Showing posts with label Apocynaceae. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Apocynaceae. Show all posts

Sunday, October 20, 2019

White frangipani/Bridal bouquet (Plumeria pudica)

An introduced shrub native to Panama, Colombia and Venezuela. Cultivated as an ornamental in home gardens. 

Saturday, February 16, 2019

Balloon Cottonbush (Gomphocarpus physocarpus)

An introduced herb or small shrub native to the South and tropical Africa. Cultivated, escaped and naturalized mainly in the hill country (Below Hakgala on the way to the former Fort Macdonald ). Flowering throughout the year.

Saturday, December 22, 2018

බුලු වල් අඟුණ/බූ කිරි වැල්[Bulu Wal Anguna/Bu Kiri Wel (Chonemorpha fragrans)

Rather rare native huge woody twiner occurs in secondary forests in the wet zone up to about 800 elevations. Locally common. Flowering from March to May.

Wednesday, June 27, 2018

ජීවන්ති [Jeewanthi] (Leptadenia reticulata)

Common native shrub or twiner grows in deciduous scrub and forest edges of the dry zone.  Flowering from July to October. 

Monday, May 7, 2018

Rauvolfia verticillata [Syn: Rauvolfia densiflora]

Locally common native treelet of disturbed and secondary mist forests and along edges of montane forests from 700 to 2200 m a.s.l.

Friday, May 5, 2017

Cleghornia acuminata

An endemic liana rather rare in the hill country forests from 600 to 1500 m elevations.
Flower size - Corolla tube 0.2 - 0.3 cm long and corolla lobe half as long as the tube.

Friday, August 5, 2016

කනේරු[Kaneru]/Oleander (Nerium oleander)

An introduced shrub or small tree native to the Mediterranean. Widely cultivated in gardens as an ornamental plant. Wild ancestors of this plant has pink flowers. Varies cultivars have white, red or dark pink flowers.

Friday, July 29, 2016

Rubber vine/Madagascar rubber vine/Purple trumpet (Cryptostegia grandiflora)

An introduced twining vine native to the Madagascar and neighboring islands. Cultivated in gardens as an ornamental. As per Trimen often naturalized in Sri Lanka near the shore (A Revised Hand Book to the Flora of Ceylon Vol 4)*. It is considered as a notorious invasive plant in tropical Australia.

* Probable naturalized vines observed at Karukkupone area, north of Chilaw.

Sunday, July 3, 2016

අරලිය[Araliya]/Temple flower/Temple tree (Plumeria obtusa)

Native tree of Caribbean. Introduced and widely cultivated, often near Buddhist temples but also in home gardens and along roads. Flowering throughout the year. 

Wednesday, June 22, 2016

Oxystelma esculentum

Rather rare native twiner occurs in the drier part of the country, usually near tanks. Flowering throughout the year. Used as a remedy for hydrophobia in traditional medicine.

*Sinhala name for this plant is given as 'Usepale' [උස් ඇපැල?] in the Flora of Ceylon Vol 4 and as ගර්භිණී [Garbinee] in the Charles Carter's Sinhalese-English dictionary published in 1924.

Sunday, March 6, 2016

ඒකාවේරිය/නකුල/රත් ඒකාවේරිය[Ekaveriya/Nakula/Rath Ekaveriya]/Indian Snakeroot(Rauvolfia serpentina)

An indigenous sub - shrub  of secondary scrub lands and grassy places of the wet lowlands up to about 700 m elevations. Due to not observing of it during the 'Flora of Ceylon project' Herbert Huber  noted in 1983 that it may have been possibly extinct in the wild due to intense exploitation (Dasanayaka M.D. & Fosberg F.R., 1983, Flora of Ceylon Vol 4). However 2012 Red list categorized it under the Endangered status. It is an important medicinal plant.

Wednesday, January 27, 2016

Allamanda blanchetii

Large introduced shrub native to the Brazil. Cultivated as an ornamental in gardens. 

Tuesday, December 29, 2015

මස් බැද්ද [Mas bedde](Gymnema sylvestre)

An indigenous twining and struggling woody plant occurs in the drier parts of the island in deciduous secondary shrub.

Tuesday, October 6, 2015

කන් කුඹල[Kan kubala] (Cynanchum tunicatum)

Rather uncommon indigenous herb twining in hedges and fences of the dry zone. Flowering from November to March.

Monday, October 5, 2015

Vincetoxicum bracteatum [Syn: Tylophora pauciflora]

Rather rare indigenous twining plant growing mainly in the dry lowlands. Also cultivated in wet and intermediate zone home gardens. 

Sunday, October 4, 2015

අඟුණ/තිත්ත අඟුණ/අනුක්කොල/කිරි අඟුණ(Wattakaka volubilis [Syn: Dregea volubilis])

An indigenous twiner climbing in trees and shrubs, distributed in dry lowlands up to about 1000 m a.s.l. Flowering from March to April and again rarely from August to November.  Leaves edible and eaten as curries. Leaves also used in traditional medicine.

Thursday, June 4, 2015

Wild allamanda/Hammock viper's tail/Sundial (Pentalinon luteum)

Woody climber native to tropical America,West Indies and Florida. Cultivated widely in home gardens. Flowering probably throughout the year.

Wednesday, May 13, 2015

Four leaf devil pepper (Rauvolfia tetraphylla)

Native shrub of tropical America. Introduced and cultivated for medicinal use. Escaped and also naturalized in shaded places in the low country. 

Wednesday, January 21, 2015

හවරි-නුග\අවරි-නුග[Havari-Nuga\Avari-Nuga] (Alstonia macrophylla)

Native plant of Malay peninsula, Thailand, Indochina, Philippines, Borneo and Celebes. Introduced as a timber tree to Sri Lanka (Native ? >>) at the beginning of last century. Now it is naturalized in the wet and intermediate zone up to about 1200-1500m, especially in the secondary rain forests.