance in all forests throughout India in spring. It is called Palash in Sanskrit and Hindi, and Muttuga in Kannada. It is mentioned in the Ramayana, where Sita sees the flowering trees, and thinks some stretches of the forest were on fire. The leaves of this tree are made into leaf plates, which are said to impart health giving qualities to the food served on them.
When you drive through the hills of the Western Ghats, you come across this fern clinging to some trees. This is the Drynaria quercifolia, a fern with sterile fronds, like the Staghorn fern. The locals say that this fern eventually kills its host tree. It is called Kage Rekke in Kannada, which means Crow's Wings. Whether there is truth in the fears of the locals or not, this fern is a beauty.
One sees these bright yellow flowers in gardens during winter. It is the Basant, or Reinwardtia indica. This flower is also known as Pyoli in Gharwal. Being a native of the Himalayan foothills, this plant has many medicinal properties. It is used in Indian traditional medicine for the treatment of paralysis. The crushed leaves and stems of the plant are used to heal a suppurating wound.
The people of Gharwal associate Pyoli with a folk tale. According to the tale, Pyoli was a beautiful forest maiden, brought up by the plants, animals and birds of the forest. One day, a wounded prince got lost in the forest. Pyoli looked after him, and he fell in love with her. He married her and took her to his palace. But Pyoli missed her forest friends so much that she fell ill and died. The prince buried her in her beloved forest. After some time this plant with cheerful yellow flowers came up from the place she was buried.
I saw these flowers growing in the jungle near the Sirimane Falls in the Western Ghats. When I went too near to smell it, one of the locals shouted a warning, saying it would make me retch!
