Flora of Bangladesh

Kularuki or Pouzolzia ( Pouzolzia zeylanica , family: Urticaceae) is a soft but erect herb with soft hairs, upright branches and creeping basal part, attaining a height of 30-40 cm. Stem is multiangled and soft green, sometimes reddish. It is found almost everywhere in Bangladesh. It can be seen in village thickets, waterside area, crop fields and fallow lands. Outside of the country the perennial plant is found in Southeast Asia to Australia. It has been introduced in Central America nowadays.   Other name: Graceful Pouzolz's Bush. Leaves are short-petioled, upper part alternate, but opposite in lower part; broadly ovate or elliptic ovate, 1-5 cm long, entire with acute apex, base rounded or cordate. Flowers are monoecieous, in axillary globose clusters, greenish white, glabrous or slightly pubescent. Flowering occurs in the rainy season. Fruit an achene, ovoid or elliptic, 2 mm long, shinning black. The plant is propagated by seeds and cuttings.  As an medicinal plan...

Shalu kocu or Shola kochu ( Alocasia fornicata , family: Araceae) is an erect perinnial herb with rhizome and stolon, attaining a height of 1 to 1.5 m. Stolon grows horizontally. Roots are whitish. It is found everywhere, specially in ditch and damp places in Bangladesh along with Pipul ( Piper longum ), Bhat ( Clerodendrum viscosum ), Asam lota, ( Mikania micrantha ) and other species of ferns. It is also found in South and Southeast Asia. All parts of the plant is eaten as vegetable in the country.  Leaves are broad, thin, triangular, pale but deep green, glabrous, shiny, 30-40 cm long, bottom part cut apart. Petiole is thick and almost as long as the total height of the plant, 40-45 cm. Like other members of the genus Alocasia, new leaves develop slowly from its wrapped state. New leaves are spectacular. Numerous small and yellow-colored flowers are clustered on spadix inflorescence, covered with eye-catching white-colored spathe. In the initial stage the inflorescence is full...

Chakunda or Sickle senna ( Senna tora , family: Caesalpiniaceae) is an annual erect herb with branches, attaining a height of 1-1.5 m. Stem is hairless, slender or angular. Though the upperside of the stem is smoothless and has linear marks and somewhat odorous. It is a common herb in Bangladesh, found beside road, in fallow land, cropfield and waterside area. Sometimes it is found standing in water also. It is also found in the countries of South and Southeast Asia. Other names: Kalkasham, Teraj, Eraj, Eraich, Gol eski, Choto kolkashundey (Though Senna sophera is also called by the same name by folks of the country). The leaves look a lot like Dadmordon ( Senna alata ) but much smaller in size. These are compound, leaflet 3 pairs at the end of long pinnae, last pair is larger than others. Leaflet is obovate, 2.5 -5 cm long and 1.5-2.5 cm wide with soft hairs, petioled, opposite. Flowers are yellow and borne in pair at leaf axil, 1.5 cm wide. Petals 5, sepals 5. Flowering occurs i...

Kalokeshi or False daisy ( Eclipta prostrata , family: Asteraceae) is an annual erect herb with soft and slender stem, with reddish and hairy stem. The plant does not reach a height of more than 70 cm. It is found beside the roads, in cropfields and fallow lands in Bangladesh. It is originated mainly in South America. Other names:  Keshoraj, Keshoti, Keshkala, Kalokeshori. Leaves are simple, dark green, hairy, linear-lanceolate with serrated edge and pointed tip, opposite. Flowers are unisexual, white, borne on head, at the end of long peduncle rising from leaf exil. Fruits are cypsela, single-seeded, indehiscent. Propagation is caused by seeds. Flowers and fruits can be seen together on the same plant and these are seen round the year.   The plant is good for hair care. It prevents balding and blackens hair. It is also used in cut or bruise. The children play cooking games with these fruits as fake Cauliflower. 

Bon tamak or Wild tobacco (N icotiana plumbaginifolia , family: Solanaceae) is an erect herb with branches attaining a height of 60-70 cm. There are many branches below rather than the top.  The p l ant grows here and there, specially in sugarcane, corn and sesame fields and on the village street as weed in Bangladesh. Leaves look like tobacco (nicotiana tabacum) but smaller than that. Leaves are green in color, ovate-oblong or lanceolate-oblong, 25-30 cm long, hairy, viscose. Flowers are white with light pink shade, corolla tubular, sepals 5, petals 5. Flower grows as single from lea f axil. Flower blooms round the year.  The fruits are covered with 10 permanent veins. Seeds are small, black in color, upper part wrinkled.  The hairy perennial plant is a medicinal one. Leaf, stem and seed are used in allergy, phlegm, asthma, rheumatism, worm and louse infection and eye disease.

Katabegun or Jongli tomato ( Solanum sisymbriifolium , family: Solanaceae) is an annual viscid and spiny herb native to South America and is currently distributed throughout the world. The viscid, hairy and spiny bush is found near water bodies, beside roads and fallow lands. The erect herb (about 1 meter tall) acts as an invasive weed in some parts of its range by out-competing local vegetation. Common names:  S ticky nightshade, Viscid nightshade, Wild tomato. Spiny leaves are ovate-lanceolate, 4-6 lobed, 40 cm long and 25 cm wide. The leaves are borne on petioles 1-6 cm long and are pubescent both above and below with stellate and glandular hairs. The 5-parted flowers are white, light blue, or mauve, about 3 cm in diameter, and are subtended by a hairy calyx 5-6 mm long.  Vivid red, succulent, globular berries are edible, almost tastes like tomatoes; 12-20 mm in diameter with pale yellow seeds 2.9-3.2 mm long. The plant is propagated by seeds. The fruit ...