Taxonomy of plants

Common name: Garlic Vine • Kannada: ಬೆಳ್ಳುಳ್ಳಿ ಬಳ್ಳಿ Bellulli balli • Manipuri: ꯆꯅꯝꯂꯩ চনম লৈ Chanamlei • Bengali: লতা পাৰুল Lata parul

Botanical name: Mansoa alliacea
Family: Bignoniaceae (Jacaranda family)
Synonyms: Bignonia alliacea, Pseudocalymma alliaceum, Adenocalymma alliaceum

Native to South America, Garlic Vine is one of the most rewarding, flowering vines that you can grow. Interestingly enough it smells like garlic. However, it doesn't smell if the plant is left alone, only when the leaves are crushed. It can either be described as a shrub or a vine since it produces numerous woody vines from the root that grow only 2-3 m tall and form a shrub-like appearance. It produces bright green leaves up to 15 cm long. Its compact habitat and pretty continuos flowers make it a popular ornamental plant in gardens in the tropics. Flowering twice a year you will find it quite often covered with flowers. Flowers start off purple with white throat and change to a lighter shade of lavender with age. Eventually fading to almost white. You will see 3 different color of flowers at the same time on the plant. It can be grown in containers and should be trimmed after the flowers are gone.

Medicinal uses: It is a very common and well respected plant remedy in the Amazon for the pain and inflammation of arthritis and rheumatism, as well as, colds, flu, and fever. Some capsule products of the leaves are sold in stores in Brazil and Peru, and it can be found as an ingredient in other various multi-herb formulas for cold and flu, pain, inflammation and arthritis in general. The use of ajos sacha is just catching on in the U.S. market; a few products are now available and it is showing up in several formulas for colds and arthritis here as well.

Scientific name: Pachypodium lamerei
Family: Apocynaceae

Pachypodium lamerei is a species of flowering plant in the family Apocynaceae. It is a stem succulent, photosynthesizing mainly through its trunk, and comes from the island of Madagascar, off the east coast of Africa. It has large thorns and leaves mostly just at the top of the plant, and large, fragrant flowers.

Botanical name: Bauhinia tomentosa Family: Caesalpiniaceae
(Gulmohar family)

Common name: Yellow Orchid Tree, St. Thomas Tree, Yellow Bell • Kannada: ಮಂದಾರ Mandaara, ಮಂದಾರ ಹೂ Mandaara Hoo, ಕಾಡುಮಂದಾರ Kaadu mandaara, ವನಸಂಪಿಗೆ Vana sampige, ಆಚಲು Aachalu • Nepali: अमिल टांकि Amil Tanki
Botanical name: Bauhinia tomentosa Family: Caesalpiniaceae (Gulmohar family)

Pale yellow flowers facing downward. Nice specimen tree for the small yard. The bell-shaped yellow flowers have a black marking in the throat and may turn pinkish with age. Leaves smell like burned rubber when rubbed. This vigorous shrub or small tree is suitable for a mixed border or rockery. Plant in well-drained soil. A food supplement - Kachnar - is made out of this plant as a gargle for sore throats, as a paste for skin diseases, or internally as a remedy for diarrhea.

Common name: Lemonia, Limonia, Pink Ravenia

Botanical name: Ravenia spectabilis

Family: Rutaceae (Lemon family)
Synonyms: Lemonia spectabilis, Limonia spectabilis

An exotic and rare plant, Lemonia is a large shrub with bright dark pink flowers. The flower petals have a grainy and hard texture. The flowers have a curious flattened appearance. Leaves are divided into three leaflets which are elliptic, dark green and glossy. Prefers semi-shade conditions and regular watering. Great butterfly attractor. Though it is known to grow to a height of 3-5 metres, it is mostly maintained as a shrub. It is especially attractive when grown in shrubby groups.

ommon name: Bistendu, Bombay ebony • Hindi: बिसतॆंदु Bistendu, Kala dhao, Kendu, Dakanan • Marathi: Lohari • Telugu: kakaulimera, kakavulimidi, kakiulimera, makha • Bengali: Tamal • Mizo: Zo-ruthei

Botanical name: Diospyros montana Roxb. Diospyros montana Family: Ebenaceae (Ebony family)
Synonyms: Diospyros cordifolia, Diospyros montana var. cordifolia

Bistendu is a small deciduous tree with spiny trunk and spiny older branches. Leaves are elliptic lanceshaped, somewhat heart-shaped at the base and sharp or blunt at the tip. They are smooth above and velvety on the underside. Male and female flowers grow on separate trees. Male flowers are borne in 3-flowered clusters, and the female ones singly. Flowers are creamy white or greenish-white, tubular, with 4 petals which are curved back. Sepals are ovate, velvety. Stamens of male flowers are longer than the flower tube. Fruit is spherical, cherry sized, yellow when ripe. Flowering: March-April.

Botanical name: Pongamia pinnata (L.) Pierre Pongamia pinnata Family: Fabaceae (pea family)
Synonyms: Millettia pinnata, Pongamia glabra, Derris indica, Cytisus pinnatus

Common name: Pongam Tree, Indian Beech Tree, Pongame Oil Tree • Hindi: Karanj करंज • Tamil: புந்கா Pungai • Malayalam: Ponnu, Unnu • Oriya: Koranjo • Kannada: Honge • Marathi: करंज Karanj • Telugu: Pungu • Gujarati: કરંજ Karanja • Bengali: করংজ Karanj • Assamese: Karchaw • Sanskrit: करंजः Karanjah • Nepali: करेङ्गी Karengi, कद्जा Kadzaa

A fast-growing deciduous tree up to 20 metres tall that is thought to have originated in India and is found throughout Asia. It is a deciduous tree that grows to about 15-25 meters in height with a large canopy that spreads equally wide. The leaves are a soft, shiny burgundy in early summer and mature to a glossy, deep green as the season progresses. Small clusters of white, purple, and pink flowers blossom on their branches throughout the year, maturing into brown seed pods. The tree is well suited to intense heat and sunlight and its dense network of lateral roots and its thick, long taproot make it drought tolerant. Flowering: March-April.

Medicinal uses: Warning: Unverified

information A thick brownish oil can be extracted from the large seeds, and is used industrially and in medicine, notably for the treatment of rheumatism.

Botanical name: Alhagi maurorum Medik. Alhagi maurorum Family: Fabaceae (Pea family)
Synonyms: Alhagi pseudalhagi, Alhagi camelorum, Alhagi persarum

Common name: Camel Thorn, Caspian manna, Persian mannaplant • Gujarati: जवासौ Javasau • Hindi: जवासा Javasa, ऊँट झाड़ी Oont-jhari • Nepali: Durlav • Oriya: Manna • Sanskrit: Dhanvayasa, Dhanvayasaka, Duralabha • Tamil: Thurnjbin, துரந்ஜிபிந் Turanchipin • Telugu: Tell-giniyachettu • Urdu: Bikh jawansa, Jawasa, Turanjabeen

Camel Thorn is an undershrub, 2-3 ft cm tall, hairless or velvet-hairy, often used as camel fodder. Leaves are simple, 1.0-2.5 cm long, 3-8 mm broad, obovate or elliptic-oblong, hairless or velvet-hairy, entire, apiculate; leaf-stalk about 2 mm; stipules minute. Flowers are borne in lateral, leaf-axils racemes, 1-5 cm long, ending in spine. Flower-stalks are 1-3 mm, with 1-2 minute bracteoles. Calyx is 2-2.5 mm, hairless, teeth almost obsolete to triangular. Flowers are 6-9 mm long, pink or reddish-violet. Fruit is 2.0-3.5 cm long, 2-3 mm broad, hairless, more or less constricted between the seeds, 1-9-seeded. Camel Thorn is found in Pakistan, Kashmir, Iran, Afghanistan; Russia, Turkey, Iraq, Syria, Palestine, Cyprus, N Africa. It is also found in Western Himalayas. Flowering: April-September.
Medicinal uses: Warning: Unverified information An oil from the leaves is used in the treatment of rheumatism. The flowers are used in the treatment of piles.

Botanical name: Ficus palmata Forssk. subsp. virgata (Roxb.) Browicz Ficus palmata ssp. virgata
Family: Moraceae (Mulberry family)
Synonyms: Ficus pseudocarica, Ficus palmata sensu King

Commonname: Punjab Fig • Hindi: अंजीरी Anjiri, जंगली अंजीर Jangli-Anjir, Khemri • Manipuri: হৈবাম Heibam • Telugu: Manjimedi • Gujarati: Pepri

Punjab Fig is a deciduous, moderate-sized tree, 6-10 m in height. It is usually seen cultivated as a shrub. Young branches, velvety, often becoming hairless; bark, smooth, dull, ash gray, can be stripped off with the hand, exposing the white to light-yellow wood underneath; wood, moderately hard. Leaves, alternate, broad, ovate, membranous, 12.92 cm long, 14.16 cm broad, with a heart-shaped base, and toothed margin (which is rare in figs). Leaves are dark green and rough on the upper surface, light green and tomentose on the lower surface. Punjab Fig is one of the tastiest fruits found growing wild in the mid-Himalayan region. It is at par with the cultivated figs in taste and flavour, however, size is rather small in this case. In the hills of India, this fig is eaten largely and is succulent, sweet and pleasant.

Botanical name: Leucaena leucocephala (Lam.) de Wit Leucaena leucocephala Family: Mimosaceae (Touch-me-not family)
Synonyms: Leucaena glauca

Common name: Wild tamarind, White Babool, Leucaena, Lead tree • Hindi: सफ़ैद बबूल Safed babool • Bengali: সুবাবূল Subabul • Mizo: Japan-zawngtah

Wild Tamarind is a low scrubby tree of tropical and subtropical North America having white flowers tinged with yellow resembling mimosa and long flattened pods. Leaves are like that of tamarind. It is a thornless shrubby bush or tree often only to 6-8ft but occasionally to 30-60ft. Grows very well in arid tropical climates and can become a pest species in such climates. Grows best under full sun, needs little water or care once established. Very fast grower. Grows in practically any soil type. The tree has a huge wealth of uses, and is an extremely fast-grower, but care should be taken in some regions to control growth as the seeds are easily dispersed by birds and grazing cattle and the tree has the potential to become a pest. It is grown for fodder, but unless severely grazed or controlled, it spreads rampantly throughout adjacent areas.

Botanical name: Medicago sativa Family: Fabaceae (Pea family)

Common name: Alfalfa, bastard medic, buffal herb, lucerne, purple medic, sand lucerne • Gujarati: વિલાયતી ઘાસ vilayati ghas • Hindi: लुसन घास lusan ghas • Kannada: ಲುಸರ್ನೆ ಸೊಪ್ಪು lusarne soppu, ವಿಲಾಯಿತಿ ಹುಲ್ಲು vilaayiti hullu • Marathi: विलायती गवत vilayati gavat • Oriya: ਦੁਰੇਸ਼ਤਾ dureshta, ਸਿੰਝੀ sinjhi • Sanskrit: अश्वाबला ashvabala • Tamil: குதிரை மசால் kutirai macal

Alfalfa is a perennial herb with stems erect or sometimes prostrate, 0.3–1 m long, 5-25 or more per crown, much-branched, 4-angled. Rhizome is stout, penetrating the soil as much as 7-9 m. Stipules are united up to 1/3-1/2 of the length - free portion is triangular-lanceshaped, tapering, basally entire or with 1–2 teeth. Leaves are trifoliolate - leaflets are obovate- oblong, ovate or linear, tapering to base, toothed above middle, 1-4.5 cm long, 3–10 mm broad, smooth or appressed hairy, paler green beneath. Flower racemes are oval or rounded, 1-2.5 cm long, 1-2 cm broad, arising in leaf axils, 5-40-flowered. Stalk carrying the cluster is slender, firm, always exceeding the subtending leaf. Sepal cup is tubular, with linear- subulate teeth longer then tube. Flowers are yellow or blue to purple or violet, 6-15 mm long. Bracteoles are whitish, linear-subulate, mostly equaling the flower-stalk. Pod is 3-9 mm in diameter, with 2-3 spirals, prominently net-veined. Seeds are 6 or 8 per pod. Alfalfa is widely grown throughout the world as forage for cattle, and is most often harvested as hay. Alfalfa has the highest feeding value of all common hay crops, being used less frequently as pasture. Flowering: May-July.

Botanical name: Caesalpinia bonduc Family: Caesalpiniaceae (Gulmohar family)
Synonyms: Caesalpinia crista, Caesalpinia bonducella, Guilandina bonduc

Common name: Yellow Nicker, Gray nicker, nicker seed, bonduc nut, Fever nut, nicker bean • Assamese: লেটাগুটি letaguti • Bengali: দাহারা dahara, ঝগড়াগোটা jhagaragota, ককই kakai, কাঁটাকরঞ্চ kamtakaranca, কাঁটানাটা kamtanata, লালকাঁটা lalakamta, লেটাগুটি letaguti, নাটা nata, নাটাকরঞ্জ natakaranja, নাটাই natai, পুঁতিকরঞ্জ pumtikaranja, তৌরি tauri • Gujarati: કાંકચ kankacha, કાંગસા kangasa, કાંચકા kanchaka • Hindi: गजगा gajga, कलिंग kalinga, करंज karanj, करंजवा karanjawa, कटकरंज katkaranj, मेंढल mendhal, नटा nata, पांशुल panshul, पट्टिल pattil, पूति puti, सागरगोटी sagargoti •

Yellow Nicker is a large, thorny, straggling, shrub which behaves like a strong woody climber, taking support of trees. The branches are armed with hooks and straight hard yellow prickles. Leaves are large, double compound, with 7 pairs of pinnae, and each with 3-8 pairs of leaflets with 1-2 small recurved prickles between them on the underside. Flowers are yellow, in dense long-stalked racemes at the top. Fruits are inflated pods, covered with wiry prickles. Seeds are 1-2 per pod, oblong or globular, hard, grey with a smooth shiny surface. The hard and shiny seeds are green, turning grey.They are used for jewellery.

Medicinal uses: Warning: Unverified information Fruits are tonic and antipyretic. Seeds yield a fatty oil used as a cosmetic and for discharges from the ear. Leaves and bark are febrifuge.