Telshur or White thingan, Hopea odorata

-
Telshur or White thingan (Hopea odorata, family: Dipterocarpaceae) is a large semi-deciduous tree with straight trumk, usually 25-30 m high. Telshur is a good timber tree of forest, found in Chittagong, Chittagong Hill Tracts and Sylhet. The tree is native to South and Southeast Asia.


Flowers are small, fragrant, greyish white on terminal uniperous raceme. 


Leaves are oblong-lanceolate with heavy and undulated margin on weak stalk; 7-10 cm long and 3-4 cm wide.


This beautiful vigorous tree has been everywhere in Bangladesh along the roadside as a shade tree. Fruit is nut, two-winged, 4 cm long. 


The tree is important for timber, suitable for building construction. Its bark exudes tannin, which can be used for tanning leathers. Resin can be extracted from the tree.

Comments

Post a Comment

Week Star

Parul or Fragrant padri tree, Stereospermum chelonoides

-
Image
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
Read more

Guloncho, Heart-leaved moonseed, Tinospora cordifolia

-
Image
Guloncho or Heart-leaved moonseed ( Tinospora cordifolia , family: Menispermaceae) is a deciduous creeper with hard and long stem, climbing other trees or fences. Bark on the stem is as thin as paper. Aerial roots come out of the stem when the plant grows older. The plant is found everywhere in Bangladesh except southern part. It is also native to South and Southeast Asia.  Common names: Heart-leaved moonseed, Guduchi, Giloy, Guloncho, Guroncho, Padma guloncho. Leaves are simple, green, alternate, cordate, 6-15 cm long and 5-13 cm wide.  Inflorescence, growing from the axil of leaflet branches, bears yellow flowers. Male and female flowers bloom separately. Sepals 6, arranged in two rows, petal 6, pistils 3. Fruit is a drupe, brilliant red when ripe. This attractive fruit is inedible to human.                                                            What an extensive climber! Tinospora cordifolia is used in weakness, tastelessness, rheumatis
Read more

Jarul, Giant crepe-myrtle, Lagerstroemia speciosa

-
Image
Jarul or Giant crepe-myrtle   ( Lagerstroemia speciosa , family: Lythraceae) is a medium-sized deciduous tree with upright branches and grey bark. It can get a height of 15-20 m. The tree is native to South & Southeast Asia.  The water-loving plant is found around the wetlands areas in Bangladesh.  Common names: Giant crape-myrtle, Pride of India. Leaves are green, entire, elliptical or lanceolate, 10-20 cm long and 4-8 cm wide.  Fowers are in raceme inflorescences, showy, purple in color. Flower 5-7 cm across, have 5 petals with numerous stamens in the middle. It  gives flower early  in the  summer.  The round to oval-shaped fruit is  2-3 cm in diameter. When mature it becomes very dry and splits in 6 pieces.  Propagation of the plant is caused by seeds. Parrot loves its fruits very much! The leaf and bark are laxative stimulant. The decoction made from these can prevent fever. The plant is water tolerating, so it is suitable for m
Read more