Flora of Bangladesh

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 ye l l o w is h w h ite 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.  T...

Shal or Sal ( Shorea robusta , family: Dipterocarpaceae) is a large and deciduous robust tree with straight trunk and few branches at the top, usually 20-40 m high. Wood is reddish brown. The tree is found in Gazipur, Tangail, Mymensingh, Dhaka, Dinajpur, Rongpur and Comilla in Bangladesh. Leaves are simple, alternate, glossy green, leathery, ovate-oblong with pointed apex, base rounded or cordate, 15-20 cm and 5-10 cm wide; petioles 2 cm. long. Flowers are very small, petals 5, yellowish orange, soft and hairy, borne on large panicle. Flowers blooms in March-April. Fruit is brown-colored nut with 5 unequal linear wings, 5-7 cm long. propagated by fresh seeds and also from newly grown seedlings those grown from the base of the tree. For this reason, Shal is also called Gojari. Shal is a commercial timber tree in Bangladesh. Its timber is robust and used as pole, boat, railway sleeper, furniture. Burning leaves produce a kind of aroma. So cigar can be made f...

Tal or   Asian palmyra palm   ( Borassus flabellifer , family: Arecaceae) is a tree with a stout, straight, unbranched cylindrical trunk having short internodes covered with leaf-scars and ending at the top in crown of large leaves closely packed together. The tall plant can attain the height of 25-30 m. Trunk can be 1 meter across. Its original home is South and Southeast Asia. It is found in rural areas, mainly on water-side and roadside in Bangladesh.                                          Common names:  Taal, Asian palmyra palm, Toddy palm. Inflorescence is large with many fruits, arranged in a closed spiral upon the axis. Male and female flowers grow separately.  Female plants yield fruits. Propagation is by seeds. Leaves are palmate with well-developed petiole. It is very slow growing plant and can live 100-150 years. Its trunk is used as p...