Turmeric

When the wedding seson starts after 15 days, there will be great demand for the Turmeric. Hindu weddings start by ladies pounding the root of the turmeric tuber to get the yellow spice, which is used to give the bride a ceremonial beauty bath.
Curcuma longa , the common Turmeric is a part of Indian life. The spice is used in daily cooking. A spoonful of turmeric powder and sugar mixed in a glass of hot milk works wonders if you have cold or flu. Rice balls mixed with coconut and jaggery are wapped in the leaves of the Turmeric and steamed, to make a delicious dish.There is a city named Erode near my city which is known as the granary of turmeric.
There are many types of turmerics which grow in the rainforests of the Western Ghats. Some are endangered.

Common Rue

The Common Rue Ruta graveolens is a native of Southern Europe which has naturalised itself in India. It is calle Nagadali here , as it is believed to deter snakes from entering the garden. Most gardeners grow it at the entrance of their gardens .But I have seen a black cobra merrily wending its way through a maze of Rue in my neighbour's house!
The Rue has an unpleasant oily smell, but its leaves are an unusual blue-green. Its lime yellow flowers bloom in summer. It was used in European cooking before the 20th century, but now tastes have changed. Its leaves and oil are used in Ayurveda for curing chest related diseases and Arthritis.

Vinca Major

The blue flowers of the Vinca major vine are very attractive. Although its cousin Vinca minor is very common in the tropical region, Vinca major is rare. I found this plant in the Himalayas.
The alkaloid Vincamine which is used by the pharmaceutical industry is extracted from the plant. The flowers are used in homeopathic remedies.

Himalayan Iris

It is a sight for sore eyes to see the Himlayan Iris Iris nepalensis cover whole mountainsides in spring. The violet flower has white and yellow markings.
The Iris is found all over the temperate region of the world. It takes its name from the Greek word for rainbow. Iris flowers come in many colours.
The Iris flower is formed in such a way that when a bee enters it to get the nectar, the insect will come in contact with the pollen only after passing the stigma. When the bee backs out of the flower, it will only touch the lower face of the Stigma, which is non- receptive. Thus the flower ensures that the bee doesn't pollinate it with its own pollen. Each flower is pollinated by the pollen of another.

Some Himalayan Wild Flowers

The Himalayan Berberis, Berberis aristata grows wildly near Dharamsala. It is called 'Daruharidra' in Sanskrit which means 'Tree turmeric'. It has many medicinal uses in the Indian systems of medicine . The flowers are a very attractive yellow, which cover the bush entirely.

The Himalayan Clover, Trifolium pratense is found in the meadows. 'Pratense' in latin means found in the meadow. It is useful for relieving cough, skin problems and symptoms caused by menopause.

The tiny violet flowers of the Himalayan Peristrophe are very pretty. This wild flower is also seen near Dharamshala.

Rhododendron

The Rhododendron was first discovered by the English plant hunters in 1799 in the Himalayas. Later, in 1850, an expedition to Sikkim, in the Himalayas, found more than 50 species of the flowering plant. Indiscriminate collection by the plant hunters in the last century has brought many species of this beautiful flowering plant to the brink of extinction. Trekkers and mountaineers in the Himalayas use the wood of this tree for fire, as it burns even when wet.

Rhododendron is called Guras in the local language. The flowers of the red rhododendron are used to make jam . Rhododendron flowers are also used in local cooking.

The plant is very popular among gardeners in the west, where many hibrids are available.

Football Lily

The African Football Lily, or Blood Lily Scadoxus multiflorus probably knows about the World Cup. It is blooming everywhere in my garden.

The flower is also known as the Monsoon Lily and the Fireball in India. It has another botanical name, haemanthus multiflorus. The inflorescence is big and spherica, resembling the football.The plant has bulbs which multiply each year. This lily is a native of Namibia in Africa. The leaves are bright green and attractive. The plant flowers during the Monsoons.

All parts of this plant are poisonous.