Cluster Fig Tree or Indian Fig Tree or Goolar (Ficus racemosa) : Morphology, Medicinal Uses and Ethnobotanical mythology - INDIAN FORESTRY

Ficus racemosa

SCIENTIFIC CLASSIFICATION
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Rosids
Order:	Rosales
Family:	Moraceae
Genus:	Ficus
Species:	F. racemosa

Mythology

In One of our Indian vedas (Atharva veda) Ficus racemosa has been given the prominence of acquiring success, prosperity and joy, also for devastating the enemies.
The tree is seen planted in all the places associated with Lord Duttatreya who is seen as an icon Rishi a sage who represents all the three of the TRINITY of hinduism-Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva,Creator,Preserver,and destroyer needed for each one to learn by unlearning the obsolete.this is the plan of evolution in analogy.
It has also been described in the story of Raja Harischandra of the Ikshvaku dynasty.
It's leaves plays an integral part in Havans.

  MORPHOLOGY        

Deciduous trees, to 30 m high; bole buttressed; bark 8-10 mm thick, surface reddish-brown or yellowish-brown smooth, coarsely flaky, fibrous; blaze creamy pink; latex milky; young shoots and twigs finely white hairy, soon glabrous; branchlets 1.5-3 mm thick, puberulous. Leaves simple, alternate, stipules 12-18 mm long, lanceolate, linear-lanceolate, pubescent, often persistent on young shoots; petiole 10-50 mm long, slender, grooved above, becoming brown scurfy; lamina 6-15 x 3.5-6 cm, ovate, obovate, elliptic-oblong, elliptic-lanceolate, elliptic-ovate or oblong-ovate, base acute, obtuse or cuneate, apex narrowed, blunt or acute, margin entire, membranous, glabrous, blistered appearance on drying; 3-ribbed from base, 4-8 pairs, slender, pinnate, prominent beneath, intercostae reticulate, obscure. Flowers unisexual; inflorescence a syconia, on short leafless branches or warty tubercles of trunk or on larger branches, subglobose to pyriform, smooth, often lenticellate-verrucose; peduncle 3-12 mm long, stout, orifice plane or slightly sunken, closed by 5-6 apical bracts; internal bristles none; basal bracts 3, 1-2 m long, ovate-triangular, obtuse, persistent; flowers of unisexual, 4 kinds; male flowers near the mouth of receptacles, in 2-3 rings, sessile, much compressed; tepals 3-4, dentate-lacerate, lobes jointed below, red, glabrous; stamens 2, exserted; filaments 1 mm, connate below; anthers oblong, parallel; female flowers sessile or very shortly stalked among gall flowers; tepals 3-4, dentate-lacerate, lobes jointed below, red, glabrous, ovary superior, sessile or substipitate, red spotted; style 2-3 mm long, glabrous, simple; stigma clavate; gall flowers long stalked; ovary dark red, rough; style short. Syconium 2.5 x 2 cm, orange, pink or dark crimson; achene granulate. 

 LEAF :-

Leaves arranged alternately on twigs. Young leaves are toothed. Figs grow directly on trunks or main branches.

leaf

 COMMON NAMES

ਗੂਲਰ ( Guular ) in Punjabi गूलर ( Guular ) in Hindi যজ্ঞ ডিমৰু (Jagna Dimaru) in Assamese ଡିମ୍ବିରି (Dimbiri) in Oriya/Odiya අටිටිකිකා (Attikka) in Sinhala ಅತ್ತಿ (atti) in Kannada మేడి పండు (Medi Pandu) Telugu மலையின் முனிவன் (Malaiyin munivan) in Tamil அத்தி (Aththi) Tamil അത്തി (Aththi) Malayalam. उंबर (Umbar) / औदुंबर (Audumbar) in Marathi. যজ্ঞডুমুর, জগডুমুর (Jogdumur) in Bengali डुम्री (Dumri) in Nepal
TRADITIONAL AND MEDICINAL USES Ficus racemosa (Moraceae) is a popular medicinal plant in India, which has long been used in Ayurveda, the ancient system of Indian medicine, for various diseases/disorders including diabetes, liver disorders, diarrhea, inflammatory conditions, hemorrhoids, respiratory, and urinary diseases. F. racemosa is pharmacologically studied for various activities including antidiabetic, antipyretic, anti-inflammatory, antitussive, hepatoprotective, and antimicrobial activities. A wide range of phytochemical constituents have been identified and isolated from various parts of F. racemosa.

matured bark

ETHNOBOTANICAL USE

Astringent lotion of bark can treat wounds inflicted by animal’s claw.

By Ashutosh Lohani.





 

Golden Sower Tree, Amaltaas (Cassia fistula) : Morphology, Ethnobotanical uses.

Cassia fistula

Also known as "The Golden-shower tree" and amaltās (अमलतास) in Hindi Language.

Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Rosids
Order:	Fabales
Family:	Fabaceae
Genus:	Cassia
Species:	C. fistula

New leaflets copper brown in colour, drooping. Leafless when flowers, Flowers fragrant, golden yellow, drooping in long clusters. Dark brown fruit long and cylindrical resembling drumstick.

Compound leaf

Propagation Techniques

Soak seeds in acid for 5min, followed by dipping in cowdung slurry for 24hrs.

Bean Pod

                           

Description:

This tree grows to 10 m. tall. Compound leaves made up of oval-pointed leaflets 12 to 28 centimeters long. Multiple bright yellow to orange-yellow flowers hang in clusters about 40 cm. long, although individual flower length is 2 to 4 cm. This tree produces a dark brown bean-pod 30-60 cm long filled with a sticky pulp and 40-100 hard brown seeds. Unlike the related rainbow shower tree, C. fistula sheds its leaves around the time it flowers in March.

   

MEDICINAL USES

There are many medicinal uses for C. fistula known from Asia. The flesh of the fruit is used as a laxative, while the bark can be used to treat skin infections. In India the strongly scented pulp is sometimes added to tobacco and smoked.

USES IN INDIA.

Bark extensively used for tanning and dyeing. Beautiful yellow cascading flower clusters. Also used for pooja, particularly during the Vishu festival in Kerala.

By - Ashutosh Lohani.

Photo credits - Alok Gupta

Haustoria (Cuscuta reflexa)

It is a parasitic plant produces special roots that penetrates the host's tissue plant and draws nutrients from it. Haustoria penetrate the host plant's cell wall and siphon {elongated cell found in plant} nutrients from the space between the cell wall and plasma membrane.

NOTE:- It does not penetrate the plant's cell membrane ITSELF.

• Fungi in its further division form haustoria.
• it takes several forms.
• After penetration on the host plant , fungus increases the surface area and when they come in contact with host plasma membrane it releases an enzyme which break down the cell wall, enabling greater potential movement of organic carbon from host to fungus. 

1. Functional exchange takes place within the haustorial complex.
2. The host supplies organic carbon to the fungus, and the metabolic activity within the complex is considerably greater than outside.
3. Carbon from the host is absorbed by the fungus, and transported to the rest of the thallus.
4. The host plant appears to be functioning according to signals from the fungus and the complex appears to be under the control of the invader.
5. The haustorium may be mycelium or root-shaped.

QUE:- Difference between Parasitic root i.e. haustoria and Mycorrhizae ?

Ans:-   Parasitic roots(Haustoria) - Adventitious roots from the nodes of these plants penetrate into the host tissue (via peg-like projections called haustoria) and enter into its conducting tissue (water-conducting and food-conducting) to acquire their nutrition.

Mycorrhizae - Fungus-roots or mycorrhizae are symbiotic associations between a fungus partner and roots of higher plants that benefits both the fungus and the root. The fungus facilitates the absorption of water and nutrients for the plant and the plant furnishes sugars and amino acids for the fungus.

By 
     Alok gupta

Lantana camara : Morphology ,Uses - INDIAN FORESTRY

Taxonomy
Lantana camara      
Scientific name              -           lantana
                                                    Camara
Higher classification     -          lantana
Rank                                -          Species

                   DISCRIPTION 

 LANTANA CAMARA is a low erect or subscandent , vigorous  shrub with stout recurved prickles  and a strong odour of blacks currents.
     
                   GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION
Lantana is present in many pactic island nation on Pacific rim it occurrs in Australia , Newzealand , China , Thailand  , Indonesia  and India.
   
                   DANGEROUS /POISONOUS
  Warning  pets have reportedly become ill after injesting lantana , the unripe berries are known to be very toxic and the foliage toxic to livestock.
            
                   MEDICINAL USES
LANTANA CAMARA leaves are boiled and applied for swelling and pain of the body. Its bark is astringent and used as a lotion in cutiginous eruption, leprous ulcers.

                     STATUS 

LANTANA  is listed as a category | invasive exotic specie by the Florida exotic pest plant council , which means that it is known to be invading disrupting native plant.

                     INDIGENOUS PRACTICES
Lantana camara is grown as hedge plant its stalks are used as raw material for paper pulp which used for wrapping , writing and printing paper.
 -
By M.S. Khan
Photo Credits - Ashutosh Lohani.

ENTOMOLOGY : Black tailed skimmer (Dragon fly) - Concise Study.

BLACK-TAILED SKIMMER (DRAGON FLY)

  

Scientific Name - Orthetrum cancellatum

CLASSIFICATION :-

KINGDOM - ANIMALIA

PHYLUM -    ARTHROPODA

CLASS     -     INSECTA

ORDER  -       ODONATA

FAMILY  -      LIBELLULIDAE 

The Black-tailed skimmer has an undoubtedly large splendour.

Shown above.Is an adult male.

With it's Characteristic Blue abdomen. Black tip,and transparent wings.

While female has yellow abdomen,black tip and transparent wings. females oviposits alone but with male in attendance and the Eggs are laid in flight by dipping abdomen onto water surface.The females hatch after 5 or 6 weeks and with the help of bottom debris,it's larvae remains partially hidden,and they mostly takes 2 to 3 years for the emergence. Also,

With age, The adult males extensively develop Blue puinescence on their abdomen.

DISTRIBUTION :   Orthetrum cancellatum (Dragon fly) is a widespread European species,But it also occurs from central Asia to the northern parts of China and Arunachal Pradesh in India. HABITAT : Orthetrum cancellatum is found mainly in the following areas :- 1. Marshy Areas 2. Ponds 3. Slow-rivers. and if you're lucky you may get an opportunity for sighting the female dragon fly,as it's said to be less confident and not as bold as it's male counter part.

- By Ashutosh Lohani Photo Credits - Alok Gupta.

Bamboos

It belongs to the family Poaceae. It has many species all over the world. Bamboos are one of the fastest growing plants in the world because of a rare rhizome-dependent system.

The tallest bamboo in the world is reported to be about 112ft tall.

Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Monocots
(unranked):	Commelinids
Order:	Poales
Family:	Poaceae
Subfamily:	Bambusoideae

The woody-xylem is absent.

thus,due to the absence of secondary growth,wood causes the stems to be column-like.

CHARACTERISTICS:-

1) When we deal with the study of group of BAMBOOS trees , we term it as "CLUMP". Clump means 'bunch'.

 Generally it has group of 4,5 BAMBOOS trees

Clump

2) when we deal with the study of an individual bamboo tree, than we term it as "CULM".

Culm

3) It has nodes. Between two nodes it has internodes i.e. the space between the 2 nodes is known as "internode".

Inter-node

Node

4) There is CULM sheath present in the nodes of bamboo trees.

Culm Sheath with a Blade on top.

 5) A Blade-like projection is also present above this culm sheath(see at the above image), This Blade like projection is known as "Culm-Blade"


6) This Culm-sheath also has "presence of hairs" on the dorsal side of the sheath.

MEDICINAL USES :-

It is used in INDIAN state of Assam, as a fermented paste for the treatment of menstrual pains,impotence,infertility.

It is also used for the treatment of infections and for healing,in Chineese medicine.

By

- Alok gupta

Morus alba (White Mulberry) : Morphology, Uses - INDIAN FORESTRY

Morus alba (White Mulberry)

 Belongs to the family Moraceae.
This is native to China. and Usually used in the practice of Sericulture.
Widely distributed across the world,it is commonly known as "White Mulberry"
and in INDIA, citizens name it as  शहतूत.

CHARACTERISTICS :-

 LEAF 

Leaf can be "lobed" i.e. presence of lobes, or "Un-lobed"i.e. complete.

Alternate

Simple

Roughly Orbicular in shape

Roughly smooth from above.

 

 

 

 

FLOWER

Species can be monoecious or dioecious. 

Male flowers are Narrow and LONGER than female flowers.

Whereas, female flowers are plump and shorter than male flowers.

 

BARK

Orange-Brown with lenticels (when young) becoming gray with long and narrow irregular ridges.

MEDICINAL USE

The leaves are taken internally in the treatment of :-

Sore throats

colds

eye infections

nose bleeds.

The stems is used in the treatment of High Blood Pressure,Chronic diseases in digestive tracts,Rheumatic pains.

The fruit has much significance in traditional Chinese medicine, which uses it to treat prematurely graying hair & also used to purify blood and treat constipation and diabetes in Chinese medicine.

By 

- Ashutosh Lohani.