Author: Rimjhim

 Botanical name: Verbascum thapsus     

Family: Scrophulariaceae (Figwort family)

Great Mullein is a very distinctive plant, with an erect leafy stem with a slender woolly spike of many yellow flowers, and with inverted-lanceshaped pale yellowish-grey woolly leaves. Flower-spikes are 10-30 cm long, flowers 2-2.5 cm across, with a short flower-tube and 5 rounded spreading petals; stamens with woolly-hairy filaments; bracts woolly, longer than flowers. Upper leaves with base of blades continuing in a wing down stem, 5-15 cm, basal leaves stalked, up to 30 cm. The stem is unbranched, 1-2 m. Great Mullein is found in the Himalayas, from Afghanistan to SW China, and also Temperate Eurasia, at altitudes of 1800-4000 m. Flowering: May-September.

An old superstition existed that witches used lamps and candles provided with wicks of Mullein in their incantations, and another of the plant’s many names, ‘Hag’s Taper’, refers to this. Both in Europe and Asia the power of driving away evil spirits was ascribed to the Mullein. Being a sure safeguard against evil spirits and magic, and from the ancient classics, it was this plant which Ullysess took to protect himself against the wiles of Circe.

Medicinal uses: 

 Great Mullein has been used as an alternative medicine for centuries, and in many countries throughout the world, the value of Great Mullein as a proven medicinal herb is now backed by scientific evidence. Some valuable constituents contained in Mullein are Coumarin and Hesperidin, they exhibit many healing abilities. An infusion is taken internally in the treatment of a wide range of chest complaints and also to treat diarrhoea and bleeding of the lungs and bowels. Mullein oil is a very medicinal and valuable destroyer of disease germs. An infusion of the flowers in olive oil is used as earache drops, or as a local application in the treatment of piles and other mucous membrane inflammations

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Leontopodium nanum.

Asteraceae (Sunflower family)

Tiny Edelweiss is a stemless, densely tufted, woolly, perennial herb, 3-7 cm high, densely covered with brown scarious old leaf bases with rosettes of sterile leaves. Stolons are usually present, up to 10 cm long, bearing scattered modified scarious leaf blades. Leaves are spreading, linear lanceshaped, inverted-lanceshaped or spoon-shaped, woolly on both surfaces, 1.25-2.5 x 0.2-0.5 cm. Flower-heads are solitary or 3-5, stalkless amongst the leaves 7-13 mm in diameter predominantly female or male. Inflorescence bracts not forming a star-like structure, similar to the other leaves in size texture and indumentum. Phyllaries are 2-3 seriate, linear lanceolate, 4-6 mm long, margin and the apex of the phyllaries dark brown. Female florets filiform. Corolla c. 5 mm long, 4-lobed. Cypselas brownish sparsely covered with minute hairs, about 1 mm long. Pappus setae of the male florets thin, often totally barbellate; pappus of the female not being barbellate or dilated at the tip, 8-9 mm long. Tiny Edelweiss is found in Afghanistan, Pamir, Himalayas, Tibet, W China, at altitudes of 2300-4900 m. Flowering: July-October.

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Crocosmia x crocosmiiflora

Iridaceae (Iris family)

Crocosmias, commonly called montbretia, make dense clumps of upright iris-like foliage; in midsummer this makes a good background for the freesia-shaped sprays of flowers that are carried just above it. Plant belonging to the iris family, native to South Africa, with orange or reddish flowers on long stems. They are grown as ornamental pot plants. Plants 50–100 cm; 15–25 mm diameter. Stems usually 2–4-branched, often curving distally. Leaves 5–8, mostly basal, basal much larger than cauline; blade lanceolate, 8–20 mm wide.

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Chlorophytum comosum, usually called spider plant or common spider plant due to its spider-like look, also known as spider ivy, ribbon plant (a name it shares with Dracaena sanderiana), and hen and chickens is a species of evergreen perennial flowering plant of the family Asparagaceae. It is native to tropical and southern Africa, but has become naturalized in other parts of the world, including western Australia. Chlorophytum comosum is easy to grow as a houseplant because of its resilience, but it can be sensitive to the fluoride in tap water, which commonly gives it “burnt tips”. Variegated forms are the most popular.

Chlorophytum comosum grows to about 60 cm (24 in) tall, although as a hanging plant it can descend many feet. It has fleshy, tuberous roots, each about 5–10 cm (2–4 in) long. The long narrow leaves reach a length of 20–45 cm (8–18 in) and are around 6–25 millimetres (0.2–1.0 in) wide.

Flowers are produced in a long, branched inflorescence, which can reach a length of up to 75 cm (30 in) and eventually bends downward to meet the earth. Flowers initially occur in clusters of 1–6 at intervals along the stem (scape) of the inflorescence. Each cluster is at the base of a bract, which ranges from 2–8 cm (0.8–3.1 in) in length, becoming smaller toward the end of the inflorescence. Most of the flowers that are produced initially die off, so that relatively, the inflorescences are sparsely flowered.

Individual flowers are greenish-white, borne on stalks (pedicels) some 4–8 mm (0.2–0.3 in) long. Each flower has six triply veined tepals that are 6–9 mm (0.2–0.4 in) long and slightly hooded or boat-shaped at their tips. The stamens consist of a pollen-producing anther about 3.5 mm (0.1 in) long with a filament of similar length or slightly longer. The central style is 3–8 mm (0.1–0.3 in) long. Seeds are produced in a capsule, 3–8 mm (0.1–0.3 in) long, on stalks (pedicels) that lengthen to up to 12 mm (0.5 in).

The inflorescences carry plantlets at the tips of their branches, which eventually droop and touch the soil, developing adventitious roots. The stems (scapes) of the inflorescence are called “stolons” in some sources, but this term is more correctly used for stems that do not bear flowers and have roots at the nodes

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Strelitzia reginae

Strelitziaceae (bird-of-paradise family).

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The uniquely shaped flower of this exotic tropical perennial resembles a bird’s head, and due to it’s brilliant orange and blue colors and unique form, it resembles not just any bird but a bird-of-paradise! So not surprisely Strelitzia reginae is know as the bird-of-paradise flower. It’s other common name, crane flower, is another bow to its exotic avian shape. Fantastically handsome flowers aside, this is also a very attractive foliage plant. The paddle-shaped leathery leaves are about 8 inches long and 6 inches wide. Forming massive clumps 3 feet high bird-of-paradise lends a romatic tropical ambiance to the landscape.

Thermopsis barbata

Fabaceae

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This member of the pea family is about 10 inches tall with leaves that have three leaflets. The small rounded leaflets are covered with thick silver hairs. The short spikes of the pea-like flowers, in a most interesting color. The flower color is purple to chocolate-brown. It is found in the northern parts of Himachal Pradesh and Garhwal, on open slopes and high meadows, at altitudes of 3200-4500 m. Flowering: May-July.

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Blue Himalayan Anemone is a perennial herb which is very variable, with 2-5 cm buttercup flowers in colors white, blue or yellow. Flowers are borne on short spreading, tufted stems about 5-15 cm long. Flowers have 5-7 elliptic petals which are silky haired beneath. The plant has many softly hairy basal leaves, 2-5 cm across. Leaves are rounded in outline, deeply 3-lobed. The lobes are further lobed or cut. Leaves just below the flowers are about 2.5 cm, 3-lobed and stalkless. Blue Himalayan Anemone is commonly found in forests, shrubberies, open slopes and grazing grounds, at altitudes of 2100-4300 m. Flowering: May-July

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Trichosanthes cucumerina subsp. cucumerina    

Family: Cucurbitaceae (Pumpkin family)
Synonyms: Trichosanthes reniformis, Trichosanthes wightiana

Wild Snake Gourd is an annual, stout climber with 3-fid, finely velvet-hairy tendrils. Stem is slightly velvet-hairy. Leaves are round-kidney-shaped or broadly ovate, 7-10 cm long, 8-12 cm broad, 5-7-lobed, lobes pointed or blunt, finely toothed; leaf-stalk 2-7 cm long, velvet-hairy. Flowers are white, stalked; male flowers arise in racemes, flower-cluster-stalks paired, one 1-flowered, the other many flowered; female flowers solitary. Calyx-tube is broadened at tip, about 3 mm across, sepals minute. Petals are lanceshaped-oblong, with decorative lacy threadlike structures on the margin. Staminal filaments are about 2 mm long. Ovary is oblong, style 1.5-1.8 cm long. Fruits are ovoid-spindle-shaped, 5-6 cm long, 3.5-4 cm broad, pointed at both ends, white striped when young, red or orange when mature. Seeds ovate-oblong, 11-12 x 6-7 mm broad, enclosed within red pulp. Wild Snake Gourd is found in India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and parts of SE Asia. Flowering: June-October.

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