Scientific name: Euphorbia hirta

Asthma weed, common spurge, cats hair is a slender-stemmed, annual hairy plant with many branches, growing up to 40 cms tall, reddish or purplish in color. Leaves are opposite, elliptic-oblong to oblong-lancelike, 1-2.5 cm long, blotched with purple in the middle, toothed at the edge. Flowers, purplish to greenish in color, dense, axillary, short-stalked clusters or crowded cymes, about 1 mm in length. Capsules are broadly ovoid, hairy, three-angled, about 1.5 cm. Asthma weed has traditionally been used in Asia to treat bronchitic asthma and laryngeal spasm, though in modern herbalism it is more used in the treatment of intestinal amoebic dysentery. This was a curious little plant to me during my childhood, as it produced the milky white sap. The plant is very common in the entire South Indian region. This photograph was taken on 29th September, 2011 just outside the lab where i am working.

My little pretty ...

Scientific name: Nymphoides indica

Water Snowflake is a pretty, fast-growing, perennial water plant. A blooming colony looks like snow-flakes on water. The leaves are rounded and floating on water. The flowers are delicate white and with yellow centres. The petals have unusual, feathery edges. The flowers are formed above the floating leaves with 2-4 cm long stalks. It gets its common name, of floating hearts because of the heart-shaped, bright green leaves which lie on the water surface like those of water lilies. Although they bear some resemblance to water lilies, they are not related. New plants are formed all the time where the floating stolons (above-ground, modified stems) form tufted plantlets along their lengths. The mother plant has a short, thick stem which is rooted in the mud at the bottom of the pond. This photographs was taken from a pond in my native place. After many years when i returned to the pond, to my surprise this has bloomed wonderfully, as if it is for me. My daughter was so thrilled to come with me to the brink of the pond and she even helped me to get into the pond to snap this shot. It was photographed on the memorable day the 12th October, 2011.

Joyfully ...

Scientific name: Michelia champaca

The joy perfume tree is native to South East Asia. the fragrance of the flowers is very typical and is used in perfume industry. This flowers is offered to gods in religious customs in India. Women and girls love to wear it on the hair. This is an evergreen tree growing luxuriously, which grows upto a height of 20 m. The bark is light grey to brown. The petals are loosely arranged around a staminal disc. The yellowish orange flowers attract birds and ever there is a poem in Kannada which states that the koel which comes and sings by sitting on the branches of this tree is because the tree and flower has mesmarised the koel! I took this photograph on 20th January, 2012 near my house in Mysore. In America, Champa flower is used to make one of the most expensive perfumes - Joy!!

Cool smile ....

Scientific name: Monochoria hastifolia

These are aquatic perennial plants growing from 30 to 60 cm. Stems are long and robust. Radical leaves with sheath broadened at base, leaf blade triangular or triangular-ovate. Small blue flowers are at the tip of flowering stems, which are erect. Inflorescences erect or suberect, remaining so after anthesis, subumbellate to shortly racemose. I took this while i was in my native place on 23rd December 2011, from a damp pit, where clear water was seeping and overflowing the ditch in my own piece of land where coconut are planted. This plant is extensively used in Ayurvedic medicinal preparations and has found a significant place in the poetic imaginations.

Again and again ...

Scientific name: Merremia tuberosa

Merremia tuberosa is a climbing vine that is native to Mexico and parts of central America that has become invasive on various Pacific islands and parts of the United States. The vine overgrows tall hardwood forest canopies and smothers native trees and shrubs. It is a long, climbing vine. Its leaves are simple and the blades are circular in outline, 6-16 cm long and wide, the base is cordate, and margins are palmately 5-7 lobed almost to the base. Its stems are basally woody, perennial, twining, and glabrous. Flowers usually occur in clusters and fully bloom in sunlight and close under cloudy conditions and in the dark. The corolla is yellow, glabrous, funnelform, contortiplicate, enclosed by the sepals in bud. When in full bloom, it is a delightful sight. It is very aggressive invader and crawls over the surrounding plants or structures. I had noticed this plant while going to my native place during Ocober 2011 near the Mysore airport, opposite to a pond. On my return, i reached one day evening to have look at it but all the flowers have folded. Then i went after two days about 7.30 am, when it has not opened its eyes at all. Then i went there around 1.30, but the flowers have started wilting. Finally i could get beautiful blooming photographs on 27th November, 2011 at around 11.30 am, on my 4th attempt!

Holding high ...

Scientific name: Combretum constrictum

Sweetly for you ...

Scientific name: Lathyrus odoratus

The sweat peas are wonderful plants suited for a good healthy garden which needs a little attention and support. Quite common and favourite with old timers, who cherish the fine scent and simple beauty of this flower. This is an annual plant easy to start from seed. When trained up the supports of a porch or the railings of a deck, where their perfume will be best appreciated. The sweet-smelling flowers come in a wide range of colors and are the main feature of this climbing plant. The vine grows 6 to 9 feet tall, with dwarf types reaching 8-20 inches. Sweet peas are also suitable for baskets, tubs and spillover plantings, and make excellent cut flowers. They produce an abundance of flowers that can be used as cut flowers while leaving enough on the vine to keep it highly decorative. A lot of cultivars are selected for the beauty of their flowers. I took this photograph on 24th January 2012 from Lalbagh, Bangalore during the annual Republic day flower show!