Flora of Bangladesh

Khudi pana  or  Minute duckweed  ( Lemna perpusilla , family: Araceae) is a free floating aquatic herb with cylindrical root sheath, found in pond, beel-jheel, ditches, cannals as well as all stagnant water bodies in Bangladesh. The flowering plant can be found in almost all parts of the world except deserts and polar regions. Other name : Kuti pana The leaves or fronds are ovate-obovate, green in color, ‍slightly slippery, asymmetric, blunt or acute at the both ends, each has single root. It propagates through buds. Flowers of the perennial are not often seen. Spadix inflorescence consists of 2 male and 1 female flowers. Flowering occurs in summer. Fruit is asymmetric, ellipsoid. Seed has many longitudinal ribs.  It is used as poultry food. It is also a favorite food of fish. The interesting fact is, it keeps the water clean. The presence of this beautiful herb will enhance the beauty of the aquatic garden, no doubt. In many countries it is considered as weed o...

Hogla or Southern cattail ( Typha domingensis , family: Typhaceae) is a aquatic tall grass growing in cluster, attaining a height of 3 m. Stem is simple or terete. The perennial plant is found mostly in Sundarbans, as well as the southern districts in Bangladesh. There they can be seen standing in the water. Other names:  Chel-pata, Kaam, Tara. It is also found in riverside area, on the edge of cannals and other water bodies of the country. It is also found in India, Northern Africa and Southern Europe.  Leaves are beautiful, long, semicylindric, clustered at athe base.  Flowers are small, whitish brown, borne on spikelet inflorescence. Male and female flowers grow on separate inflorescence. Flowers bloom in summer. Fruits are long, chocolate-colored. When they mature, become divided. The plant is propagated by seeds and gland tubers. The plant is an economic crop. Mat, fence and roof thach are made of it. It is also used to cove...

Jhanjhi or Water thyme ( Hydrilla verticillata , Hydrocharitaceae) is many branched submerged herb with slender stem. The aquatic plant is treated as weed to paddy field in Bangladesh. It is found abundantly in river, haor, canal, beel-jheel and pond in the country.  Other Bangla names:  Kureli, Kanjal, Kerola, Chingri-dol, Kutkute jhanjhi. Leaves are green,  linear, sometimes having  reddish dots or dashes on them, .5-2 cm long, serrate, pointed apex, sessile. Male spathe axillary in one or all leaves of a whorl. Male flowers born in spathe in single.  Flowers can be seen floating in the water when released from the spathe; perianth reddish white. Female spathe with apex, shortly bidentate, perianth slender, long, tubular. Flowering occurs in winter. Fruit is echinate, smooth or soft. Seeds 2-6, ellipsoid, glabrous, dark brown. The plant is propagated by seeds. It is found in South and Southeast Asia, East Europe, Africa and Austr...

Panikola or Duck lettuce ( Ottelia alismoides, family: Hydrocharitaceae) is an annual submerged herb grows in the paddy fields and at the edge of water bodies. The short-stemmed aquatic plant prefers shallow water bodies and can survive in strong light. Its roots along with rhizome are ingrained in soil. It is found in the tropical and subtropical Asia, Africa and Australia. Other Bangla names              Ram korola, Kaobali, Torukola, Shyamkola, Kuchkolai, Jol-kolosh, Pani-kolosh, Jol-kola. Leaves grow up with the rise in water level. Size and shape of the leaves are different. They are usually oblong-cordate, slightly clear, fragile, edge undulate. The size of the petiole depends on the level of water too. It generally gets a length of 10-20 cm. Peduncle comes out from the rhizome.  The flower is covered with green spathes in early stage. Mature flower stands erectly on the water. Flower is white or light violet. S...

Maloncho or Alligator weed (A lternanthera philoxeroides , Amaranthaceae) is an aquatic or semi-aquatic perennial herb rooting at nodes. Stem is juicy, slender and hollow. So the plant can easily float on the water.  Other names: Heycha, Hechi-shak, Burma-shak, Bormi-shak. Though the floating plant is found everywhere in Bangladesh, surprisingly it is native to Brazil. In the far past it has been introduced to the subcontinent and Southeast Asia. Flowers are very small, white, on head inflorescence, petals 5. Peduncle is very long.  Leaves are green, slightly serrated, linear, elliptic-lanceolate, 3-8 cm long, opposite, acute at the end. Fruit an utricle, ovoid-orbicular or obcordate. Seed is inverse, lenticular, single-seeded. Flowering occurs in the rainy season. Propagation is caused by cutting or seeds. It grows in damp places, near pond and canal etc. Leaves are eaten as vegetables. It is energizing, emollient and reputed ...

Chondromala, Kumudini or Crested floating-heart ( Nymphoides cristatum , family: Menyanthaceae) is an aquatic flowering plant with long branches. The branches of the floating herb reach the surface of the water. Roots grow from nodes. Other names: Pan shiuli, Pan-shimli, Chandmala, Panjuli.  It is a common aquatic plant of Bangladesh and found throughout the country's beel-jheel, canal and pond along with Water spinach , Keshordam (Creeping water primrose), Bladderwort and Alligator weed . It is also found in India, China and some countries of Southeast Asia.     Leaves are simple, orbicular, deeply cordate, purplish at the edge, veins are green and spread like nets. The sepals is not adjacent to the petals, almost divided. Flowers are white with yellow centre, petals 5, adjacent, glabrous. Each lobe has a crest down the middle of each lobe. Fruit is a capsule, broadly ovoid, subglobose. Seeds 10-20, pale yellowish brown.