මූදු හාල්පන්[Mudu Halpan](Fimbristylis quinquangularis[Syn: Fimbristylis miliacea])

Common indigenous annual or apparently biennial of wet grassy places at low elevations. Often a weed in paddy fields. 

Schoenoplectiella juncoides [Syn: Schoenoplectus juncoides]

Common native tufted herb grows in wet places, often in paddy fields. 

Cyperus pilosus

Rather common native plant of moist low country to higher hills. Also in Intermediate zone.

Rhynchospora corymbosa

Common native plant occurs in open marshy areas and margins of paddy fields at low elevations. 

Fuirena umbellata

Common native perennial herb found on open wet or swampy places from sea level to about 1800 m a.s.l.

උගුඩුවා/කලවැද්දා[Uguduwa/Kalawadda]/Common Palm Civet/Toddy Cat/Palm Cat (Paradoxurus hermaphroditus)

Common animal distributed throughout the island, inhabiting rocky outcrops and/or trees in the country side and roofs of houses in urban areas. It is a purely nocturnal mammal and spends the day time curled up, asleep in its day time hideout usually a ceiling of a house in cities where rocky areas or tall trees are not readily available. It is mainly an arboreal animal and  feeds fruits and berries such as papaw, passion fruits, pineapple, kithul (Caryota urens) etc. But Common Palm Civet also eats rats, mice, frogs, birds, spiders, cockroaches as well as domestic chickens. It has a habit of depositing its droppings which often contain large quantities of undigested kithul and other hard-shelled seeds, on the top of large rocks and fallen tree trunks. It breeds throughout the year though more young are seen in the latter part of the year before the North-East monsoon. The young are brought forth in a hole in a tree, dry nook under overhanging rocks or often in a dry corner of a ceiling. Usually litter size is 3 or 4 in Sri Lanka. Except when a mother is accompanied by her broods it is usually seen singly.

Cyperus richardii [Syn: Kyllinga bulbosa]

Common native perennial of grasslands, roadsides waste places and scrub lands, mainly in the dry lowlands.

Cyperus aromaticus [Syn: Kyllinga polyphylla]

An introduced weed native to the tropical Africa and Madagascar. According to the Flora of Ceylon Vol 5 it was only known from a place between Pussellawa and Ramboda at mile 28/10 along Kandy -Nuwaraeliya Rd (950 m a.s.l. ) in the Nuwaraeliya district. It is also noted that apparently it was a rather recent introduction. Since then (1985) it seems that it has become a widely distributed weed in paddy fields, marshes and roadsides, at least in the moist areas from lowland to the hill country (Personal observations). 

Umbrella papyrus/Umbrella sedge (Cyperus alternifolius)

An introduced tall perennial, native to the tropical Africa and Arabia. Widely cultivated as an ornamental and also escaped and naturalized in grassy places. 

දේවදාර/ඊ පෙත්ත/ඕවිළ/ඕලිල[Devadara/I Petta/O lila/O wila](Monoon longifolium [Syn: Polyalthia longifolia])

An indigenous tree of dry zone gallery forests along the east coast. The columnar form with pendent branches is often planted in gardens and along roads. 

සිරි වැඩි බැවිල/ගිරි වැඩි බැවිල[Siriwedi Bevila/Giriwadi Bevila] (Sida mysorensis)

An indigenous perennial herb found in waste places, roadsides and in secondary vegetation up to about 700 m a.s.l. 

අනිත්ත[Aniththa] (Rhinacanthus flavovirens)

Rhinacanthus flavovirens is a recently described endemic perennial herb distributed in secondary forests of North Central, Central and Southern province dry lowlands. It occurs under shade of trees close to watercourses.

Reference : Amarasinghe A.P.P.R.& Wijesundara D.S.A., 2011, A new species of rhinacanthus (Acanthaceae) from Sri lanka, Edinburge Journal of Botany 68(3): 333-337 (2011)

මහ රතඹලා[Maha Ratambala]/Torch Tree(Ixora pavetta)

Common native shrub or small tree distributed in dry deciduous forests of the low country and lower montane zones. Flowering from March to July.

මොට්ටු තණ[Mottu Tana] (Cyperus mindorensis [Syn: Kyllinga nemoralis/Kyllinga monocephala)

Very common grass like native perennial herb occurs in waste places, roadsides, home gardens and grass lands of both wet and dry lowlands up to mid hills(?)

ගල් ඇඹල[Gal Ambala] (Begonia cordifolia)

An indigenous perennial stemless herb occurs mainly in pockets of humus on rock surfaces, mostly in shade, but occasionally on exposed moist surfaces. It grows mainly in the Southeastern intermediate zone from 100 to 500 m elevations. Flowering from December to March. 

වල් තේ කොළ [Wal te kola]Ceylon tea/Spanish needle/Beggar's tick (Bidens pilosa var. pilosa)

An introduced herb native to temperate and tropical America. Naturalized in Sri Lanka and occurs as two varieties.
var. pilosa (Above pic) - Without or usually with very small white ray flowers. Only known from Peradeniya-Kandy area. Flowering from November to March.
var. minor - Very common weed of roadsides, disturbed places, cultivated grounds, etc. in the montaze zone. Flowering occurs throughout the year.

පඹුරු[Pamburu](Pamburus missionis)

An indigenous small tree, rather common in dry lowland areas. Often occurs in sandy coastal areas. Flowering in April

ගිණිහිරිය[Ginihiriya] (Breynia quadrangularis [Syn: Sauropus quadrangularis])

An indigenous shrub of dry and intermediate zones.

* Sauropus rigidus Thw. which was considered as a rare endemic species is now treated as a synonym of Sauropus quadrangularis (Willd.) Muell. Arg.

Eriocaulon ceylanicum

An endemic perennial herb grows in swampy grasslands, ditches and stream margins of the higher hills from 2000 to 2400 m elevations. Flowering from October to May.

Cordia monoica

An indigenous tree known from dry lowland forests and open areas. 

ගොඩ කදුරු[Godakaduru]/Nux-Vomica(Strychnos nux-vomica)

An indigenous tree of dry zone secondary forests and scrub lands. Whole plant medicinal. 

Grewia bracteata

An indigenous shrub or small tree grows in lower montane forests of the intermediate zone.

දියමිත්ත[Diyamitta]/Velvet leaf(Cissampelos pareira)

Common native slender woody climber occurs throughout the island up to 1200 m a.s.l. Scrambling and twining over shrubs and in trees of forests. Roots, stem and leaves are used in medicine.

Male flower (Picture) Size = 3 mm 

දොඩම් පනා[Dodam Pana](Glycosmis pentaphylla)

An indigenous shrub or small tree  found in secondary thickets and forest borders of dry and intermediate zone up to about 1000 m a.s.l.

Justicia tranquebariensis

Common native herb or small undershrub grows in light shade among rocks or in sandy ground among short grass in the dry lowlands. Flowering from January to September.

වැල් කරල් හැබ[Wel karal Haba]/Forest Burr/Creeping Cock's Comb(Pupalia lappacea var. lappacea)

An indigenous herb occurs as two varieties in the island.

•  P, l, lappacea (Above Picture) - Grows open dry places along forest edges.
•  P. l. orbiculata  - Common in the sandy places behind the shoreline.

කෙකිළි මැස්ස/කුකුළු මැස්ස[Kekili Messa/Kukulu Messa](Miliusa indica)

Common indigenous shrub or small tree widespread from sea level to about 1000 m a.s.l. in both wet and dry zone forests. But confined to the secondary vegetation in the wet zone. 

රත පඹ/රට පඹ/බඹු[Ratha Pamba/Rata Pamba/Bambu](Ipomoea quamoclit)

An introduced vine native to the tropical America. Widely cultivated in gardens as an ornamental and also escaped and naturalized in thickets and other disturbed sites. 

බෝවිටියා/හීන් බෝවිටියා [Bowitiya, Heen Bowitiya](Osbeckia octandra)

An endemic much-branched shrub occurs in grasslands, open places and disturbed grounds along roadsides in both wet and dry lowlands and sometimes also in high elevations in the montane zone. Leaves and roots are used in medicine. 

Dendrolobium triangulare

An indigenous shrub grows in openings in dry and intermediate zone forests.

Utricularia graminifolia

Common native small herb found on wet rocks and other such wet places from 500 to 2400 m elevations. White stems of this plant with traps (Stolon), running in the moist underground can capture small aquatic animals. Sometime large leaves also have traps. 

Kyllinga melanosperma (Syn: Cyperus melanospermus)

An indigenous perennial  common on the grassy beds of the montane forests.

Mitrasacme prolifera [Syn: Mitrasacme indica]

An indigenous small herb occurs in wet open patana lands from sea level to about 700 m elevations.

* Size of the flower 3-4 mm across.

පිහිඹිය[Pehimbiya] (Filicium decipiens)

An indigenous medium to large size tree common in intermediate and wet zone forests up to 900 m elevations. Flowering and fruiting occurs from January to April. Often planted as an ornamental and shade tree. 

නෙළු[Nelu] (Strobilanthes diandra)

An endemic under-shrub grows in primary and secondary montane forests and scrubs mainly in the northern part of the Kandy district from 900-1600 m a.s.l.

ගැරඬි වැල්/ගෝපි/ප්‍රියවර්ණ[Garandi wel/Gopi/Priyawarna]Ichnocarpus(Ichnocarpus frutescens)

Common native woody twiner of scrub like secondary vegetation in dry lowlands up to about 1000 m elevations.

Thornless mimosa (Aeschynomene americana)

An introduced herb native to tropical and subtropical America. Cultivated as a green-manure cover crop and as hay. Escaped and naturalized along roadsides and waste places.

ගස් ගොනික[Gas gonika] (Pseudarthria viscida)

Common native erect, trailing or more or less twining perennial herb in light woodlands of the low country up to about 1000 m elevations. 

වල් අසමෝදගම්[Wal Asamodhagam] (Pimpinella heyneana)

An indigenous annual herb occurs in moist areas among grass under trees, along roadsides and waste grounds, mainly in the dry lowlands from 70 to 170 m elevations and up to about 1300 m elevations in the Uva province. 

බෝවිටියා[Bowitiya] (Osbeckia aspera)

A much -branched native shrub occurs in grasslands, open forests and among rocks in dry and lower montane zones. 

තරණ[Tarana]/(Tarenna asiatica)

Common native shrub or small tree occurs in dry scrub and open secondary vegetation of the low country. Flowering from February to April.

බූ නෙළු[Bu Nelu](Strobilanthes cordifolia [Syn: Stenosiphonium cordifolium])

An indigenous small shrub grows along streams and river banks of secondary forest undergrowth in the dry and intermediate zones. Common and gregarious plant flowering from December to April.