Chitki, Roast potato plant, Phyllanthus reticulatus

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Chitki or Roast potato plant (Phyllanthus reticulatus, family: Euphorbiaceae) is a erect, dense and deciduous shrub with many branches, attaining a height of 3-4 m. The plant is found in Tropical Africa, Southeast Asia, and Australia.


Common names: Chitki, Chhitki, Panjuli, Pankushi, Potato plant, Roast potato plant.


 Leaves are small, elliptic, round at the base,; alternate, 2-5 cm long.


The flowers appear in April-May before or with the leaves. They are very small greenish-yellow with a reddish tinge, 3 cm long, clustered on the tips of short slender branches. One female flower appears among a group of male flowers in a cluster


6 to many-seeded fruit is small, flat round, violet or red-purplish when ripe. As a wild fruit village children eat these tasty berry and color their mouths purple frequently. 


Its leaves are stomachic. Bark and leaves are used as uretic and antidote to fever. It grows in fallow land, on the bank of ditches, ponds and deserted lands in Bangladesh. Propagation of the plant is caused by seeds.

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Makal or Mahakal, Trichosanthes tricuspidata

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Makal or Mahakal ( Trichosanthes tricuspidata , family: Cucurbitaceae) is a woody climber with tendril and branches, attaining a height of 10-12 m. The multiangular-branched plant climbs up very far by holding any tree in the forest. It is found in the hilly areas as well as plain forests and village thickets in Bangladesh. It is also found in Indian subcontinent, Australia and some countries of South and Southeast Asia.  According to ancient Sanskrit scriptures the other names of the plant are Bishala, Mohendro-baruni.  In the Himalayas it has been seen at an altitude of 5000 feet. There are many refferences to the fruit in Bangla and Sanskrit literature. Someone is very nice to look at but he/she is useless--writers usually jokingly give examples of this fruit. Its roots and attractive fruits are packed with medicinal properties.  The size and shape of leaves may vary. These are multilobed or trilobed, alternate, rough in both sides, 5-12 cm long, petioled, cor
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Parul or Fragrant padri tree, Stereospermum chelonoides

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Parul or Fragrant padri tree ( Stereospermum chelonoides , family: Bignoniaceae) is a medium or large-sized deciduous tree with branches, attaining a height of 25 m. Young shoots are pubescent. Bark is grey.  About this flower, a kind of literary madness has been found for a long period of time among the Bengalees. Although it is mentioned numerous times in Bangla literature, the tree is quite difficult to find in Bangladesh.  The great news is, 5 of its trees are found in the courtyard of Bangladesh Security Printing Press School in Gajipur. India is the original home of the plant. Leaves are compound, 60 cm long; leaflets are entire, 5-11, deep green, glabrous, petioled, elliptic-oblong, 10-15 cm long and 3-6 cm wide, apex acuminate. Flowers are sweet-scented, purplish, yellow at center, campunulate, 3-5 cm long, curved at the base and bronze in color, on terminal panicle; corolla tubular with short petals, petals 5. Flower buds are black and deep p
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Guloncho, Heart-leaved moonseed, Tinospora cordifolia

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