FALCONER'S THISTLE - Himalaya INDIA

FALCONER'S THISTLE

Giddh pwankhe

Botanical name: Cirsium falconeri

Family: Asteraceae (Sunflower family)

Falconer's Thistleis a very common spiny plant found in Western Himalayas. It was named for HughFalconer, 19th century Scottish doctor, geologist and botanist in India. It isa tall noticeable perennial herb, with the whole plant covered by white-creamspines. Stems are robust with narrow wings. Flower-heads are spherical, creamcolored, somewhat drooping, 7-8.5 cm across. Just below the flower-heads aredensely woolly bracts with long pale spines up to 2.5 cm. Leaves are linear,narrow tipped, with triangular toothed or lobed margins carrying pale spines.Leaf surface is also covered with spines. Falconer's Thistle is found ataltitudes of 2700-4300 in the Himalayas, from Pakistan to SE Tibet. Flowering:August-September.

Laurel Clock Vine

Laurel Clock Vine (white)

laurel-leaved clockvine, laurel-leaved thunbergia, purple allamanda

Botanical Name:Thunbergia laurifolia

Family:Acanthaceae (Ruelliafamily)

Synonyms: Thunbergia grandiflora var.laurifolia, Thunbergia harrisii

Laurel Clock Vine is a climber with ovate-oblong or nearly lanceolate entire to slightly toothed leaves. Leaves are obtuse or heart-shaped at base, long pointed, pinnately nerved, hairless, mostly 7-18 cm long and 2.5-6 cm wide, on stalks up to 6 cm long. Bracteoles are persistent, 4-5 cm long. Calyx is truncate.

Flowers are blue-violet to white, tube 3.5-4.5 cm long, limb 6-8 cm broad. Capsule is up to 1.5 cm wide, the beak to 3 cm long. Differs from Bengal Clock Vine mainly in the narrower, 3-7 cm wide, ovate to oblong, rarely lobed leaves which are frequently very coarsely toothed, long-pointed at the tip.