Oxalis regnellii (Oxalis triangularis) Love plant

Love plant

Botanical Name: Oxalis triangularis

Common Name: Love plant, Purple shamrock

Genus: Oxalis

Oxalis triangularis, commonly called False Shamrock, is a species of edible perennial plant in the Oxalidaceae family. It is endemic to Brazil. This wood sorrel is typically grown as a houseplant but can be grown outside in USDA climate zones* preferably in light shade.

Oxalis regnellii leaf 

*USDA Hardiness Zone is 10°F warmer (or colder) in an average winter 

Pic : Kerala, IND

DAISY FLEABANE (Erigeron bellidioides )

Flowers of Himalaya

DAISY FLEABANE 

Botanical name: Erigeron bellidioides 

Family: Asteraceae (Sunflower family)

Synonyms: Aster bellidioides

Daisy Fleabane are carpeting plants which spontaneously bloom in hill-stations, on the ground with wild grass, peering from wall cervices, and almost any place available. This evergreen perennial with green foliage, produces an abundance of yellow centered, small daisy-like flowerheads in summer. The outer petals are initially white, maturing to pink. Native to the Indian Subcontinent: Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Meghalaya, Sikkim, Uttarakhand, Nepal, Pakistan, Bhutan.

Blue billy Goat weed, Ageratum Flowers(Ageratum conyzoides)

Flowers of Himalaya

Blue billy Goat weed

Botanical name: Ageratum conyzoides 

Family: Asteraceae (Sunflower family)

Medicinal

Antibacterial – Leaf – wound healing

Insecticidal – (leaf oil) against weevils.

Goat weed is a common tropical annual herbaceous weed. It is an erect softly hairy annual plant which grows up to a height of 2.5 feet. Oppositely arranged leaves are ovate to lance-like, coarsely rounded, and have toothed margin. Numerous pale blue or whitish flowerheads are 6 mm across, often forming dense domed to flat-topped clusters in leaf axils or end of branches. Flowers most of the year. The stem is often red and has long white hairs. The weak aromatic unpleasant smelling leaves are also covered with fine hair. The dark seeds have scales and ends in a needle-like shape. In alternative medicine, ageratum is used against epilepsy and wounds, also used as an insect repellent.

Pic:Uttarakhand, INDIA

Water hyacinth – Kulavazha (Eichhornia Crassipes)

Water hyacinth – Kulavazha 

Family: Pontederiaceae

Botanical name: Eichhornia Crassipes

Kulavazha, African payal, Neerpola

Water hyacinth is a free-floating perennial aquatic plant (or hydrophyte) native to tropical and sub-tropical South America. With broad, thick, glossy, ovate leaves, water hyacinth may rise above the surface of the water as much as 1 meter in height. The leaves are 10–20 cm across, and float above the water surface. They have long, spongy and bulbous stalks. The feathery, freely hanging roots are purple-black. An erect stalk supports a single spike of 8-15 conspicuously attractive flowers, mostly lavender to pink in colour with six petals. When not in bloom, water hyacinth may be mistaken for frog's-bit (Limnobium spongia).

One of the fastest growing plants known, water hyacinth reproduces primarily by way of runners or stolons, which eventually form daughter plants. It also produces large quantities of seeds, and these are viable up to thirty years. The common water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) are vigorous growers known to double their population in two weeks.

Water hyacinth has been widely introduced in North America, Asia, Australia, Africa and New Zealand. They can be found in large water areas such as Louisiana, or in the Kerala Backwaters in India.

The Whole plant of Kulavazha is used for goiter, swelling and burning sensation.

Pic:Kerala

Himalayan Fleabane (Erigeron multiradiatus)

Flowers of Himalaya

Himalayan Fleabane (Erigeron multiradiatus)

Botanical name: Erigeron multiradiatus 

Family: Asteraceae (Sunflower family)

Erigeron is a genus of about 200 species - The most widely used common name, fleabane, is shared with related plants in several other genera. Himalayan fleabane is a beautiful perennial with erect hairy stem upto 12-30 cm, and aster-like flowers. Leaves can be inversely ovate or lance-like, pointed or blunt, entire or coarsely toothed. Flower-heads vary in size 1.5-5 cm across, solitary or clustered, long stalked. "Petals" or ray florets are dark purple, long thread like, spreading. The central disk is yellow.

Pic: Uttarakhand, INDIA (September 15) 2009