Lota futki or Balloon plant, Cardiospermum halicacabum

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Lota futki or Balloon plant (Cardiospermum halicacabum, family: Sapindaceae) a large creeper with wiry stems, climbing other trees with tendrils, sometimes completely covering the host. The climber is native to tropical and subtropical Africa and Asia. The plant grows on fallow land as weed in Bangladesh.  

   
Common names: Kanfutki, kopalfutki, Noafutki, Futka (Bangla), Balloon vine, Love in a puff (English).
Leaves are compound, ternate, lanceolate, lobed or serrated, 4-8 cm long.


Flowering and budding occurs round the year. Flowers are very small, greenish white.


Fruit is triangular, 1.5-4 cm wide, hairy and black when ripe. Calyx develop into the coat of fruit. These are 3-seeded. Each seed have a heart-shaped mark at the top.                                                                                                                     
 The love-seeds!

It is used in rheumatism, constipation, urinary and menstrual disorder. 

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Guloncho, Heart-leaved moonseed, Tinospora cordifolia

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Guloncho or Heart-leaved moonseed ( Tinospora cordifolia , family: Menispermaceae) is a deciduous creeper with hard and long stem, climbing other trees or fences. Bark on the stem is as thin as paper. Aerial roots come out of the stem when the plant grows older. The plant is found everywhere in Bangladesh except southern part. It is also native to South and Southeast Asia.  Common names: Heart-leaved moonseed, Guduchi, Giloy, Guloncho, Guroncho, Padma guloncho. Leaves are simple, green, alternate, cordate, 6-15 cm long and 5-13 cm wide.  Inflorescence, growing from the axil of leaflet branches, bears yellow flowers. Male and female flowers bloom separately. Sepals 6, arranged in two rows, petal 6, pistils 3. Fruit is a drupe, brilliant red when ripe. This attractive fruit is inedible to human.                                        ...
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