Showing posts with label Sikkim Flora. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sikkim Flora. Show all posts

Thursday 21 September 2023

Lilium longiflorum ( Easter lily) - Sikkim Flora

Dogeythang Primary School

The Easter lily, scientifically known as Lilium longiflorum, belongs to the Liliales order and the Liliaceae family. It's a lovely white flower native to Japan, known for its pleasant fragrance and trumpet-shaped blooms. The plant can reach heights of up to 1 meter (3 feet) and typically blooms in late spring to early summer.

It has long, lance-shaped leaves and prefers well-drained soil and partial sunlight. The Easter lily is often associated with the Easter holiday and is widely used in floral arrangements and garden landscaping.

Monday 30 September 2019

Anthogonium gracile ( Slender Anthogonium) - Sikkim Flora




Scientific classification

Kingdom:       Plantae
Order:             Asparagales
Family:           Orchidaceae
Genus:            Anthogonium
Species:           A. gracile

Binomial name: Anthogonium gracile Wall. ex Lindl. (1836).

Other Names:  Slender Anthogonium, Anthogonium griffithii, Anthogonium corydaloides

Special feature: Anthogonium is a genus of orchids. At the present time (May 2014), only one species is recognized, i.e., Anthogonium gracile found in India, Assam, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Guangxi, Guizhou, Tibet, and Yunnan.(Source: Wikipedia)

Slender Anthogonium is a deciduous, miniature to medium sized terrestrial orchid found in eastern Himalayas in semi-deciduous and deciduous dry lowland forests. The plants have ovoid pseudobulbs carrying 1-3, deciduous, stalked, narrowly lance-shaped leaves. The plant blooms in fall season on an erect, slender, very long (up to 45 cm), branched or simple, raceme with 10-12 flowers that do not open well. The flowers are pink-purple in color and a strongly remind of Corydalis.


Flower Identified by: Mita Aich
                                    Ask IDs of Indian Plants ( Facebook Page)

Friday 27 September 2019

Senna Alata (candle bush) - Sikkim Flora



Sakyong Chisopani JHS (12.09.22)


Scientific classification

Kingdom:       Plantae
Order:            Fabales
Family:           Fabaceae
Genus:            Senna
Species:           S. Alata

Binomial name : Kalanchoe blossfeldiana Poelln.

Other Names:  Cassia alata, Emperor's candlesticks, candle bush, candelabra bush, Christmas candles, empress candle plant, ringworm shrub

Special feature: S. alata is native to most of the Neotropics (from Mexico and the West Indies to Paraguay), and can be found in diverse habitats. In the tropics, it grows up to an altitude of 1,200 metres (3,900 ft). It is an invasive species in Austronesia.
The shrub stands 3–4 metres (9.8–13.1 ft) tall, with leaves 50–80 centimetres (20–31 in) long. The leaves close in the dark. The inflorescence looks like a yellow candle. The fruit, shaped like a straight pod, is up to 25 cm long. Its seeds are distributed by water or animals. The seed pods are nearly straight, dark brown or nearly black, about 15 centimetres (5.9 in) long, and 15 millimetres (0.59 in) wide. On both sides of the pods is a wing that runs the length of the pod. Pods contain 50 to 60 flattened, triangular seeds.
Senna alata (also known as Cassia alata) is often called the ringworm bush because of its very effective fungicidal properties, for treating ringworm and other fungal infections of the skin. The leaves are ground in a mortar to obtain a kind of "green cotton wool". This is mixed with the same amount of vegetable oil and rubbed on the affected area two or three times a day. A fresh preparation is made every day. Its active ingredients include yellow chrysophanic acid.

Its laxative effect, due to its anthraquinone content, is also well-proven. Senna alata is locally known as akapulko in the Philippines where it is used as both an ornamental and medicinal plant due to its laxative, purgative and anti-fungal properties. In Sri Lanka, known as Ath-thora, it is used as an ingredient in Sinhala traditional medicine.  (Source: Wikipedia)

Friday 13 September 2019

Christmas kalanchoe (Kalanchoe blossfeldiana) – Sikkim Flora





Scientific classification

Kingdom:       Plantae
Order:            Saxifragales
Family:           Crassulaceae
Genus:            Kalanchoe
Species:          K. blossfeldiana

Binomial name : Kalanchoe blossfeldiana Poelln.

Other Names:  Flaming Katy, Christmas kalanchoe and Madagascar widow's-thrill

Special feature: Kalanchoe blossfeldiana is a herbaceous and commonly cultivated house plant of the genus Kalanchoe native to Madagascar.

Kalanchoe blossfeldiana is a glabrous, bushy, evergreen and perennial succulent plant which (in 2–5 years) can reach an ultimate height of between 30–45 cm (12-18 in.) and an ultimate spread of between 10–50 cm (4-20 in.). K. blossfeldiana has a round habit and a moderate plant density; its growth rate has been described as 'slow'. The plant has green, shiny and textured glossy foliage which stays green all year round. The scallop-edged and ovate leaves are arranged in an opposite/subopposite fashion, are simple in type with crenate margins and an oblong shape. The arrangement of the veins in a leaf (venation) can be absent or very hard to see; the leaf blades are 5–10 cm (2-4 in.) long.

K. blossfeldiana flowers in late autumn to early winter; each flower has four petals and can be one of a wide variety of colours, from the dark reds and pinks to oranges, golds and whites. The ovary is tetracarpellary and apocarpous while stamens are four in number and are epipetalous. The inflorescences are born by peduncles which are higher up than the leaves and are terminal in nature. Parts of Kalanchoe blossfeldiana are poisonous if ingested.. (Source: Wikipedia)

Identified by: Debasis Chattopadhyay
                        Ask IDs of Indian Plants ( Facebook Page)

Tuesday 10 September 2019

Northern Bedstraw (Galium boreale) - Sikkim Flora



Scientific classification
Kingdom:       Plantae
Order:            Gentianales
Family:           Rubiaceae
Genus:            Galium
Species:          G. boreale

Binomial name: Galium boreale L. 1753

Other Names:  Northern bedstraw

Special feature: G. boreale is a perennial plant that dies back to the ground every winter. Established plants spread by rhizomes, creating colonies of new plants around the original one

The squarish unbranched stems may grow between 20 centimetres (7.9 in) and 50 centimetres (20 in) tall. The leaves are attached directly to the stem in groups of four; spaced evenly like the spokes of a wheel. Leaves are longer than they are wide and have three prominent veins.

The small white flowers grow in fairly showy panicles from the top of the stem. Each individual flower has 4 pointed segments that fold back from a fused tube enclosing the stamens and pistil. The lightly perfumed flowers have no calyx. Seeds are formed in pairs in dark fruits that may be covered in short hairs.

Gallium boreale is edible, with a sweet smell and taste, and can be eaten as a wild salad green. (Source: Wikipedia)

Identified by: Debasis Chattopadhyay
                       Ask IDs of Indian Plants ( Facebook Page)