Flora of Bangladesh

Krishnachura or Royal poinciana (Delonix regia, family: Fabaceae) is a large deciduous ornamental tree with spreading crownn. It is one of the most spectacular flowering trees in the tropicular world. When the blooming begins, a miraculous beauty is reflected throughout the tree. 
Other names:  Peacock flower tree, Flamboyant, Flame of the forest, Flame tree.

It is planted in gardens and parks and beside the roads and highways. In fact, it is planted everywhere in Bangladesh. Its original home is Madagascar. It entered in Asia in the 19th century, perhaps through Christian missionary. In India, it is called 'Gulmohar' (Golden seal).

Leaves are beautiful. Those are bipinnate, large, about 1 m long, pinnae 11-18 pairs, leaflets up to 20, tiny, 1 cm long.

Flower arise in broad erect clusters at the end of the leafless branches. Sepals 5, petals 5, orange-red in color, except the other one which bears yellow or white stripes. It blooms in the summer (April), sometimes flowering con…

Kodbel or Elephant wood apple (Feronia limonia, family: Rutaceae) is medium-sized fruit-giving tree with straight trunk and numerous branches. Bark is dark grey. It has straight spines in axil. Some parts of the tree are quite fragrant--leaves, ripe fruits, seeds etc. The tree is planted as ornamental one in parks and gardens nowadays in Bangladesh. It is planted in the country as a homestead tree too.
Other Bangla names: Koyetbel, Chirpaki.

Leaflet is small, 5-7, and 3-4 cm wide, opposite, cuneate or obovate. Leaves are scented.  

Flowers are good-looking, showy. Those are reddish; calyx 5-lobbed, triangular; petals ovate. Male and female flowers can be seen in the same panicle. Flower blooms in March-April. 

Fruit is round, greenish white or yellowish white at a glance, 8-10 cm in diameter. Skin is very hard but fragile. The pulp is fleshy and soft. Raw pulp is light brown, ripe is deep chocholate or yelowish brown. 



The ripe fruit is quite aromatic. It tastes sour with the mixture of…

Bhui dumur (Ficus heterophylla var. assamica, family: Moraceae) is a creeping or erect scandent fig with with pubescent branches and harsh-textured leaves. The water-loving plant is found in riverside area, beside the pond, khal-beel & jheels in Bangladesh. It is also found in South and Southeast Asia.  

The leaves are beautiful, appear in different forms; multilobed or orbicular to lanceolate or ovate, 10-15 cm long, very rough, apex acuminated; margin dented. Petioles very long, 12-15 cm long.

Flowers remain inside the fruit. Fruit is a fig, axillary, ovate, pubescent, 2-3 cm long, ripe fruits are dark orange and smooth. Fruit ripes in May-June.  

The juice of leaves and roots are used as local medicine in Indian subcontinent.

Ashwagandha or Winter cherry (Withania somnifera, family: Solanaceae) is an erect and almost branchless or terete herb, reaching a height of 1-1.5 m. It is a herb of high quality medicinal properties. Root is long and goes deep in soil. The plant is mainly originated in Mediterranean region. As a medicinal plant it can be found in any herb garden of Bangladesh. 

Leaves are green, elliptic-ovate, curved, keel, 5-10 long & 2-5 cm wide; tip sub-acte to acute; margin undulate. 

Flowers are axillary, small, campanulate, greenish, lobes 5-6.

Fruit is berry, small; green when raw and yellow or red when ripe. Fruit is covered with inflated callyx, which is papery, granular, chinese lantern-like. When dry it get dark brown color. Like many other members of Solanaceae family, its fruit also produces numerous seeds. 

Flowering and fruiting occurs in September to December. The plant is propagated by seed.

It is favored for its herbal quality. It is used in physical and nervous weakness, insom…

Shotomuli or Shatawari (Asparagus racemosus, family: Asparagaceae) Is a perennial creeping shrub with numerous branches. The spectacular bushy and extensive shrub is thorny. Sometimes thorne is about 1-3 cm long. It can extend far beyond by holding something. The plant has a large number of whitish tubers. For this reason in Bangla, it is called as Shotomuli (the plant of numerous roots).  

Other names: Bohumula, Keshika, Shoto-netrika, Tejbolli, Modhura, Climbing asparagus (Eng).
It is a renowned herbal plant of Indian subcontinent. This is much appreciated in ancient Ayurveda. It is found mainly in the Sal forest of Modhupur and the Swamp forest of Ratargul, Sylhet in Bangladesh. It is also found in India and Sri Lanka.

Leaves are bright green, linear, those are called cladophyll. Cladophyll is leaf-like tiny branches. During the winter all its leaves fall off.

Raceme inflorescence bears many small and whitish flowers. Petals 5. Flowering occurs in autumn.  Fruits are pea-like, red, …

Lungichor or Running Mountain Grass (Oplismenus compositus, family: Poaceae) is a perennial grass with spectacular leaves and inflorescence, attaining a height of 20-120 cm. It trails on ground by growing roots from the hairy nodes. 

It is found in the tropical and subtropical regions of Asia, Africa, South America and Australia. It is found in shady and damp places of forest in Bangladesh.

Leaves are green, hairy, lanceolate-ovate, 3-12 cm long, pointed apex, sessile, undulate.

Flowering occurs in the autumn to late autumn. Raceme inflorescence 10-25 cm long. Lower florets are barren, Upper florets bisexual. Fruits are linear, tiny. When spikelets become dry, they try to touch passing animals and this way they complete the  propagation.

The leaves of the plant are beautiful. So it can be planted in gardens, parks and road islands. Gohur is the another Bangla name of the plant.

Kajuput or Weeping paperbark (Melaleuca leucadendra, family: Myrtaceae) is a medium-sized evergreen tree with narrow and drooping branches, up to 30 m. in height. Bark is thick and white and it has papery scales all over its body. It relieves papery scales all the year round. The beautiful tree is native to Malaysia, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea & Australia. The exotic tree is planted in Parks and botanical gardens in Bangladesh.  

Leaves are linear, lanceolate, light green, 10-15 cm long & 1-2 cm wide.

Flowers are borne in spike florescence, florets are small, sessile, creamy white, 8-15 cm long. Flowers bloom in June-July.



Fruit is capsule with thin skin. Seeds numerous. 


The flowers and fruits are very much like a Bottlebrush. Propagation is by seeds and cuttings. It is difficult to collect seedlings from the sown seeds; it probably needs the help of a special fungus.

Its bark's juice is used as germicide. Oil made from it used in rheumatism, toothache, stomach disorder, …