Broussonetia papyrifera

Broussonetia papyrifera is a medium size, evergreen tree. It is commonly known as Paper Mulberry. It belongs to Moraceae family.

Broussonetia papyrifera fruit

These trees are unisexual; that is a male tree bears only male inflorescence and a female tree bears only female inflorescence. In Pune in Maharashtra they are planted as avenue trees in many places. The leaves of this tree are used as fodder for cattle.

Male inflorescence

Female inflorescence

Leaf

Bixa orellana

Bixa orellana, commonly known as Anetto,  Achiote or Annatto is a small tree. It is native to South America. In Marathi it is called as Shendri. This tree produces pods containing many seeds. The seeds are covered with deep red coloured powder. This powder can be used for colouring food. In this era of synthetic edible colours, it is not much used. However, in olden days it was being used to colour butter and other foods.

Bixa orellana pods

In many gardens it is grown as a decorative plant, due to its beautiful pink flowers & dazzling red pods. Though it is a tree, by regular trimming, it can be maintained to desired shape and size. This tree can be propagated with seeds or stem cuttings.

Bixa orellana flower

There is a white flowering variety of Bixa; but it does not produce any coloured powder on its seeds.

Bixa orellana white variety

Bixa orellana white variety

Bixa orellana white variety

The plunder of Phoenix palms (Phoenix sylvestris) in Maharashtra

The Wild Date Palm (Phoenix sylvestris), commonly known as Shindi and Khajuri in Marathi, is very slow growing palm. As such no nurseries in India propagate these palms because of this. However, the palm is popular because many landscape architects and designers advise their clients to include these in the landscape.

Since self propagated date palms are not available in any nurseries, unscrupulous contractors uproot them from their natural habitat and sell them to the nurseries. These palms are just uprooted without any scientific method. This causes very high mortality in these uprooted palms. Nurserymen plant them in big polythene bags but most die due to the shock. So to cover their losses, nurserymen sell them at exorbitant prices. Each palm with around 4 feet high trunk costs not less than Rs.30000/-. Nurseries are meant to nurture plants and to spread green awareness; but their greed does exact opposite. They are plundering the nature.

Hundreds of these palms are killed in this process. State of Maharashtra boasts that it is the first state in India that promulgated the law to protect the trees. This act prohibits anyone from causing death of any tree by any action, such as, trimming/chopping severely, cutting etc. Even replanting of the trees is not permissible without prior consent of the "Tree Authority". But this act of plundering is conveniently ignored by Tree Authority; and it is an open secret why they do so.


Each of the images below is from a different nursery in Pune district.

Dying Wild date palms in a nursery

Dead palms in a nursery

Dead palms in a nursery

Heap of dead palms outside a nursery

Some very attractive insects

Slug moth caterpillar (Limacodidae spp.)

This is a very attractive caterpillar of a moth. The caterpillars move as if gliding on the surface, rather than walking; hence the common name.

Body of this caterpillar is armed with stinging bristles. The sting of these bristle is very painful. Their cocoons are egg-like white with hard shells.

Limacodidae spp.

Carpenter bee (Xylocopa latipes)

The other day I saw some carpenter bees making burrows for nests. There were several of these burrowing dry bamboos for housing. Carpenter bees are very helpful in pollinating flowers. Though these are capable of boring in to wood, they are very gentle in collecting pollens from flowers.

A myth is that while collecting pollens from lotus flowers they get so much engrossed in the work, that they get trapped in lotus flowers when it closes in the evening. This mighty bee, which can bore through wood, could easily bore out of the closed lotus flower. But it remains trapped in it till next morning, when the flower re-opens. What a nice poetic thought. Though the males are supposed to be harmless, the females can give a sting. But normally they are quite docile & do not sting unless handled. Their steel-blue colour is very dazzling. What a beautiful insect!

Xylocopa latipes

Calothyrza margaritifera

A few years ago I was very lucky to see this most beautiful insect, Calothyrza margaritifera on a farm in Vavoshi (a small village about 10km from Khopoli, where I visit as a Horticultural Consultant). When I saw it, it was resting on a hanging planter. I ran to bring my camera from my room; but on my way back some gardener approached me with certain urgent problem. As such I completely forgot photographing it. After about an hour I remembered the beetle; but was sure that by this time, it must have vanished. But to my great surprise, I still found it in the same place.

Its scientific name was found by my son-in-law, Col. Ashwin Baindur. He also informed me that this species is very rare in Konkan area, and it was a wonder that I could find it.

Calothyrza margaritifera

Orange Blister beetle (Mylabris pustulata)

This large and attractive beetle feeds on flowers of many species. The beetle is capable of spraying certain chemicals, which cause blisters on the skin. In its larval stage, it feeds mainly on smaller insects like aphids.

Mylabris pustulata

Manicoba rubber tree (Manihot glaziovii)

Manicoba Rubber tree is a medium size,fast growing deciduous tree. It is also known as Ceara rubber tree. It belongs to Euphorbiaceae family. It is closely related to Manihot esculenta, of which root tubers are used as a staple food mainly in Kerala in India.

Manihot glaziovii tree

It is native to the neotropics, between Arizona and Argentina. It is a drought resistant tree. In winter it is leafless. But otherwise it is an attractive tree with dense foliage. By regular trimming, one can shape it to desired size and shape.Its leaves are palmate. The wood is brittle. As the tree matures, its stem looks brownish with rough, horney surface. Paper thin skin peels off in many places. Flowers are greenish-white in colour. It is a Monoicous tree, meaning bearing male (staminate) and female (pistillate) flowers on the same tree. The fruit is a capsule of about 2cm in diameter. Matured fruit explode and the seeds are scattered far and wide. Seeds are glossy with black, brown and white splashes. This plant can be propagated with seeds or stem cuttings. Its latex is reported to have insecticidal and anti-fungal properties.

Manihot glaziovii leaves

Manihot glaziovii flowers

Manihot glaziovii capsule

Manihot glaziovii seeds

I always wondered why Manihot glaziovii 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. See it yourself in the video.

Now I understand that it has been used to make Ceará rubber, named after the Brazilian state of Ceará from where it was grown and shipped.

Air Potato (Dioscorea bulbifera)

Air potato  (Dioscorea bulbifera), also known as Vine potato, is a true Yam. In Sanskrit, air potato is named as Varahi, while in Marathi it is called as Karanda and in Malayalam it is Kaachil. It is a large perennial vine with underground tubers which are edible. As monsoon ends, the vine starts withering and, around November, it goes dormant. In April the underground tubers start new growth again. Its heart shaped leaves are quite attractive. The stems are fluted and as they grow, they look as if they are twisted.

Dioscorea bulbifera vine

Root tubers

This climber has bulbils that grow in leaf axils of the vine and are called as 'Air potato'. These bulbils are also edible. When cooked, they taste somewhat like potatoes; hence the common name. These climbers which are found growing naturally in Konkan region of Maharashtra, India are very dark brown in colour and their skin is covered with many wart-like rough protuberances. There is a variety with bulbils which are very bitter.

Fluted and twisted stem with bulbil growing from the leaf axil.

Bulbils from Konkan region.

On my visit to Nainital. In Uttarakhand, India, I saw a vegetable vendor selling bulbils looking almost like potatoes. These had hardly any wart-like outgrowth on them. I have succeeded in growing them in the Konkan area. Here they grow a bit darker than the original ones, which may be due to climate, but the taste has not changed.

Bulbils from Nainital

Inflorescence of this climber is pendant with clusters of tiny flowers. The fruit is a capsule.

Inflorescence

Capsule of Dioscorea bulbifera

Konkan Krishi Vidyapeeth has developed a variety which is very light coloured but has wart-like growth on them.

Dioscorea bulbifera var. developed by Konkan Krishi Vidyapeeth

This plant is native to India. It is propagated with bulbils collected in the previous year. The harvested bulbils must be stored in well ventilated bags. In plastic bags they get affected with fungus and would be useless for consumption or for propagation.

Cyclanthus bipartitus

Cyclanthus bipartitus, is a perennial plant, commonly known as ‘Split-leaf Cyclanthus’ and belongs to Cyclanthaceae family. Quite often it is misunderstood as a palm, due to its superficial similarity in appearance with some palms. It is native to tropical Latin America and West Indies.

Cyclanthus bipartitus as a pot plant

Cyclanthus bipartitus

The plant has underground stem from which tall stalked leaves emerge. The leaves are spilt in to two halves. Leaf blades are about 45 to 60 cm. long. Leaf stalks too are 45 to 60 cm long. In its native tropical situations it is reported that it grows up to 3 meters in height.

Cyclanthus bipartitus

The plant grows healthier in semi shade, rather than in full sunlight. The plant prefers humid atmosphere. Planting medium should be just moist all the time, but no over watering or stagnation of water. It is an ideal plant for indoor gardening. In Mumbai, India, I have grown these plants for many years but not once did they flower. The peculiar shaped flowers are supposed to be pleasantly scented.

Cyclanthus bipartitus fruit

Propagation is mainly by division of clumps. However, I have succeeded in propagating this plant from leaf cuttings. A single leaf with stalk trimmed to about 3 cm long and the leaf blades were trimmed to retain only about 15 cm length were planted in a sandy potting medium. I got almost 95% success in propagating this plant with leaf cuttings. A single leaf cutting is capable of producing multiple sprouts, which can be separated when they grow about 6 to 8 cm tall.

Cyclanthus bipartitus propagation with leaf cuttings. small arrows show new plantlets  growing

New plantlets ready for transplanting

Four plantlets propagated from a single leaf cutting

Leaf galls of Garuga pinnata

Many years ago, when on trek to Borivali National Park, I spotted these curious but drab looking flowers and fruit on a small tree. On closer observation, I knew that those were neither flowers nor the fruits, as they were growing on the leaves. My curiosity made me open one of the fruits and I found a tiny insect inside the gall. 

At that time being ignorant about such things, I referred to some books (no internet at that time) and came to know that the adult female of this insect lays eggs on the leaves of the tree. The tree was Garuga pinnata, commonly known as Kakad or Kuruk in Marathi. 

As the eggs hatch the larvae mine in the leaf blade and as they start sucking the sap of the leaf, the galls are formed and the insects gets trapped in the galls. On maturity of the insect, the gall splits open like a flower and the mature insects are set free to carry on reproduction of their own species.

Leaf galls of Garuga pinnata

Gall insect of Garuga pinnata

This gall insect is a psyllid (Order Hemiptera: Family Psyllidae), a plant louse, and may be the gall-making psyllid, Phacopteron lentiginosum Buckton which has been recorded as occurring on Garuga pinnata.

Recently I saw some galls on Ficus racemosa (called as Umbar, Guler, Audumbar in Marathi, Gujarati and Sanskrit) tree at Karnala Bird Sanctuary in Panvel, Maharashtra. After slicing open a gall I could photograph the gall causing insect. The highlighted yellow circle in the gall shows the tiny insect. The inset shows magnified image of the same.

Leaf galls & gall causing insect on Ficus racemosa

Flower of Suran or Elephant Foot (Amorphophallus commutatus) and fruit of Kakad (Garuga pinnata)

Wild Suran or Elephant Foot (Amorphophallus commutatus) is a jungle herb in which the flowers are edible. In some communities, Kakad fruits are cooked alongwith the wild Suran flowers to make a tasty vegetable dish. These fruits make the harmful throat irritating chemicals in the Suran flowers harmless.

Umbrella palm (Cyperus alternifolius)

Though commonly known as Umbrella palm, it is not a palm. It belongs to Cyperecae family. The plant has rhizome-like underground stems from which leaves arise. Leaves grow on a very tall stem and all the leaves are arranged densely in a whorl on end of  the stem.

Cyperus alternifolius growing by a stream

It is a bog plant but it can be grown like any other plant in a pot.It is propagated by division of clumps or keeping a leaf whorl floating in water. It a perennial plant is native to Madagascar.

Whorl of leaves in water shows platelets growing 

Oxalis hedysaroides 'Rubra'

Fire Fern and Red Oxalis are common names of a plant Oxalis hedysaroides 'Rubra' and belongs to Oxalidaceae family. Though commonly known as Fire Fern, this plant is not a fern. It is a small shrub with deep maroon-red and dense foliage. The plant has compound leaves. It is suitable as a pot plant for indoor gardening. The plant has cute yellow flowers.

Red Fern, Oxalis hedysaroides 'Rubra'  

What many people do not know is that this plant also is sensitive to touch. If touched by a finger, the leaflets droop down. However, the drooping action is not as pronounced as that of Touch-me-not plant. It is a perennial plant native to Caribbean. 

Flower of Oxalis hedysaroides 'Rubra'  

This plant needs humid atmosphere and semi shade. Neither can it tolerate dry soil, nor excess of water. Keep the soil just moist and the plant will respond with very vigorous growth.gardentia.net

Touch-me-not (Mimosa pudica)

All children in India know the Touch-me-not plant, "Mimosa pudica", of family Mimosaceae, which is sensitive to touch. If you touch the compound leaf, it folds and shuts. Only after a long time, will the leaves reopen.

Plant response to touch is referred to as 'Thigmonasty'. All the compound leaves and leaflets have specialised cells on the bases of the leaves/leaflets. These cells are balloon-like and contain a lot of water. The leaves and leaflets are balanced on these cells. If the leaves or leaflets are touched, water from these special cells disperses to adjoining cells. As these cells collapse due to loss of water, support to the leaves and leaflets is lost. This causes the leaves to droop down. 

Mimosa pudica pods and leaves

Mimosa pudica flower

Turmeric (Curcuma longa)

Turmeric, "Curcuma longa", family Zingiberaceae, is a herb with natural antiseptic properties and has many kinds of medicinal uses. Haladi, as it is known in India,  is native to our country. It is a perennial herb with rhizomes. Its leaves are used to impart a very pleasant aroma to Patoli, a kind of sweet, steamed pancake, often made in western India, as a sweet dish. 

Turmeric (Curcuma longa) plant
(with inflorescence)

Patoli, a traditional form of sweet pancake,
wrapped in turmeric leaves and steamed.
(Image credit : Ashwin Baindur)

The spice, Haladi, a yellow powder, that we use extensively in Indian cuisine, is actually an underground modified stem.  In scientific terms this modified stem is called as a rhizome.  This plant is propagated from the growing tips of rhizomes. 

Haladi rhizomes, freshly harvested.

Haladi plants occasionally produce quite attractive inflorescence.

Haladi can easily be grown in a pot. A pot of diameter about 25 cms will serve the purpose. In this pot, only 3 to 4 growing tips of the Haladi should be planted horizontally. After about 4 to 5 months, one can harvest a bounty of freshly grown Haladi leaves and rhizomes. 

The growing tips of Haladi rhizome indicated by arrows.

April end & up to 2nd week of May are best suited for planting Haladi. Planting at other times is unsuitable as the rhizomes are often dormant at that time. Cowdung manure and garden soil should be mixed in equal proportion as a planting medium. After monsoon the Haladi plant starts drying. All upper growth of the plant dries off completely; but the plant rhizome remains alive, in a dormant state.

Mango-ginger or Ambe Halad (Curcuma amada), and, ginger (Zingiber officinale) are related species and can also be grown in the same manner.

Rhizomes of Ambe halad or Curcuma amada
(Image credit : Vicharam, Wikimedia Commons)

Ambe halad or Curcuma amada plant
(Image credit : FRLHT)

Rhizome of Ginger (Zingiber officinale) 

Ginger plant (Image credit :
Obsidian Soul, Wikimedia Commons)