Sesban tree

Sesbania grandiflora is small, fast growing and short-life tree. In India it is commonly known as Agast, Agasti, Agati, Hadaga. It belongs to Fabaceae family. There are two varieties of this tree; white flowering and red flowering. The red flowering variety is not very common.

White flower variety

White flower variety

Red flower variety

It is a most useful tree, because, leaves, flowers and tender pods of the tree can be used as vegetables. The tree has Nitrogen fixing nodules on its roots. It is pure symbiosis. The tree shelters certain bacteria and in return the bacteria provide the tree with Nitrogen, a major ingredient for its growth and health. This process is not only helpful for the tree but it also enriches the soil around the tree. The tree does not have very dense foliage; so it can be used to train certain climbers like Dioscorea, commonly known as Vine potatoes (edible Yam species). This tree can also be used for making trellis. For this purpose normally bamboo poles are used. Bamboo poles rot within a year or two. So in place of Bamboo, if we use these trees as live poles, not only a lot of cost saving is possible but ground soil too would get enriched by the bacteria in root nodules. I have been using these trees for such uses on the farms and gardens of my clients. The tree is easily propagated from seeds.

Though the tree is resistant to most diseases and insect pests, many seeds of the mature pods are bored by a caterpillar. Such seeds are useless for sowing.

Note: Tender pods are free of any pests; hence can be used safely as vegetable.

Leonotis nepetifolia, दीपमाळ (Temple Lamp post)

Many plants are given the names which appear to be most apt. One of them is Deepmaal (Temple Lamp post), दीपमाळ. In front of temples there are stone towers in which oil lamps used to glow in the evening. This दीपमाळ plant has globular flower heads that resemble these दीपमाळा. And most wonderful thing is that one can literally see the orange flame-like flowers peeping from these flower heads.

Leonotis nepetifolia

Leonotis nepetifolia

Leonotis nepetifolia

Leonotis nepetifolia

Leonotis nepetifolia

Leonotis nepetifolia seeds

Scientific name of this plant is Leonotis nepetifolia. The plant is native to tropical Africa. It is also believed to be native to south India; however, it might have been naturalized in India. It is an annual plant and starts flowering from monsoon to winter.

Aquatic Plants

Aquatic plants can be divided in four categories; namely: (a) Bog plants
(b) Anchored to sub-soil plants (c) Free floating plants. (d) Submersed plants.

Bog plants are those which grow in soil but need stagnant water near their roots all the time. Example: Acorus calamus (वेखंड), Cyperus alternifolius (Umbrella palm) and Typha angusta (रामबाण).

Acorus calamus

Acorus calamus variegated

Cypers alternifolius

Cyperus prolifer

Limnocharis flava

Sagittaria montevidensis

Sagittaria sagittifolia

Anchored to sub-soil plants are those of which roots are submersed in water but leaves/flowers grow on surface of water or outside water. Examples: Water lily, Lotus.

Nymphaea species

Free floating plants remain floating in water and can float away along with flowing water. Examples: Pistia stratiotes (Water cabbage), Lemna minor (Duck weed), Salvinia auriculata (Water ferns), Ludwigia sidioides (Water mosaic) and Azolla pinnata.

Water cabbage

Duck weed

Water mosaic

Submersed plants are those which grow entirely underwater. They are also called as aerating or oxygenating plants; because they replenish oxygen contents of water. Such plants are used in fish tanks. Examples: Vallisneria spiralis and Cabomba. 

Cabomba

Vallisneria spiralis

Hydrilla verticillata

Cyperus fan

The plant which we call as "Umbrella palm" is not at all a palm. Its botanical name is 'Cyperus alternifolius'. This particular plant has tall stems. All the leaves are clustered in a whorl in a spiral form at the end of each stem. The whorl of the leaves resembles a fan .The plant can be propagated by division. Keep a whorl of leaves, with only a small stub of stem attached to it floating in wide bowl of water. This too would produce new plantlets. This plant normally grows in slushy soils. But it can be grown as a pot plant too. By planting these near a pond or near a waterfall would give the landscape its natural look.

To make children more interested in nature one can show them various things which would kindle their curiosity. Making a fan of Cyperus leaves is very easy & would be of great interest not only for children but for people of all ages. Witness it in this post.

Manicoba Rubber Tree. Manihot glaziovii. Family: Euphorbiaceae

Manihot glaziovii is a fast growing medium size tree. In winter it is leafless. But otherwise it is a quite attractive tree. The tree can be shaped to desired size & shape by regular trimming. I had collected a few seeds from Lalbaug Gardens at Bengaluru. A tree from a seed is now growing at Go Green Nursery in Panvel. This plant is a close relative of Tapioca shrub.

I always wondered why this tree was called as 'Manicoba Rubber tree'. One day I found that some gum had oozed out of the trunk. When I saw it, it was dry. The dry blob of the gum was only about 3mm in diameter. When I pulled it, I got the answer why it is called as a rubber tree. Some fresh gum I also applied on a polyethylene sheet like a narrow band with a camel hair brush. When dry, the band was removed and was stretched at both the ends. See it yourself in the video.

Gustavia augusta

Gustavia augusta is an evergreen, slow growing tree of medium size. Large, deep green leaves are attractive and grow densely. Flowers are large and are pink coloured. It is native to South America. In some countries it is called as Heaven Lotus. This tree also belongs to family of Kailashpati कैलाशपती or Cannonball tree. Scientifically the family is called ‘Lecythidaceae’.

Gustavia augusta

Gustavia augusta

Gustavia augusta

Gustavia augusta

Gustavia augusta, white flower variety

The tree is propagated with seeds. The fruit is size of about chicken egg and contains as many as 10 to 16 seeds. Propagation is mainly with sowing seeds. Seeds take about 30 days to sprout. I also tried air layering. However, it took 5 years for the air layered branch to form roots.

Foilage of Gustavia augusta

Fruit

Seeds in a fruit

Seeds

A stem rooted 5 years after air layering

Gustavia insignis

This is a large shrub with slow growth. It is an evergreen shrub; which tends to grow more erect. Leaves of this plant grow on growing tips of the branches in a spirally whorled fashion.

Gustavia insignis

Gustavia insignis

Gustavia insignis

The leaves are quite attractive. Flowers are most beautiful, with blushing pink coloured petals. As they age they show some shades of purple.

Gustavia insignis foiliage

http://gardentia.net/2013/08/16/gustavia-insignis/

New buds peeping from foliage

Origin of this plant is South America. The plant bears fruit and can be propagated with seeds. However, I tried propagating it with root cuttings and I am happy to say that I have succeeded. A single root cutting can make 2 to 5 saplings. This shrub belongs to family of Kailashpati (कैलाशपती) or Cannonball tree. Scientifically the family is called 'Lecythidaceae'.

Hibiscus grafting

One of the gardeners in a nursery, where I visit as a horticultural consultant, was taught grafting by me. To test his skill, I asked him to do grafting on a hibiscus plant. I also told him that I will be video shooting the procedure. He was doing it for the first time. Normally a person doing such things in front of a teacher, and that too when one knows that video shooting is going on, the novice gets nervous; his hands shake. But see the gardener doing it so confidently. Passed with 100% marks.

Mating of Giant African land snails (Achatina fulica)

Today early morning I was lucky to video shoot mating of Giant African land snails. But I was also very disappointed that though I could watch the final act of retracting their individual sexual parts, I could not record it. The reason is that this love game was going on for more than 20 minutes (and I do not know when it had started). Most of the time the pair was in close embrace and only movement was that of their tentacles. Though I could record their mating, I did not continue shooting because I did not know how long it would continue. So I had switched off my camera and was waiting to see 'What next?'  Suddenly they started moving their tentacles very fast and before I could switch on my camera, they had already started retracting their sexual organs. After the act was over, they remained in embrace for about another 3 to 4 minutes and then got separated. Each moved in opposite direction. The funniest part, which I never knew was, that their sexual organs were near their heads; as if where their ears would have been, if they were humans. This made me think of Kunti of Mahabharat; who gave birth to her son Karna, through her ear.

Snails are bisexual animals. Each individual has both male and female organs. They are called as hermaphrodites and are capable of laying eggs without mating also. While mating one acts as a female and the other as a male. 

Their eggs are slightly larger than Sago (साबुदाना). Eggs are deposited normally in decomposing leaves or in moist soil. In a year a snail delivers about 6 clutches of eggs, each clutch numbering about 150 to 200 eggs. Eggs hatch in about 18 days. Snail hatchlings have no shells. They eat their own egg shells, which are rich in calcium. This helps them in forming new shells. In drought-like condition the snails enter the shell and seal it tight to retain body moisture. 

The Giant African snails, brought in India for certain research, somehow escaped from the labs and are causing severe damage to many plants and crops. They devour any vegetative growth that they find. They happily feed on spiny cactus plants also. They live for about 5 to 6 years and can grow up to 20 cm. long. Since they have no natural enemies, they multiply in thousands within very short time.  

Giant African land snail foraging a cactus