Vinca Flower (Shavamnari poo)

Vinca Flower (Shavamnari poo)

Vinca Rose is a charming, evergreen shrub, bearing pink or white slaver form flower. It is a native plant of southeastern and eastern Madagascar. After the invasion of European colonist the plant achieved world recognition because of its ornamental property. It can also grow in the tropical and subtropical regions. Vinca Rose has waxed, glossy covering leaves, which is oval or oblong in shape and oppositely arranged in pairs, with a pale midrib and a short petiole. The flowers usually have five petals like loves. It grows very well in infertile and well drained soil but has the chances of dying if the soil is too fertile or healthy. Occasional pinching of the bud is necessary for full growth and branching. It doesn’t need dead heading as the flower drops off after it completes blooming. It is very helpful for the treatment of Leukemia occurring in children. It is prone to the infection of Phytoplasmas which reduces the growth of the leaf.Vinca plants have slender trailing stems 1–2 m (3–6 feet) long but not growing more than 20–70 cm (8-30 inches) above ground; the stems frequently take root where they touch the ground, enabling the plant to spread widely. The leaves are opposite, simple broad lance late to ovate, 1–9 cm  long and 0.5–6 cm broad; they are evergreen in four species, but deciduous in the herbaceous  which dies back to the root system in winter. The flowers, produced through most of the year, are salver form simple, 2.5–7 cm broad, with five usually violet petals joined together at the base to form a tube. The fruit consists of a pair of divergent follicles; a dry fruit which is dehiscent along one rupture site in order to release seeds.

Vinca rose belongs to family Apocynaceae. It s medicinal uses have been discovered in the recent times. The common names of the herb are Periwinkle, Sadabahar, Madagascar Periwinkle and Rosy Periwinkle. The herb mostly grows in waste lands and sandy places. Roots and leaves are used in medicines. The herb has various medicinal importance. It contains various alkaloids which are sedative, hypertensive, tranquilizer and anti-cancerous.

Medicinal Uses of Vinca rose

The herb has following medicinal properties:

• Anti-carcinogenic – The herb has two anti-carcinogenic compounds such as vincristine and vinblastine which have been found to be effective in the cure of various types of cancers.

• Anti-diabetic – The herb is also effective in the treatment of diabetes as it has the property to lower the blood sugar.

• Hypotensive – Vinca lowers the blood pressure in high blood pressure patients.

• Sedative – The herb has calming properties and also relieves from the depression like symptoms.

• Tranquilizer – Vinca relieves anxiety, thus it has tranquilizing properties.

 Caution for Vinca rose

• The herb should not be administered self.

• Pregnant women should avoid taking this herb.

ELEPHANT YAM FLOWER

ELEPHANT YAM FLOWER

                        This is the flower of elephant yam. It gives bad smell during flowering.Elephant yam is a striking aroid with a flower spike crowned with a bulbous maroon knob and encircled by a fleshy maroon and green-blotched bract. The solitary leaf, which emerges after the flowering parts, resembles a small tree. Elephant yam has been in cultivation throughout tropical Asia for centuries. It has been widely transported by humans and easily escapes from cultivation to become naturalized, so that its natural distribution is not clear. Perennial herb. A single inflorescences produced, followed by a solitary leaf. After the growing season, this dies back to an underground storage organ . Tuber Dark brown, flattened-globe-shaped, up to 50 × 30 cm with prominent root scars. Weighing up to about 15 kg. Leaves usually one per tuber. Petiole  up to 2 m tall and 20 cm in diameter with rough, warty surface. Background colour pale to dark green or blackish-green with pale blotches and numerous tiny dark dots. Leaf blade up to 3 m in diameter and deeply divided into segments. Leaflets up to 35 × 12 cm.Spadix Up to 70 cm long. The lowermost portion of the spadix is female and is covered with pistils Each pistil consists of a pale green or maroon ovary with a maroon stalk and two- or three-lobed yellow head .The next floral zone is male and contains tightly-packed yellowish stamens. At the tip of the spadix is a bulbous, dark maroon, rounded to deeply wrinkled appendix. Spathe  Bell-shaped, broader than long, up to 45 × 60 cm, pale green to dark brown with paler blotches on exterior. Opening outwards to form a frilled, glossy maroon, collar-like structure around the spadix. Basal portion of interior pale green-yellow. Elephant yam is widely cultivated for its edible tubers, which are an important source of carbohydrate in India and Indonesia and a valued secondary crop throughout tropical Asia. It can be found on sale further afield (including Hounslow, not far from Kew in the UK) in international food markets. Elephant yam has medicinal properties and is used in many Ayurvedic (traditional Hindu) preparations. The tubers are considered to have pain-killing, anti-inflammatory, anti-flatulence, digestive, aphrodisiac, rejuvenating and tonic properties. They are traditionally used in the treatment of a wide range of conditions including parasitic worms, inflammation, coughs, flatulence, constipation, anemia, hemorrhoids and fatigue.

April Lilly

April Lilly Flower

            The botanic name Lilium is the Latin form and is a Linnaean name. Lilium is a genus of herbaceous flowering plants growing from bulbs, all with large prominent flowers. Lilies are a group of flowering plants which are important in culture and literature in much of the world. Lilies are tall perennials ranging in height from 2–6 ft (60–180 cm). They form naked or tunic less scaly underground bulbs which are their overwintering organs. In some North American species the base of the bulb develops into rhizomes, on which numerous small bulbs are found. Some species develop stoles. Most bulbs are deeply buried, but a few species form bulbs near the soil surface. Many species form stem-roots. With these, the bulb grows naturally at some depth in the soil, and each year the new stem puts out adventitious roots above the bulb as it emerges from the soil. These roots are in addition to the basal roots that develop at the base of the bulb. Naturally most cool temperate species are deciduous and dormant in winter in their native environment. But a few species which distribute in hot summer and mild winter area  lose leaves and remain relatively short dormant in Summer or Autumn, sprout from Autumn to winter, forming dwarf stem bearing a basal rosette of leaves until accept enough chilling requirement, the stem begins to elongate while warming. The flowers are large, often fragrant, and come in a range of colours including whites, yellows, oranges, pinks, reds and purples. Markings include spots and brush strokes. The plants are late spring- or summer-flowering. Flowers are borne in racemes or umbels at the tip of the stem, with six petals spreading or reflexed, to give flowers varying from funnel shape to a "Turk's cap". The tepals are free from each other, and bear a nectar at the base of each flower. The ovary is 'superior', borne above the point of attachment of the anthers. The fruit is a three-celled capsule. Seeds ripen in late summer. They exhibit varying and sometimes complex germination patterns, many adapted to cool temperate climates.

BLUE WATERLILLY (Nymphaea caerulea)

BLUE WATERLILLY 

Nymphaea caerulea also known as the Blue Egyptian water lily or sacred blue lily is a water lily  in the genus Nymphaea.

Nymphaea caerulea, also known as the Blue Egyptian water lily or sacred blue lily, is a water-lily in the genus Nymphaea. The leaves are broadly rounded, 25–40 cm across, with a notch at the leaf stem. The flowers are 10–15 cm in diameter. Reports in the literature by persons unfamiliar with its actual growth and blooming cycle have suggested that the flowers open in the morning, rising to the surface of the water, then close and sink at dusk In fact, the flower buds rise to the surface over a period of two to three days, and when ready, open at approximately 9–9:30 am and close about 3 pm. The flowers and buds do not rise above the water in the morning, nor do they submerge at night. The flowers have pale bluish-white to sky-blue or mauve petals, smoothly changing to a pale yellow in the centre of the flower. The flower is very frequently depicted in Egyptian art. It has been depicted in numerous stone carvings and paintings, including the walls of the famous temple of Karnak. It is frequently depicted in connection with "party scenes", dancing or in significant spiritual / magical rites such as the rite of passage into the afterlife.  Nymphaea caerulea was considered extremely significant in Egyptian mythology, since it was said to rise and fall with the sun. Consequently, due to its colourings, it was identified, in some beliefs, as having been the original container, in a similar manner to an egg, of Atum, and in similar beliefs Ra, both solar deities. As such, its properties form the origin of the lotus variant of the Ogdoadcosmogeny. It was the symbol of the Egyptian deity Nefertem. in modern culture, blue lotus flowers are used to make various concoctions including blue lotus tea, wine and martinis. Recipes for such drinks involve steeping or soaking the petals, about 10–20 grams for up to three weeks. Blue lotus 'tea' is prepared by boiling the entire flowers for 10–20 minutes.

The main effects of Blue lotus are a pleasant feeling of warmth around the head, very

                  In relevance, the Egyptians saw the blue water lily open up each morning, with the blue petals imitating the sky and its yellow center representing the sun. Each afternoon the petals would close, to get ready for the next day. Therefore, the blue lotus flower was linked with the rising and setting of the sun. In another sense, the blue lotus flower also stands for the enlightened and reawakening of the consciousness of the deceased. There's a story of the battle between Horus and Seth, where the blue lotus flower appears as a symbol of the divine, all seeing eye. When Seth tracks down the resting of Horus beneath a tree, he rips both eyes from him and buries them in the sand. Later, the buried eyes transform into blue lotus flowers.

Water Lilly (Aambal)

Water Lilly (Aambal)

                  

           Water lillies are plants that grow in still or slowlt moving water. They like ponds, streams , and the edges of lakes in tropical and mild areas. Their floating leaves are often called lilly pads. Water lillies grow from the muddy bottom of a body of water. Thick underwater stems are buried in the mud.

The hairy water lily is an aquatic plant having erect perennial rhizomes or rootstocks that anchor it to the mud in the bottom. The rhizomes produce slender stolons.Its leave blades are round above the water and heart-shaped below 15–26(–50) cm, papery, abaxially densely pubescent. Some of the leaves that emerge rise slightly above the water held by their stem in lotus fashion, but most of them just float on the surface. The floating leaves have untie edges that make a crenellate effect. The water lily is also commercialized as an aquarium plant. The underwater leaves of this species have a handsome appearance that is appreciated by aquarists who often remove the floating leaves to keep it as a fully sub aquatic plant. The flowers are quite large, about 15 cm in diameter when fully open. They tend to close during the daytime and open wide at night. Their color varies from white to pink, mauve or purple depending from the variety or hybrid.

Touch me not (Mimosa Pudica)

Touch me not (Mimosa Pudica)

Mimosa pudica also called sensitive plant or touch me not is a creeping annual or perennial herb often grown for its curiosity value  the compund leaves fold inward and drop when touched or shaken reopening minutes later. 

Ayurveda regards the touch me not plant to have tiktha kashaya properties. This plant is  used in treating many skin disorders. Thottavadi kashayam made after removing the flowers helps in reliveing various difficulties of the hemorroids. Karappan found in children found in children can be treated by collecting the juice of this herb and heating in coconut oil.

Shavam Nari Poo (Vinca)

Shavam Nari Poo (Vinca)

                     

                        Shavamnari is a type of flower . It is also known as shavamnari poo , kashithumba (in malayalam) , vinca , vinca rose , lavendar vinca ,periwinckle flower , periwinckle vinca . Its Scientific name is Catharanthus Roseus. Its Very common in Kerala as  a garden Plant. It is medicinal plant. It an also be poisonous if used inappropriately. Internally the leaves has been used for improved oxygen and blood flow , especially in cerebral veins . Externally a oil or oilment can be made or the leaves can be bruised and applied directly for dermatitis eczema ,acne , bleeding gums , nosebleeds , mouth ulcers, cancer.

Cynodon Dactylon (Karuka Grass)

Cynodon Dactylon (Karuka Grass)

                  

                   Cynodon Dactylon or karuka (in malayalam) grass the other names of this grass are Arugampul Bahama Grass ,Bermuda Grass , Couch Grass , Durva Grass . Karuka grass has many medicinal properties including antimicrobial and antiviral properties. It is sweet palatable   cool and nutritious . The whole plant is medicinal according to Hindhu medical God Dhanwantari who gave to the world the science of Ayurveda. The plant is medicinal when used both internally and externally. It helps to stops bleeding increases the amount of  urine excretion and checks dysentary. this plant also serves as medicine for treatment of skin diseases , diabetes , urinary tract infections ,blood disorders . In siddha system of medicine karuka grass is used to detoxify the body.

 

Mango

Mango

The mango is a fleshy stone fruit belonging to the genus Magnifera , consisting of  numerous tropical fruiting trees in the flowering plant family . Mango tress grow up to 35 -40 m tall. 

HYDRANGEA

     HYDRANGEA

Hydrangea flowers are produced from early spring to late autumn they grow in flowerheads at the end of the stem. In many species flowerhead contain two types of flowers small fertile flowers in the middle of the flowerhead and large flowers in a ring around the edge of each flowerhead. In the most species of the flowers are white but in some species can be blue , red , pink , light purple or dark purple. 

Guava

GUAVA FLOWER

The term Guava is pera derived from pear. Guava is also called amrood .It is common fruit in Kerala. Guavas are rich in dietary fiber vitamins A and C ,folic acid and the dietary minerals pottasium ,copper and manganese.

Guava 

Guava bud