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Showing posts from February, 2022

Dhaiphul or Fire-flame bush, Woodfordia fruticosa

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Dhaiphul or Fire-flame bush ( Woodfordia fruticosa , family: Lythraceae) is a lare-sized decidous shrub with spreading and pendulous branches, attaining a height of 4 m. Bark is brownish, smooth. Young branches pubescent when young. The plant grows on rock in hilly evergreen forests of Chattogram and Chattogram Hill Tracts of Bangladesh. It covers a vast geographical area, found from tropical Africa to East Asia. Other names: Dainphul, Dhatriphul (Bang); Red bell bush (Eng); Parvati (Sans). Leaves are green, 5-7 cm long and 1.5-3 cm wide, ovate-lanceolate or lanceolate with curved and elongated apex, base rounded or cordate; opposite or subopposite, short-petioled or sessile. The lateral veins of blade unexpctedly merge before the edge. 3-16 reddish orange flowers in axillary cymes, short-peduncled, glandular-pubescent. Calyx 1.5 cm long, base campanulate, tube bright red. Sepals 5. Petals slightly longer than calyx-teeth. Flowering occurs at the end of winter to spring. Fruit is a ...

Muchokundo or Mapple-leaved bayur, Pterospermum acerifolium

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Muchokundo or Mapple-leaved bayur ( Pterospermum acerifolium , family: Sterculiaceae) is a large-sized evergreen tree with pubescent young shoots, rounded trunk and Mapple-like leaves, attaining a height of 30 m. Bark is grey, glabrous and soft. Wood is reddish. It is found in the forest of Chattogram and Chattogram Hill Tracts and Sylhet in Bangladesh. It is planted in parks, botanical gardens and beside avenue as an ornamental tree. The tall tree is indigenous to Indian subcontinent as well as some countries of Southeast Asia. Other names: Muskanda, Konokchapa (Bang); Dinnerplate tree, Bayur tree (Eng). Leaves are large, usually 12-20 cm long and 10-15 cm wide, multilobed or palmate, irregularly toothed, base cordate, upper part dark green and glabrous, bronzy and tomentose beneath, alternate; petiole pinkish, 5-15 cm long. Flowers are quite big, single or 2-3-flowered, fragrant and pure white, nocturnal; sepals 5, petals 5. Sepals are linear-lanceolate, rusty pubescent, thick, ref...

Bon-jam or Kak-jam, Syzygium fruticosum

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Bon-jam or Kak-jam ( Syzygium fruticosum , family: Myrtaceae) is a small or medium-sized tree with short trunk and glabrous all of its parts, attaining a height of 10 m. Bark is greyish brown. The tree looks a lot like Black plum,  Syzygium cumini but is small in size. The plant is native to Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, China and Thailand. It is found in village area, parks and gardens and forest margins in the country. Other local name: Buti-jam   Leaves are dark green with clear midrib and numerous lateral nerves, coriaceous, undulated, oblong-lanceolae, 6-12 cm long and 3-5 cm wide, apex acuminated, base rounded, petioled, opposite. Flowers are in cluster on cyme inflorescence, up to 8 cm long. Flowers are white, stamens numerous, tiny, sessile.  Fruit is a edible berry, globose, ellipsoid, 5-9 mm long. These are deep purple when ripe. Flowering occurs in summer (Apr-May). Fruit ripens in rainy season. The plant is propagated by seeds. Its fruits are frequently cons...