Ramganga River (Wordless Wednesday)
What Do You See? (Wordless Wednesday)
U is for Utricularia
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. We are into the final week of the challenge, and here we are refreshed after a holiday on Sunday.
Flowers are always seem to convey beauty and innocence right? But I was quite surprised to find that some flowers are beautiful but the plant is not quite innocent, in fact they are just the opposite. Carnivorous to be precise!
We came across this pretty green and purple patch on a rocky plateau at Kaas and before I could go into raptures, our guide told us that the plant actually has ‘traps’ that could catch and digest tiny insects… Sounds gory right, but then that is how Nature works and the Circle of Life is completed. In this case, insects are attracted both for pollination and food. Usually, the flowers are tasked with attracting pollinators and the traps to catch and digest insects are another found elsewhere on the plant.
Surely plants make their own food? Of course, but carnivorous plants often grow in habitats that are not rich in nutrients hence have to become.. well.. non-vegetarian!
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. We are into the final week of the challenge, and here we are refreshed after a holiday on Sunday.
Flowers are always seem to convey beauty and innocence right? But I was quite surprised to find that some flowers are beautiful but the plant is not quite innocent, in fact they are just the opposite. Carnivorous to be precise!
We came across this pretty green and purple patch on a rocky plateau at Kaas and before I could go into raptures, our guide told us that the plant actually has ‘traps’ that could catch and digest tiny insects… Sounds gory right, but then that is how Nature works and the Circle of Life is completed. In this case, insects are attracted both for pollination and food. Usually, the flowers are tasked with attracting pollinators and the traps to catch and digest insects are another found elsewhere on the plant.
Surely plants make their own food? Of course, but carnivorous plants often grow in habitats that are not rich in nutrients hence have to become.. well.. non-vegetarian!
So here we have it, U is for Utricularia which belongs to the Lentibulariaceae family. There are several species in this genus and many are endemic to the plateaus in the Western Ghats. Here is a close up, but dear reader, please forgive my amateur photography skills. These plants were barely 10″tall when I saw them.
The Burmann’s Sundew (Drosera burmanii) is yet another stunning herb found at Kaas which is also carnivorous.
Have you seen any carnivorous plants? Have you seen them in ‘action’?
I have yet another interesting herb for you tomorrow.
Till then, Take Care!
T is for Toothbrush Orchid
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 has a strange common name and I have not really understood why it is so-called as it bears no resemblance to the real object.
My T herb is the Toothbrush Orchid which doesnt look like a toothbrush at all.. The only resemblance by a long long stretch is that the flowers are all borne on one side, just like toothbrush bristles. I first saw this at the Kaas plateau and recently saw it much closer to Pune, near the Varsagaon dam. Those plants were only about 6″ tall, the creamy white flowers created a beautiful pattern on the grassy plateau. Young flowers are greenish white and change to yellow as they grow older..
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 has a strange common name and I have not really understood why it is so-called as it bears no resemblance to the real object.
My T herb is the Toothbrush Orchid which doesnt look like a toothbrush at all.. The only resemblance by a long long stretch is that the flowers are all borne on one side, just like toothbrush bristles. I first saw this at the Kaas plateau and recently saw it much closer to Pune, near the Varsagaon dam. Those plants were only about 6″ tall, the creamy white flowers created a beautiful pattern on the grassy plateau. Young flowers are greenish white and change to yellow as they grow older..
It goes by the botanical name Habenaria heyneana and belongs to the Orchidaceae family. The Flowers of India website showed me 37 plants of the Habenaria genus- that’s huge variety is it not?
Tomorrow is the fourth Sunday of April 2016 and then we enter the final stretch of our blogging challenge. Its been a wonderful journey so far, I am sure you agree.
Have a great weekend folks!
🙂
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.
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!
🙂
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
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
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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!
🙂
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.
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.
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| Notice the corolla |
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| 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!
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 🙁
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 🙁
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| Strawberry plant with flowers |
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| 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!
Feast From The Jungle (Wordless Wednesday)
Feast For Birds (Wordless Wednesday)
