Flora of Bangladesh

Cha or Tea  ( camellia sinensis , family: theaceae)   is a one of the most cash crops in Bangladesh. It is a bushy shrub or small tree with profuse branches. A kind of energetic and tasty drink is prepared from its young leaves and it is one of the most popular hot drinks of the world.  In its natural habitat it can get a height of 3-4 m. For the purpose of collection of young leaves it is kept at a height of 1-2 meters by pruning. East Asia is the original home of the plant. The drink is so popular that nowadays it is cultivated throughout the tropical or subtropical world. Leaves are dark green, 3-14 cm long, pale beneath, leathery, ovate, edge serrated.  Flowers are whitish, sweet-scented. Petals 4 and arranged in several layers, cluster of yellow-colored stamens in the middle of flower. Flower blooms in late autumn (November-December). The fruit is almost round. Propagation of the plant is caused by cutting and seed. Its a lon...

Kakrol or Spiny gourd ( Momordica dioica, family: Cucurbitaceae) is a perennial, dioecious, climbing creeper, originated from Indo-Malayan region and gradually found in East Asia, Polynesia, tropical Africa and South America. Common names: Kakrol, Spiny gourd, Teasel gourd, Bristly Balsam Pear, prickly carolaho. The yellowish and oval-shaped fruits have soft prickle. Seeds are egg-shaped, emarginate.    Leaves are petioled, 4-8 cm long and 3-6 cm wide, broadly ovate, base cordate, margin denticulate, apex acute. Flowers are single, axillary, whitish, yellow at the centre.  Momordica dioica is used as a vegetable in Bangladesh, India, as well as South Asian countries.  The climber has tuberous roots and simple tendrils. It is used in the treatment of  hypertension, diabetes and   to relieve pain.