Showing posts with label Exotic Flora. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Exotic Flora. Show all posts

Wednesday, January 10, 2024

තෙල් තල [Thel Thala]/Gingerlly (Sesamum indicum)

 An introduced annual herb with origin uncertain (Probably Africa or India). Widely cultivated and also naturalized along roadsides, waste lands and abandoned fields in the dry zone. Flowering from May to August and possibly throughout the year. Seeds edible.

*Cultivated Plants usually have white flowers >>

Friday, November 24, 2023

Mecardonia procumbens

An introduced decumbent or erect herb grows on open, frequently wet places such as margins of paddy fields. Native to tropical and sub tropical America. A recent introduction to Sri Lanka and naturalized in some places in the Knuckles Range.  

Saturday, August 26, 2023

Horse Radish Tree/Drumstick Tree/මුරුංගා[Murunga]/ (Moringa oleifera)

 An introduced tree native to tropical Asia. Cultivated in home gardens, along roads and also as fence posts and boundary trees for demarcation in the dry zones chenas. Tender pods, leaves and flowers are used as vegetables. Root bark, leaves and seed oils are used in Ayurvedic medicine, especially for snake bites. 

Saturday, April 8, 2023

Vanilla/වැනිලා (Vanilla planifolia [Syn: Vanilla fragrans])

 An introduced liana native to South America. Cultivated for fermented pods which contains vanilla of commerce. The flowers need to be pollinated by hand since the pollinating bee species are not found outside of South America.

Wednesday, March 15, 2023

Monday, September 27, 2021

Mountain thistle (Acanthus montanus)

 
Large prickly herb native to West Africa. Cultivated as an ornamental plant and also possibly escaped and naturalized in the hill country waste places and roadsides.   

Saturday, July 10, 2021

Phyllanthus buxifolius

 An introduced small shrub native to the Philippines, Borneo,  Java and the Lesser Sunda islands. Cultivated in home gardens


Sunday, April 11, 2021

රබර්/Para Rubber(Hevea brasiliensis)

 
Native tree of South America, introduced to Sri Lanka in 1876 by the British colonial rulers. Since then widely cultivated in plantations for the the milky latex extracted from the tree. Which is the primary source of natural rubber. 

Sunday, December 27, 2020

ඉඟුරු[Inguru]/Ginger (Zingiber officinale)

The root ginger of commerce which is widely used as a spice or as a medicine in traditional medicine. Country of origin unknown. Cultivated in tropical countries throughout the world.

Tuesday, December 22, 2020

Fuchsia regia

An introduced scandent or climbing shrub native to  montane cloud forest of coastal Brazil. Cultivated as an ornamental. Also escaped and naturalized in disturbed forests and along roads above 1800 m elevations. 

Sunday, November 29, 2020

Mexican wild petunia/Desert petunia (Ruellia simplex)

 An introduced herb or subshrub native to Mexico and South America. Cultivated in home gardens and occasionally escaped and naturalized. 

Wednesday, October 28, 2020

වට්ටක්කා [Wattakka]/Pumpkin gourd/Squash gourd (Cucurbita maxima)

 
An introduced  trailing or climbing tall annual herb widely cultivated in all climatic zones.  The wild ancestor of this species is native to South America.

Saturday, October 10, 2020

Sunday, August 30, 2020

බූ මෑ/මුං/උළුඳු/[Bu Me/Mun/Ulundu]Black gram (Vigna mungo)

 
An introduced sub-erect or twining herb with uncertain origin . Cultivated since long. Naturalized in the moister areas than Vigna radiata to that this species is closely related. Some authors even considered V. mungo as a variety of V. radiata.

Saturday, August 29, 2020

Coleus barbatus var. grandis [Syn: Plectranthus barbatus var. grandis/Plectranthus grandis/Coleus grandis]

 

An introduced shrub with country of origin unknown. Also found in tropical East Africa. Widely cultivated as a hedge plant in the upper midlands and higher hills from 1100 to 2100 m elevations. Occasionally found as an escape by watercourses close to habitations but never been known in the wild. However nothing is known about its having been introduced into the country. Flowering from September to February. 


Sunday, August 23, 2020

Himalayan Elder (Sambucus javanica subsp. chinensis [Syn: Sambucus hookeri])

 An introduced shrub native to China, Philippines and Malaysia. Often planted along tea plantations and near houses in the hill country. 

Wednesday, August 19, 2020

Yellow Ginger Lily (Hedychium flavescens)

                       

 A large herb common by streams in moist areas up to 1800 m elevations. Native to Northeast India. Introduced or perhaps native to Sri Lanka as well. Much cultivated as an ornamental. 

Tuesday, March 17, 2020

Sikkim Knotweed (Koenigia mollis [Syn: Polygonum molle])

An introduced shrub native to India and Nepal. Possibly escaped from cultivation and naturalized along roadsides in the montane region.

* Also considers as a native plant of Sri Lanka as well >> 

Wednesday, February 19, 2020