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Herbs & Plants

Pterospermum acerifolium

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Botanical name:Pterospermum acerifolium
Family: Malvaceae
Genus: Pterospermum
Species: P. acerifolium
Kingdom: Plantae
Order: Malvales

Common Name : Karnikara tree. The classification Pterospermum is based on two Greek words, Pteron and Sperma, meaning “winged seed.” There is an array of common names for Pterospermum acerifolium, depending on the region where it is grown. It is commonly referred to as Kanak Champa, Muchakunda or Karnikar Tree within its native range. Other common names include Bayur Tree, Maple-Leafed Bayur Tree, and Dinner Plate Tree.

Habitat :Pterospermum acerifolium is an angiosperm indigenous to Southeast Asia, from India to Burma.It is most likely to grow naturally along forested stream banks.

Description:
It is a relatively a large tree, growing up to thirty meters tall. Mostly planted as an ornamental or shade tree, the leaves, flowers, and wood of Pterospermum acerifolium can serve a variety functions.

The leaves of the Pterospermum acerifolium are palmately ribbed and have stipules. The leaves grow in an alternate insertion arrangement. Leaf shape can range from oblong, broadly obovate to ovate. Leaf edges are commonly dentate (toothed) or irregularly lobed. Many leaves tend to droop downward, giving the tree the appearance that it is wilting, when in fact it could have a sufficient amount of water available. The top side of the leaves is a dark green color with a glabrescent texture. The leaves are rough and rubbery to limit the loss of moisture in a hot climate. The bottom side of the leaves range from a silver to rust color and are pubescent. The bark of the tree is grey in color and is considered to be fairly soft. Small twigs and new growth can sometimes seem feathery and are commonly more of a rusty-brown color. Leaves have a peltate blade base, meaning the insertion of the petiole is at the center of the leaf.

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The  tree produces large, white, finger shaped flowers in the spring. Flowers begin as one long bud, then separating into five more slender sepals as it matures. Each sepal can be up to seven inches long. The sepals of the flower curl outward and around the white and gold stamen located at the center. The flowers are nocturnal and exceptionally fragrant, suggesting they attract moths for pollination. Successfully pollinated flowers produce a fruit in the form of a hard capsule. The fruit has a very rough texture and is sometimes covered in brown hairs. Fruits can take a very long time to completely mature; up to an entire year. The capsule then splits open releasing a massive number of “winged seeds.” Because it takes such a long period to reproduce, it seems the Bayur tree can be outcompeted by other faster growing plants. It is not widely distributed or common in natural environments, but is popular plant in gardens and landscaping.

Other Uses:
As mentioned before, one of the common names for Pterospermum acerifolium is the Dinner Plate Tree. The utilization of the leaves is exactly what the name depicts. Mature leaves are very large, reaching a length and width of up to thirty five centimeters. They can be used as actual dinner plates or as packaging and storage by wrapping materials inside.
The leaves can also serve as a primitive method of re-enforcing roofs and preventing leaks.

The reddish wood of the Pterospermum acerifolium can be used for planking. Because the wood is soft, it is not considered to be very strong. However it is incredibly durable and somewhat flexible, making it perfect for planking and wooden boxes. The Bayur Tree even serves a cultural function. Local Hindu people employ the plant for religious purposes. it’s bark is also supposed to be used in case of scabies topical preparation in lipstics.

Disclaimer : The information presented herein is intended for educational purposes only. Individual results may vary, and before using any supplement, it is always advisable to consult with your own health care provider

Resources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pterospermum_acerifolium
http://www.ask.com/wiki/Pterospermum_acerifolium?o=3986&qsrc=999

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Herbs & Plants

Callistemon rigidus

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Botanical nameCallistemon rigidus
Family: Myrtaceae
Genus: Callistemon
Species: C. rigidus
Kingdom: Plantae
Order: Myrtales

Common Name :Stiff Bottlebrush,Flowering Bottlebrush, Red Cluster Bottlebrush . In bengali :Bottlebrush  (botol  burush)

Habitat :It is native to tropical countries     It is endemic to the state of New South Wales in Australia.

Description:This spectacular, and unexpectedly hardy shrub, bears dense spikes of flamboyant red bottle-brush flowers that appear in late spring and early summer. Narrow, sharply pointed leaves adorn this dazzling shrub that is possibly the hardiest of all bottle brushes.

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It grows to between 2 and 3 metres in height and has a stiff, erect habit. The leaves are mostly 50 to 70 mm long and 3 to 4 mm wide. Red flower spikes with darker anthers are produced in summer. Flowers are Showy  and the  leaves have  Fragrant and  are Evergreen.

Medicinal Uses:
The essential oil from the leaves of Callistemon rigidus R. Br., a traditional Chinese medicinal plant, has been analyzed and found to contain thirteen compounds. The oil was predominantly 1, 8-cineole (89.9%).

From stem bark of Callistemon rigidus (Myrtaceae), piceatannol and scirpusin B were isolated as components that exhibit inhibitory effects on alpha-amylase activity in isolated mouse plasma. In particular, scirpusin B also inhibited alpha-amylase in mouse gastrointestinal tract. Thus, we expect the depressive effect on the elevation of postprandial blood glucose may be a new medicinal use of this compound as well as the plant itself.

Other Uses:
Architectural, city courtyard garden, coastal/seaside suitable, container plant, cottage informal garden, drought resistant, flowering shrub, low maintenance, mediterranean, mixed shrub border and fragrance.

Disclaimer : The information presented herein is intended for educational purposes only. Individual results may vary, and before using any supplement, it is always advisable to consult with your own health care provider

Resources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Callistemon_rigidus
http://www.plantdatabase.co.uk/Callistemon_rigidus
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10412905.1991.9697989
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16755033

Categories
Herbs & Plants

Clerodendrum infortunatum

Botanical name :Clerodendrum infortunatum
Family: Lamiaceae
Genus: ClerodendrumL.
Species: infortunatum
Kingdom: Plantae
Order: Lamiales
Species: infortunatum

Synonyms:  Clerodendrum viscosum Vent. and Volkameria infortunata Roxb

Common name : Hill glory bower

Bengali Name :Bhatphool,

Habitat :Clerodendrum infortunatum is native to tropical regions of Asia including India, Myanmar, Pakistan, Thailand and Sri Lanka.

Description :
C. infortunatum is a flowering shrub or small tree, and is so named because of its rather ugly leaf. The stem is eresct, 0.5–4 m high, with no branches and produce circular leaves with 6 inch diameter. Leaves are simple, opposite; both surfaces sparsely villous-pubes-cent, elliptic, broadly elliptic, ovate or elongate ovate, 3.5–20 cm wide, 6–25 cm long, dentate, inflorescence in terminal, peduncled, few-flow­ered cyme; flowers white with purplish pink or dull-purple throat, pubescent. Fruit berry, globose, turned bluish-black or black when ripe, enclosed in the red accrescent fruiting-calyx. The stem is hollow and the leaves are 6-8 inch (15–20 cm) long, borne in whorls of four on very short petioles. The inflorescence is huge, consisting of many tubular snow white flowers in a terminal cluster up to 2 ft (0.6 m) long. The tubes of the flowers are about 4 inch (10 cm) long and droop downward, and the expanded corollas are about 2 inch (5 cm) across. The fruits are attractive dark metallic blue drupes, about a half inch in diameter. Fruit usually with 4 dry nutlets and the seeds may be with or without endosperm. It flowers from April to August.

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Chemical constituents:
The major compounds are sterols, sugars, flavonoids and saponins. Novel crystalline compounds such as clerodolone, clerodone, clerodol and a sterol designated clerosterol have been isolated from the root. Seven sugars namely raffinose, lactose, maltose, sucrose, galactose, glucose and fructose were identified. Fumaric acid, caffeic acid esters, ?-sitosterol and ?-sitosterol glucoside were isolated from the flowers. Apigenin, acacetin and a new flavone glycoside, characterised as the methyl ester of acacetin-7-0-glucuronide are isolated from the flowers. Saponin is one of the major compounds of the leaf. 24 beta-ethylsterols, clerosterol and 22-dehydroclerosterol, 24-methyl-sterols (24-methylcholestanol, 24-methylcholesterol, 24-methyl-22-dehydrocholesterol, and 24-methyllathostero) and 24 beta-ethyl-22-dehydrocholestanol are found in the seeds. Scutellarin and hispidulin-7-O-glucuronide are present in the leaf. Poriferasterol and stigmasterol are the components of the aerial parts

Medicinal uses:

Ayurvedic and Siddha medicines

In Ayurvedic and Siddha traditional medicines, the leaves and roots of C. infortunatum are used as herbal remedy for alopecia, asthma, cough, diarrhoea, rheumatism, fever and skin diseases. It is also known to have hepato-protective and antimicrobial activities.[9][unreliable medical source?] The roots and bark of stem of this plant prepared as decoction and given in the dose of 60-80 ml twice daily for respiratory diseases, fever, periodic fever, cough, bronchial asthma, etc.[citation needed] The leaves are ground well and applied externally to induce ripenning of ulcers and swellings.[citation needed] A paste of leaves and roots are applied externally over skin diseases especially fungal infections and alopecia.[citation needed] Fresh leaves are given for diarrhoea, liver disorders and headache.

Traditional practices:

The leaf and root are widely used as antidandruff, antipyretic, ascaricide, laxative, vermifuge, and in treatments of convulsion, diabetes, gravel, malaria, scabies, skin diseases, sore, spasm, scorpion sting, snake bite and tumor. In Thai medicine the leaves and root are known to be diuretic; and used for treatment of intestinal infections and kidney dysfunction; when boiled or ground with water, it is take to increase milk secretion for post-labor. In many traditional practices the leaves and root are widely used as antihyperglycemic.

Disclaimer : The information presented herein is intended for educational purposes only. Individual results may vary, and before using any supplement, it is always advisable to consult with your own health care provider

 Resouces:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clerodendrum_infortunatum

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