Flora of Bangladesh

Keora or Mangrove apple (S onneratia apetala , family: Lythraceae) is a medium-sized evergreen tree with aerial roots and drooping branches, attaining a height of 15 m. The bark of the mangrove tree is black and smooth. Needless to say, the leafy tree is salt tolerant. The fast growing tree is found through the tidal forests of Bangladesh, Myanmar and India.   Leaves are simple, 5-10 cm long and 2.5-5 cm wide, oblong-lanceolate, coriacous, shinny, tapering at the end, short-petioled. Flowers are greenish white, terminal, single to 3-5 flowers, petal-less, articled with cup-shaped sepal, divided into 4 parts; pedicel long; stamens numerous, style is very much projected from the flower. Flowering occurs from March-August. Fruit is big in size, round-shaped, crowned with persistent sepals. Surprisingly true, seeds germinate on the tree. In fact, the tree is located in the water or in waterside area. So she had to take this kind of act...

Konok-chapa or Golden Champak ( Ochna jabotapita , family: Ochnaceae) is one of the most beautiful flowering plants of Bangladesh. It occurs at Chittagong, Chittagong Hill Tracts, Cox's Bazar, Sylhet and Mymensingh. It is also found in Eastern India as well as Myanmar, Sri Lanka. It is planted as a garden plant in Bangladesh occasionally. Shinny leaves are alternate, 6-12 cm long, elliptic, sharply serrate. The vivid yellow-colored and fragrant flowers give a eternal impression to the passers-by.  The plant is used in menstrual disorder, asthma, constipation, epilepsy and other diseases. Digestive is made from it's bark. Leaves are used in wounds. Its roots are long, curved and twisted. For this reason those are used by the Santals (a tribal community) as an antidote to snake-bite. Fruit is a drupe, 6 mm long. Young fruit is light green in color. It turns to black when ripe. Seeds are easily germinated. Though the growth of the plant is very slow. The reddish sepals...