Flora of Bangladesh

Porosh-pipulor Tulip tree (thespesia populnea, family: malvaceae) is a medium-sized evergreen tree, attaining a height of 5-10 m with nice dense canopy. Bark is rough and grey in color. As an ornamental plant it can be planted beside roads. 

In fact it is one of the most beautiful trees of the Indian subcontinent. It is found in the coastal areas in Bangladesh as well as in Africa, tropical Asia, throughout India and Pacific Islands.

Other names: Porosh, Pakor, Pipul, Bolu (Bangla), Portia tree, Umbrella tree.

Leaves are deep green, simple, cordate, 15-18 cm long and 10-15 cm wide, alternate, petiole 4-10 cm long, upside is smooth, grey and fibrous beneath. 

Flowers are beautiful, big-sized, bell-shaped, solitary or in pair, about 8 cm across, pale yellow. Sepals 5, petals 5. 




Flowering occurs mainly in the summer, though flowers can be seen throughout the year. The flower is short-lived, that remain fresh just for one day and turns pink while fading. 




Fruit is a capsule, 2.5-3 cm across…

Braziler Paat or Brazil jute (malachra capitata, family: malvaceae) is a useful tropical erect herb or undershrub with hairy body. Stem is slender and reddish. The leaves have also reddish marks at the edge. It can get a height of up to 2 m. The annual (or perennial) is found throughout the tropical regions of the world.
Other name: Bon vingdi.

The size and shape of the leaves may vary. It can be orbicular to suborbicular or ovate, many-lobed, cordate at base, blunt or acute at tip, edge serrated, alternate, 6-16 cm in diameter; long-petioled, almost the half of the length of leaf. Both sides of the leaf is hairy. The petiole is not directly connected to the blade but connected by creating angles to the bottom. 

Flowers usually in axillary heads, often also in terminal heads. Each head contains 2-5 bright yellow-colored flowers with white eye. There are 3-4 leafy bracts surrounding the flowers. Short-petioled flowers are cupular, 5-petaled. Petals are 2-3 times larger than sepals. Fru…

Kachchhara or Ceylon hydrolea (hydrolea zeylanica, family: hydrophyllaceae) is a trailing or semi-erect annual herb with branches. It can get a length of 30-40 cm. By the roots, produced from nodes, it survives on the ground. The branches are reddish and tomentose. 

Despite its beautiful flowers, it is still not popular among the gardeners of Bangladesh.

Other Banglaname: Ishanguli. 
Short-petioled leaves are simple, lanceolate, entire. Showy flowers borne in terminal or axillary inflorescence, subsessile. Petals 5, sepals 5, stamens 5. Sepals are lanceolate, pubescent, persistent. Flowering occurs in late autumn to winter (Oct-Jan). 

Fruit is a capsule, thin, transparent, globose, many-seeded. Propagation is caused by seeds. 

The plant is often used as fodder. The leaves have antiseptic properties that are used in wounds. The leaves are also used to the treatment of ulcer.

It is found in shallow water and ditches and as an weed in crop field throughout the country. The plant is also f…

Bain or Indian mangrove (avicennia officinalis, family: verbenaceae) is a medium-sized evergreen tree of Mangrove forest with breathing roots. It can get a height of 7-25 m. Young trees are usually bushy-natured and get a large crown. 

Bark is thin and smooth, pale green in color. It is mainly found on the riverbank and near the sea area of Sundarbans as well as the coasts and islands of South and Southeast Asia. The tree can be identified from a distance by seeing the abundance of fruits.  

Other names: Kala bain, Baen, Bani, Bol bain, Bina, Telia bain, Sagarodbhutah (Sanskrit). 

Leaves are thick, simple, entire, petiolate, ovoid-lanceolate, rounded at the end, 8-10 cm long and 3-4 cm wide, opposite, upper-part shiny green, yellowish brown beneath. Midrib is clearly seen, veins are unclear though. 


Flowers borne in terminal inflorescence. They are bisexual, very small in size, yellow-orange, pungent. Petals 4, unequal, ovoid; stamen 4. Flowering occurs in the summer. Fruit is a capsu…

Chondromala, Kumudini or Crested floating-heart (nymphoides cristatum, family: menyanthaceae) is a aquatic flowering plant with long branches. The branches of the floating herb reach the surface of the water. Roots grow from nodes. 

It is a common aquatic plant of Bangladesh and found throughout the country's beel-jheel, canal and pond along with Water spinach, Keshordam (Creeping water primrose), Bladderwort and Alligator weed. It is also found in India, China and some countries of Southeast Asia.
Leaves are simple, orbicular, deeply cordate, purplish at the edge, veins are green and spread like nets.

The sepals is not adjacent to the petals, almost divided. Flowers are white with yellow centre, petals 5, adjacent, glabrous. Each lobe has a crest down the middle of each lobe.

Fruit is a capsule, broadly ovoid, subglobose. Seeds 10-20, pale yellowish brown.

Asor-gota (microcos paniculata, family: tiliaceae) is a  small to medium-sized tree, sometimes shrubby in nature, with many branches. In Bangladesh it is found in the wilderness, specially in the hilly forest regions.

Other Bangla names: Potka, Pichundi, Asor, Fottas, Datoi.

Leaves are dark green (new leaves are shinny bronze) with conspicuous veins and midrib, alternate, short-petioled, oblong-lanceolate, slightly serrate, 10-20 cm long and 6-10 cm wide, apex acute.

Flowers are small, yellowish white, long-peduncled, sepals 5, petals 5, clustered on terminal panicle. Flowers bloom in summer to autumn.

Fruit is a berry, small, 1 cm in diameter, smooth, blackish. Flowers and fruits can be seen at a time on the tree. Propagation of the plant is caused by seeds.

Flowers and leaves are used in cough, indigestion and skin diseases. Village children play with its fruits as the bullet of Bamboo-made toy gun.

Nilkanthi or Blue Snakeweed (stachytarpheta urticifolia, family: verbenaceae) is a semi-erect herb with branches. Stem is quadrangular and slightly woody. It can get a height of 2 m. In Bangladesh it is found in Chittagong Hill Tracts and greater Sylhet area. The beautiful flowering plant has not yet become popular in the country.

The propagation of the perennial plant is caused by seeds. Due to its dazzling purple or bluish flowers the plant is very popular throughout the tropical regions of the world. 

Serrated-leaves are shinny green, simple, opposite, elliptic, 4-7 cm long, 2-5 cm wide, sessile. Midrib and veins clearly visible.

Flowers are very attractive, scented, purple in color with white mark in the centre, sepals 5, petals 5, borne on very long terminal inflorescence, quite curved, looks like snake tail or rat tail. Flowering occurs in the rainy season. Fruit is a capsule, oblong, blackish.


It has some medicinal values. In Bangladesh different parts of the plant is used in …