Onguli lota or Tiger's footprint, Ipomoea pes-tigridis

-

Onguli lota or Tiger's footprint (Ipomoea pes-tigridis, family: Convolvulaceae) is an annual hairy climber from Morning glory family with beautiful leaves and spectacular milk-white showy flowers. Its entire body is covered with light brown-colored erect and long but soft hairs. It prefers open daylight and sandy as well as mildy wet soil. It usually climbs up when it finds a support but also likes to creep on the ground. Its length is usually not more than 4 meters. The twining climber is found in cropfields, beside roads, on fallow lands in Bangladesh. It is also found throughout tropical and subtropical regions of Asia and Africa.

Other names: Languli lota, Baghpoda. 

Variations are seen in the size and shape of the leaves. These are minutely hairy, palmate, usually 5-7 lobes, but can be more than that; 5-10 cm wide, long-petioled. Midribs spread to each lobe arising from the center of the blade. The name of the plant 'Tiger's footprint' is given for this special shape of the leaves.

Flowers are in axillary head, showy and funnel-shaped like all the members of Morning glory family, 4-5 cm long and mouth 3-4 cm wide, white or pink-colored; corolla-tube lobes 5, but when counting the dividing lines, the number stands at 10. 

It blooms in the afternoon and continues throughout the night. When the morning sun appears the flower closes its mouth. Flowering occurs in autumn (Sept-Nov).

After thee seeds burst

Fruit is round capsule, brownish, glabrous, dehiscent. The plant is propagated by seeds. 

It is said that a whole garden can be richly decorated only with different types of Morning Glory. Onguli lota, the stunning beauty can also get a place in this garden. It is used in the treatment of rabies and dropsy. Roots are used as purgative.

Synonyms : Convolvuloides palmata, Convolvulus bryoniifolius, Convolvulus capitellatus, Convolvulus hepaticifolius, Convolvulus pes-tigridis, Ipomoea capitellata, Ipomoea hepaticifolia, Ipomoea tamnifolia, Ipomoea tigrina, Ipomoea tigripes, Neorthosis tigrina.

Comments

Post a Comment

Week Star

Makal or Mahakal, Trichosanthes tricuspidata

-
Image
Makal or Mahakal ( Trichosanthes tricuspidata , family: Cucurbitaceae) is a woody climber with tendril and branches, attaining a height of 10-12 m. The multiangular-branched plant climbs up very far by holding any tree in the forest. It is found in the hilly areas as well as plain forests and village thickets in Bangladesh. It is also found in Indian subcontinent, Australia and some countries of South and Southeast Asia.  According to ancient Sanskrit scriptures the other names of the plant are Bishala, Mohendro-baruni.  In the Himalayas it has been seen at an altitude of 5000 feet. There are many refferences to the fruit in Bangla and Sanskrit literature. Someone is very nice to look at but he/she is useless--writers usually jokingly give examples of this fruit. Its roots and attractive fruits are packed with medicinal properties.  The size and shape of leaves may vary. These are multilobed or trilobed, alternate, rough in both sides, 5-12 cm long, petioled, cor
Read more

Shachi or Sessile joyweed, Alternanthera sessilis

-
Image
Shachi or Sessile joyweed ( Alternanthera sessilis , family: Amaranthaceae) is a creeping sub-aquatic herb with many branches, attaining a height of 10-35 cm. The branches are formed in pairs from the nodes of the stems. Sometimes it lies on the ground by forming roots from the stem axil.  Other names:  Chanchi, Phul heicha, Haiccha, Shati shak.  Stem is glabrous and usally green but sometimes reddish. Young shoots are minutely hairy. The plant grows near water bodies, in fallow lands, on roadside, even on old wall. It is found everwhere in Bangladesh. It is also found in tropical and sub-tropical regions of the world. Leaves are green, sessile, elliptic-oblanceolate, opposite, 5-6 cm long and 2.5-3.5 cm wide, undulated and dented irregularly, tip rounded.  The inflorescence, round in shape and white in color arises from the leaf axil. These are much like Maloncho (Alligator weed) . Florets are sessile, petals 5. It blooms almost round the year. F
Read more

Tomal or Mountain persimmon, Diospyros cordifolia

-
Image
Tomal  or  Mountain persimmon  ( Diospyros cordifolia,  family: Ebenaceae) is a deciduous small to medium-sized tree with spreading branches and blackish bark, sometimes thorny. This beautiful tree is native to Malaysia, Myanmar, Australia and is introduced to Bangladesh and other subcontinent countries. Not yellow, but black is the ripe fruit! Leaves are simple green, glabrous, petioled, alternate, lanceolate-cordate 5-10 cm long and 2-4 cm wide.  Flowers are small, whitish, with 4 petals. January-February is the flowering time. Male and female flowers usually grow singly from leaf axil while the male ones bloom in cluster on cyme inflorescence.  Poisonous fruit is berry, round,  fleshy  2.5 cm across. Half-matured fruits are ye llow and they turn purplish black when fully ripe. Propagation of the plant is caused by seeds. As a medicinal plant diospyros cordifolia is used in the treatment of fever, pneumonia and diarrhoea. Stout thorns
Read more