Saturday, December 19, 2009

ചുവന്ന അരളി (red arali) Oleander


ചുവന്നഅരളി Oleander
(red arali)


Scientific name : Nerium indicum
Family :Apocyanaceae
Habitat :Perennial bush
Medicinal Uses : Tincture of bark is cathartic , emetic and febrifuge . Roots are made in to plaster and applied on wounds .


Oleander Hindi: Kaner कनेर • Manipuri: কবীৰৈ Kabirei • Tamil: அரளி Arali • Bengali: Raktakarabi 

Botanical name: Nerium oleander Family: Apocynaceae (oleander family)
Synonyms: Nerium indicum
Beautiful blossoms, of fragrant pink flowers in bunches, at the tip of branchlets rendering an eye-catching sight that is 'Oleander'. A native of India and the Mediterranean, it is now widely grown in tropical and subtropical gardens, parks, avenues, and is popular for its hue and fragrance. It rises up to 3 meters erect with its short branches and dark dusty green leathery narrow leaves, which grow in whorls. The are narrow lancelike, 5-21 cm long and 1-3.5 cm broad, and with an entire margin. The flowers grow in clusters at the end of each branch; they are white, pink or yellow, 2.5-5 cm diameter, with 5 petals fringed at the base. They are often, but not always, sweetly scented. The fruit is a long narrow capsule 5-23 cm long, which splits open at maturity to release numerous downy seeds. The plants are almost free from pests and diseases and untouched by cattle and goats, due to their toxicity. In India they are thus the most favoured plants for the road dividers, where a plant has to withstand heat and dust, and little water. 

There are single and double forms in white, pink and red. Several other cultivars have been developed - once example is a popular variety called 'Petit Salmon' which is a dwarf that grows to only 4 ft (1.2 m).

WATER LILIE ആമ്പല്‍ Tropical Water Lily

blue WATER LILIE

ആമ്പല്‍
Tropical Water Lily

Botanical name: Nymphaea 'Panama Pacific'
Family: Nymphaeaceae


is a name for a family of flowering plants. Members of this family are commonly called water lilies and live in freshwater areas in temperate and tropical climates around the world. The family contains 8 genera. There are about 70 species of water lilies around the world. The genus Nymphaea contains about 35 species across the Northern Hemisphere. The genus Victoria contains two species of giant water lilies and can be found in South America. Water lilies are rooted in soil in bodies of water, with leaves and flowers floating on the water surface. The leaves are round, with a radial notch in Nymphaea and Nuphar, but fully circular in Victoria. Water lilies are divided into two main categories: hardy and tropical. Hardy water lilies bloom only during the day, but tropical water lilies can bloom either during the day or at night, and are the only group to contain blue-flowered plants. Water lilies can be fragrant, such as Nymphaea odorata.


ping Tropical Water Lily

They are very common in India, and easy to grow. This beautiful cultivar has 4.5-6 inch deep violet purple to wine red flowers, cup-like shape changing to stellate and very sweet fragrance. Very free flowering, can be uses in a tub, small, medium or large water gardens.