Archana – Page 48 – Spice of Life!

16/04/201601/10/2020

N is for Nisurdi

Welcome!
I am writing about herbs in the 2016 April AtoZ blogging challenge. Most of the herbs written in this series are those I have seen or used. Today’s herb is one that I have seen in the Western Ghats.

My herb for the letter N is locally called Nisurdi or Common Hill Borage and its botanical name is Adelocaryum coelestinum of the Boranginaceae family. There are frequent stops when trekking up a hill on a hot day when the monsoon is playing truant. the sight of a colourful carpet is soothing indeed. The heart shaped leaves of the Nisurdi caught my eyes before I spotted the flowers. The errect herb had large leaves at its base and its petiole was surprisingly red. The flowers were light blue or white and have a blue centre.

AtoZ herbs, travel, trekking ,western ghats

Red petiole and heart shaped leaves

Adelocaryum coelestinum

This pretty species has two of its ‘cousins’ that also grow in this area and are endemic to this region. They are Adelocaryum lambertianum and Paracarypopsis malabarica. The famous Forget Me Not flower (Myosotis alpestris) belongs to the Boranginaceae family too.

Kaas Plateau of Flowers– a book by Sandeep Shrotri is good resource for those planning a visit to see monsoon blossoming there.

Another much deserved Sunday holiday is up next for the AtoZ blog challenge takers. I hope to catch up with some more wonderful blogs out there.
Have a wonderful Sunday folks!
🙂

14/04/201601/10/2020

M is for Mimosa

Welcome!
I am writing about herbs in the 2016 April AtoZ blogging challenge. Most of the herbs written in this series are those I have seen or used. Today’s herb is one that I had studied many moons ago in school and I am sure most of you would have heard about it or seen it.

M is for Mimosa pudica most commonly called Touch Me Not belonging to the Mimosaceae family. The plant probably owes its common name and fame to the property of its leaves closing up and drooping when touched. Mimosa has very pretty ball shaped pink flowers. Identifiying this herb is easy, just touch it and you would know! Touch Me Not is called Chui-Mui or Lajwanti and grows extensively in the tropical regions.

Another lovely ‘M’ herb is Murdannia which grows in the grasslands of the Western Ghats.

Thanks for visiting and have a great day!
🙂

13/04/201601/10/2020

L is for Lepidagathis cristata

Welcome!
I am writing about herbs in the 2016 April AtoZ blogging challenge. Most of the herbs written in this series are those I have seen or used. Today’s herb is another discovery on my morning walk…

I had spotted a curious spongy looking semicircular growth on the hill which occasionally had leaves around it. It was not clear if the leaves grew out of this central white structure or were from some other plant. I referred to a group of plant lovers who identified it as Lepidagathis cristata of the Acanthaceae family. This plant is native to India and goes by the common name of Crested Lepidagathis or Bhu Terada in Marathi. It is said to have medicinal value as well.

The flowers are stalkless and arise from the centre dome

Branches arise from the central dome like structure

Another interesting herb also from our neighbourhood hills is most likely the Lavandula bipinnata of the Laminaceae family. Here it is:

I hope you are enjoying this blogging challenge as much as I am.
Bye for now and Take Care!
🙂

13/04/201601/10/2020

K is for Kaempferia rotunda

Welcome!
I am writing about herbs in the 2016 April AtoZ blogging challenge. Most of the herbs written in this series are those I have seen or used. I have seen this K herb only once as part of a botanical study tour. I am told the flowers are just as stunning in the wild too.

My K herb is Kaempferia rotunda also known as Bhui Chafa in Marathi or Indian Crocus. The blossoms emerge from the ground before the leaves appear which may explain its local name. Its bulbs remain dormant throughout winter and flowers arise one or two at a time, lasting only for a couple of days. If you are amazed with the flowers, then hold on, because its leaves are said to be stunning. The leaf front is green with silvery marks and is purple on the back. Kaempferia rotunda belongs to the Zingiberaceae family and is a native. As I was on a botanical study tour, identification was not an issue!
😉

Indian crocus, Bhui champa, peacock ginger

This is one herb I will be looking out for, and I am sure you will too.

Happy herb spotting!

🙂

11/04/201601/10/2020

J is for Justicia adhatoda

Welcome!
I am writing about herbs in the 2016 April AtoZ blogging challenge. Most of the herbs written in this series are those I have seen or used. My herb for the alphabet J is said to be an excellent remedy for cough and asthama. Having said that, I have not myself used this as a medicine.

Some of you may have guessed, J is for Justicia adhatoda which is commonly called Adulsa and it belongs to the Acanthaceae family. Its flowers are white and resemble the open mouth of a lion! Well, that may sound like an exaggeration but its the closest I can get to describe flower shape in general terms. The petals have pink lines on them which are said to be pathways to guide insects into the flower – this helps in pollination. All plants have their own special mechanisms to attract their respective pollinators. The leaves are lanceolate, opposite and slightly hairy. While the plant is of huge medicinal importance to humans, it is said that goats and other herbivores do not like this foliage as food… The herb grows to be fairly tall and is a native species.

Here are some of my amateur images…

Image Source Wikipedia (By ShineB – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0)

That’s it for today.
Happy blogging and take care!
🙂

PS: Some authorities have classified Adulsa as a herb and some has a shrub. My blog has benefitted from these differences!

11/04/201601/10/2020

I is for Iris lactea

Welcome!
I am writing about herbs in the 2016 April AtoZ blogging challenge. Most of the herbs written in this series are those I have seen or used. Most of them are not very tall either, and flowers are often only the size of a finger nail or smaller. For today’s, post I have two herbs one from the northern most part of India and one from the Western Ghats.

I have chosen the Milky Iris or Iris lactea as my first I herb. It has very pretty white and purple blossoms and commonly grows in the Ladakh and Kashmir in India. The local name is Temamentok and it is a Native. The flower reminded me of the Iris and we were lucky to spot the blooms in the month of May. Hence identifying the plant was comparatively easy as I searched among ‘Iris’ on the Flowers of India website. Milky Iris belongs to the Iridaceae family

Himalayan flowers, Ladakh, Iris lacteata

Yet another beautiful I herb is Impatiens dalzellii all called Dalzell’s Yellow Balsam. Again a native plant that is endemic to the Western Ghats. Its lance shaped leaves are striking as they have spines in between the teeth of the margin. It belongs to the Balsaminaceae family.

I am sure you would have loved these blossoms.
Which plants have you noticed in your travels?
Do tell us!
🙂

09/04/201601/10/2020

H is for Hygrophila schuli

Welcome!
I am writing about herbs in the 2016 April AtoZ blogging challenge. Most of the herbs written in this series are those I have seen or used. Many are not very tall either, and flowers are often only the size of a finger nail or smaller. I thought identifying them was the difficult part but I was wrong. Choosing which herb to write about has been more difficult!!

Without much ado, let me introduce you to my H herb… It is Hygrophila schulli also called Talim Khana in Marathi and Kokilaksha in Sanskrit. I spotted this armed (meaning a plant with thorns) herb due to its striking purple flowers in an otherwise almost bare patch of land near Satara. These blossoms were in tough competition with the ancient temple close by and which was the basic purpose of our visit there!

There were a few specimens growing near a small pond and all had long yellow axiallary spines. the entire plant was hairy as were its leaves. The flowers had bracts and bracteoles which is seen in the Acanthaceae family. The purple corolla was bi-labiate meaning two petals on top and three below. Identification was using the FOS app by Shrikant Ingalhalikar.

Notice the corolla

Yellow spines

Some texts have classified Hygrophila schuli a subshrub so here is another H herb seen in during our morning walks, namely the Hyptis suaveolens of the Laminaceae family. The most striking feature of this herb is its quadrangular stem and highly fragrant leaves!

Have these posts inspired you to look more closely at the tiny flowers growing around you?
I am sure are many beautiful blossoms just waiting for you..
Enjoy!

08/04/201601/10/2020

G is for Gulbakshi

Welcome!
I am writing about herbs in the 2016 April AtoZ blogging challenge. Most of the herbs written in this series are those I have seen or used. Today’s herb is one that I had seen many moons ago at my grandmother’s home and I am sure most of you would have heard about it or seen it.

G is for Gulbakshi which is the Marathi local name for a pretty trumpet shaped flower called Mirabilis jalapa or the Four O Clock Flower. It belongs to the Nyctaginaceae family. Though a native of Peru, it is quite common in India and seems happy here! It is said to be a herbaceous perennial with ovate leaves. The showy flowers bloom late in the afternoon (which may explain its common name) and stay open till the next morning. Strangely, one plant may bear flowers of more than one colour.

The blooms have a long ‘stem’ hence they can be braided together to form a floral garland without using a needle and thread! Try it the next time you have more than three Gulbakshi flowers!

Some flowers bloom at a specific time of the day and here is an interesting article about using blooms to create a living flower clock!

Gerbera is yet another herb with flamboyant flowers and is popular with florists. They are long lasting and lend themselves to arrangements of many types. This is native to South Africa.

The pink bloom in the centre is Gerbera

We are nearing the end of the first full week of the 2016 blogathon and its been a hectic time so far. How about you?
Happy blogging!

06/04/201601/10/2020

F is for strawberry!

Its my fourth attempt at the April AtoZ Blogging challenge and I am writing about herbs.

How can F be for strawberry? Simple, because botanically strawberry belongs to a genus called Fragaria. The most popular recall for this yummy fruit is strawberries and cream… Supposedly a summer favourite. Strawberries are freely available in most Indian cities and they must be handled and stored with care.

Punekars (folks living in Pune are fondly referred to by this name) are lucky as Mahabaleshwar is only a couple of hours away by road and it is a major strawberry grower. Come summer and we have strawberry festivals held in the city and almost everyone who visits Mahabaleshwar comes back kilograms of fresh strawberries. The Mapro Food Park is a major attraction especially for its Strawberry and Cream. Some farms encourage visitors to go strawberry picking. Besides jams, preserves, Mahabaleshwar farmers have made strawberry wine as well!

Getting back to our herb, strawberry is an introduced crop in India but some varieties are native e.g. Duschesnia indica, Fragaria niligerrensis . Strawberries belong to the Rosaceae family (Rose family). To see this plant one has to visit a farm or grow it in the garden. its not very tall and sends out runners that can give rise to new plants. The white flowers have a yellow centre. We did try to nurture a plant in a pot but it did not survive for long, obviously the habitat was unsuitable 🙁

Strawberry plant with flowers

Freshly harvested strawberries

Some other familiar foods from this family are apple, cherries and almonds!

Its understandable if these images inspire you to head off to your refrigerator or the super market and get yourself some strawberries.

I am heading to my kitchen for some strawberry crush to make myself a strawberry milkshake.
Cya around!

06/04/201601/10/2020

E is for Euphorbia rothiana

I am posting AtoZ herbs in the 2016 April AtoZ blogging challenge. For E I have two herbs, one indigenous and one that has been naturalised in India. The more important aspect is that I could independently identify both of them!

Yay!!!

Euphorbia rothiana which is also known as Common Hill Spurge is a native herb that caught my eye on a trek in the Western Ghats. Its unusual green flowers were a sight for sore eyes and very intriguing. The stem oozed a milky juice when a branch was accidentally broken off which may possibly explain its Marathi name – Doodhi. E rothiana grows up to an altitude of 1200 m.

Clue: A milky exudate from the plant suggests that it may belong Euphorbiaceae, Apocynaceae, Asclepiadaceae, Sapotaceae, Papavaraceae or Moraceae families of the Plant Kingdom. One must correlate with other plant features to eliminate and arrive at some possible identities. This herb belongs to the Euphorbiaceae family.

Flowers

Entire Plant

Yet another very pretty almost prostrate herb that I spotted on my morning walks is called Vishnushnakant in Marathi and botanically it is Evolvulus alsinoides. It has very pretty purple flowers that almost beg not to be stamped upon. That’s because the herb grows almost along the ground in my part of the world and folk often walk all over it – possibly out of ignorance or just not noticing it. It has several medicinal uses – though I admit I prefer to enjoy its natural beauty.

I have to rush off, there are several blogs to read…
Enjoy!