Buy Now and Pay in EMI's

ORNAMENTAL PLANTS

Sabina George Thekkayam
  • Country of Origin:

  • Imprint:

    NIPA

  • eISBN:

    9789390512164

  • Binding:

    EBook

  • Number Of Pages:

    346

  • Language:

    English

Individual Price: 22,500.00 INR 20,250.00 INR + Tax

Add to cart Contact for Institutional Price
 

“This is a sincere effort to record the major ornamental plants raised in gardens and landscapes of today. The main classes of plants are described in the introductory . The subsequent s list the plants in the order of their habitat. The information includes scientific name, common name and the family to which the plants belong, a brief description and ornamental features. A comprehensive account of trees, shrubs, herbs, climbers, creepers and taxonomic groups that share characteristics such as bulbous plants, cacti, succulents, bromeliads, ferns and their allies, grasses, bamboos, sedges as well as ornamental water garden plants are given. Flowering and foliage trees of gardens of the tropics and subtropics and the popular deciduous trees and coniferous trees of the temperate zone are dealt separately. Among shrubs, dicotyledonous and monocotyledonous flowering and foliage shrubs as well as temperate region species suited for the hilly regions of India are included. Importance has been given to annual and perennial herbs grown in tropical and temperate regions. Climbers and creepers popularly grown in tropical gardens are listed. Among specialized plant groups, they are more commonly grown plants and those with outstanding ornamental features are selected. A brief account of planting and tips on their care and management are given. The book includes around 250 colour photographs and an index of the scientific names and families. The author has prepared this volume for the enlightened and keen enthusia to serve as guide for identifying garden plants and for selecting ornamentals to suit different locations under varied climatic conditions.”

0 Start Pages

Preface India is home to a large number of plants that are grown ornamentally throughout the world. Climatic and geographic features have moulded the subcontinent’s floristic wealth. The germplasm of ornamental plants available in India is phenomenally extensive and probably as diverse. The introduction of plant species that has taken place over centuries is the main causative factor for this. Throughout the world, the fascination for novelty has led to the spread of ornamental plants into places far removed from their centers of origin. Such distribution has far exceeded natural migration and dispersal of plants. Though this inhabitation and acclimatization in newer areas similar to their natural habitats can be considered successful from the point of view of distribution, many plants have been led to the verge of extinction in their original homes due to over collection for commercial dispersal. Deforestation and unscientific afforestation have endangered many plants especially the epiphytic, lithophytic and shade adapted native species of precariously balanced survival niches all over the world. This has necessitated efforts towards conservation of native habitats of unique endemic species in biodiversity “hot spots”. A recent example of this is the declaration of the “Kurinjimala Sanctuary” as the protected bio-reserve of Neela Kurinji (Phlebophyllum kunthianum Nees). The ecological impact of uncontrolled plant introductions on the populations of native species is considerable as they invariably replace them, affecting the biological balance in the ecosystem. Many a time, it is only when they attain the status of weeds that their impact is noticed. Ornamentals are found to have encroached unnoticed into our evergreen forests too. The African Tulip tree (Spathodea campanulata) has been introduced reliberately by planters to the Western Ghats of Kerala and can be seen dotting the blue-green hills with their flame-red flowers during September-October. A fairly recent migrant that has a record of introduction into neighbouring Sri Lanka is the Jamaican Cherry (Muntingia calabura). This small tree with its low horizontally oriented branches that spread like canopy is presently widely distributed from the coastal to the midland regions of Kerala and is also found growing along the roadsides fringing the Ghats. The fruits are eaten and the seeds dispersed by birds. The varying cycles of acceptability enjoyed by ornamentals is a cause for the steady influx of new plants into new habitats as well as their erosion from them. From researchers to amateur gardeners, people associated with ornamental plant growing are aware of the speed with which a plant becomes ‘popular’ or falls from favour due to becoming ‘common’. In this context, it was felt that the vastness of ornamental plants germplasm presently available in the country needed horticultural validation. This book is thus an attempt to put on record majority of the ornamental plants grown throughout India. The descriptions given are a record of the morphological characteristics of the plants as observed in growing situations in gardens. To a student of ornamental gardening and landscaping this work is intended to be a practical guide in identifying and distinguishing the ornamental features of the enumerated plants. To amateur and professional gardeners and landscape architects this is intended to be a handbook for selection of ornamentals for specific functions and locations.

 
1 CARE OF TREES

Trees are the largest plant components of gardens and landscapes. However much architectural features dwarf them, for human beings, they are the largest living entities in the environment. Profoundly influencing our habits, styles of habitation, culture and daily life, trees have been revered, sanctified and given symbolic importance and above all, depended upon as means of livelihood by entire communities through the ages. Through folklore, traditional knowledge and rituals, the usefulness of trees has been handed down from generation to generation-in societies all over the world. In India, cave paintings and carvings in addition to ancient literary works document the aesthetic and medicinal knowledge of our forefathers about trees found in the sub-continent. Trees differ in stature, branching habit, girth of trunk and branches, canopy structure, outline and crown shape. The colour of the foliage, its texture, glaze, shape and size, foliage colour, floral features and season of flowering also differ among trees. These characteristics in addition to giving distinctiveness, also determine their ornamental use in gardens and landscapes. In tropical gardens evergreen dicotyledons and palms dominate among the trees, whereas in temperate situations evergreen conifers are selected over the deciduous dicots for tree planting. Palms among trees are universally grown as avenue trees or as clumps in areas where they can be easily grown while the other trees are grown as such or pruned and trained into various forms or as bonsai in gardens.

1 - 42 (42 Pages)
INR2250.00 INR2025.00 + Tax
 
2 SHRUBS : IMPORTANCE AND USES

Shrubs are the most diverse groups of ornamentals grown in tropical gardens. In habit they are hardy perennials having low spreading woody branches. They vary widely in stature and include dwarf bushes to those attaining the stature of small trees. IMPORTANCE AND USES OF SHRUBS Shrubs are quick growing and many of them flower continuously in the humid tropics. Their variability in flower colours and foliage characteristics and their easiness in propagation by vegetative means make them garden favourites. The various uses to which shrubs are put to in gardens are detailed below: - In A Shrubbery : Grouping of shrubs in a shrubbery is done to display the attractiveness of their flowers and foliage. In temperate situations shrubs grown in shrubberies include Rhododendron, Peony, Fuchsia, Buddleia, and Camellia while in the tropics and subtropics, the range of shrubs available for planting are very wide. As Focal Point Plants : Shrubs that are ever flowering like Hamelia and Hibiscus or those that have spectacular flowers such as Mussaenda, Neerium and Ixora are grown as focal point plants in small gardens. They are also grouped for mass effect in large gardens.

43 - 108 (66 Pages)
INR2250.00 INR2025.00 + Tax
 
3 FLOWERING AND FOLIAGE HERBS

H erbs include non-woody or succulent-stemmed plants that are relatively shorter in stature when compared to shrubs. Based on their ornamental nature they can be broadly grouped as Flowering Herbs and Foliage Herbs. Flowering Herbs can be further classified based on their duration into Annual Flowering Herbs and Perennial Flowering Herbs. Foliage herbs of a perennial nature are further differentiated into monocotyledonous and dicotyledonous foliage herbs. ANNUAL FLOWERING HERBS Annual herbs are grown in gardens for their spectacular beauty when they are in flower. They are seasonal in habit and have duration of up to four months. Most of them have a short vegetative phase, which is followed by continuous flowering for several weeks. They are used in gardens for obtaining various colour effects. Varieties of annuals having analogous or similar flower colours can be grouped in flowerbeds and flower borders for monochromatic effects. For contrasting colour effects, varieties having complementary or contrasting colours like violet and yellow or blue and orange as well as green and red can be used. For colour blending effects, flowers having different shades of the same colour can be grown.

109 - 174 (66 Pages)
INR2250.00 INR2025.00 + Tax
 
4 CLIMBERS AND CREEPERS

Pants that tend to climb vertically on to supports are called climbers. reepers are plants that tend to creep or ramble over the ground or other surfaces spreading horizontally. These have showy flowers or decorative foliage. Climbers are conventionally used in gardens to cover fences, bare walls and tree trunks. They are used to provide ornamentation in a vertical aspect. Creepers on the other hand are used as ground covers and function as decorative elements in a horizontal aspect. CLASSIFICATION OF CLIMBERS AND CREEPERS Depending upon their habit, vigour, duration, nature of flowering, adaptations for climbing and shade tolerance, they can be classified as follows:

175 - 200 (26 Pages)
INR2250.00 INR2025.00 + Tax
 
5 BULBOUS PLANTS

Among garden plants, herbaceous perennials that produce perennating structures like bulbs, corms, tubers, rhizomes or fascicled tuberous roots are called bulbous plants. They belong to various plant families such as Amaryllidaceae, Cannaceae, Heliconiaceae, Iridaceae, Liliaeceae, Musaceae, Ranunculaeceae and Zingiberaceae. The possession of perennating structures that are modifications of plant parts- mostly stems- is common to these plants. These modifications aid in their vegetative propagation as the dormant buds associated with them regenerate when conditions are favourable to result in new plants. In both tropical and temperate climate zones, bulbous plants have evolved and naturalized in several ecological ‘niches’. Many of these have been domesticated centuries ago and are familiar garden plants. Generally, bulbous plats are adapted to grow vegetatively putting forth shoots carrying a limited number of leaves. When further vegetative growth has ceased these shoots produce terminal or basal inflorescences. Bulbous plants are grown and displayed in clumps. Based on the requirement of relatively low or high temperatures for sprouting and flowering they are classified into warm- season bulbous plants and cool-season bulbous plants. These groupings are not exclusive and many plants have evolved varieties that thrive in both seasonal conditions.

201 - 222 (22 Pages)
INR2250.00 INR2025.00 + Tax
 
6 SUCCULENTS AND CACTI

These are a broad group of plants that have evolved in situations characterized by very high day temperatures and low night temperatures with very low available moisture in the growing medium. Their plant body is modified to conserve moisture with physiological adaptations that help to reduce moisture loss considerably and to survive in hot desert situations or drought conditions. Stems, leaves and roots of these plants are fleshy and rich in watery mucus. The unusual morphological features that these plants have developed to enable them to survive in their harsh native habitats, set them apart from other plants and have given them rarity value when grown as ornamentals. They are hence displayed individually or grown in a rockery where a landscape of rocks and stones highlight their features and at the same time provide desirable contrast with other garden plants. Many members of Cactaceae, Crassulaceae, Aizoaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Asphodelaceae and Agavaceae belong to this group and are commonly referred to as rock garden plants.

223 - 248 (26 Pages)
INR2250.00 INR2025.00 + Tax
 
7 ORNAMENTAL BROMELIADS

Terrestrial or epiphytic members of the family Bromeliaceae that are grown in gardens for their unusually coloured and patterned leaves or showy inflorescences and fruits are referred to as ornamental ‘Bromeliads’. Being low growing, they are ideally displayed in containers or as epiphytes. They are sun loving, suckering in habit and have xerophytic adaptations. The leaves are tough and fibrous often with spiny margins and sheathing leaf bases that hold water. A grayish-white waxy or powdery coating often covers the lamina. Certain bromeliads have a water collecting depression at the center. Inflorescences are sunken, erect or reclining, with condensed or long and much branched stalks carrying colourful bracts and usually, less showy flowers. In many, the terminal leaves become brightly coloured at flowering. These and the floral bracts remain showy even after the flowers are shed. Ornamental bromeliads popularly grown in gardens include the following: Aechmea blanchetiana Copper leaf bromeliad Plants have strap like leaves that develop streaks of coppery red colour on the upper surface in bright sunlight. Aechmea burle-marxii Burle-Marx bromeliad

249 - 256 (8 Pages)
INR2250.00 INR2025.00 + Tax
 
8 FERNS AND FERN ALLIES

Pteridophytes such as ferns belonging to several families, selaginellas popularly called ‘club mosses’ belonging to Selaginellaceae and the Lycopods which resemble both these, belonging to Lycopodiaceae are shade loving plants adapted to cool and moist or hot and humid ecosystems of tropical to temperate climates. They are mostly epiphytic or lithophytic and are grown as foliage ornamentals in a fernery or in shaded areas in gardens. Many are favoured indoor plants. Popularly grown ferns, lycopods and selaginellas of gardens are listed below: Adiantum capillus-veneris Adiantaceae Common Maidenhair fern Plants are shade loving bushy lithophytes and have delicate looking thin black stems carrying light green oblique-ovate fronds. They are pot grown as ornamental foliage plants. Adiantum decorum Syn. Adiantum raddianum Adiantaceae Maidenhair fern

257 - 266 (10 Pages)
INR2250.00 INR2025.00 + Tax
 
9 ORNAMENTAL GRASSES BAMBOOS, SEDGES AND RUSHES

Grasses, bamboos, sedges and rushes are plants that are being used increasingly in xeri-scaping and in marsh gardens for getting the benefits of their unusual foliage textures and colours. Their hardiness, stature and canopy frame make them more suited for specimen planting in gardens and landscapes. GRASSES Grasses are the most successful of monocots belonging to the family Poaceae that are found the world over. Low growing perennial grasses are used to make attractive lawns in gardens and to provide a desirable turf cover for various situations. A number of species belonging to various genera differing in leaf colour, shape and growth pattern are used for this purpose. Mixtures of different varieties of grasses are also used for making turf having desirable blends of textures and hardiness. Tall bushy grasses having a mound-like or fountain–like habit and fine to velvety surfaces are grown for their textural and architectural features in landscaping. Many are grown as specimen plants for their display value at flowering. In selecting grasses for gardens, their potentially invasive nature is to be taken into account and seed dispersal controlled by timely cutting. Grass species that thrive in the hot and humid tropics are called warm-season grasses and include Bermuda grass, Carpet grass and St. Augustine grass. Cool season grasses that are adapted to temperate regions and thrive at temperatures of 10 to 20oC include Blue grass, Fescues and Zoysia.

267 - 290 (24 Pages)
INR2250.00 INR2025.00 + Tax
 
10 ORNAMENTAL WATER PLANTS

Ornamental plants that are adapted to an aquatic environment are commonly grown in water gardens and pools. They include those that are entirely submerged or floaters that are free living in the surface water or having roots anchored firmly in the ground beneath and marginal plants that thrive along the edges of water bodies and in shallow water. Spectacular flowering plants like the lotuses and water lilies to plants like the tape grass that are entirely submerged and grass like are grown in natural or structured fresh water habitats throughout the world. Many of these are also inhabitants of aquaria. Some of the popularly grown water garden plants are listed below: Acorus calamus Araceae Sweet Flag, Vayambu Plants are rhizomatous herbs adapted to low lying and wet situations. The leaves are closely spaced, distichously arranged and resembling a fan, leathery, dark green, smooth and shiny. The inflorescence is a spadix that emerges from the middle of the terminal leaf. Plants are valued medicinally for their aromatic rhizomes and are also commonly grown as marginals of water gardens.

291 - 302 (12 Pages)
INR2250.00 INR2025.00 + Tax
 
11 End Pages

REFERENCES 1. Bole, P.V. and Vaghani, Y. 1989. Field guide to the common trees of India. Oxford University Press, Bombay, 125 p. 2. Brooks, J. and Beckett, K.A. 1987. The Gardeners index of plants and flowers. Dorling Kindersley Ltd., London, 272 p. 3. Davidson, W. 1988. A Gardeners guide to flowering houseplants. Salamander Books, London, 160 p. 4. Gilbert, R. 1988. 200 House plants anyone can grow. Dorling Kindersley Ltd., London, 144 p. 5. Moore, D.M. 1991. The Guinness guide to plants of the world. Guinness Publishing Ltd., London, 256 p. 6. Pal, B.P. and Swarup, V. 1974. Bougainvilleas. Indian Council of Agricultural Research, New Delhi, 105 p. 7. Papworth, D. 1988. A Gardeners guide to conifers. Salamander Books Ltd., London, 160 p. 8. Randhawa, M.S. 1983. Flowering trees. National Book Trust, India New Delhi, 208 p. 9. Randhawa, G.S. and Mukhopadhyay, A. 1986. Floriculture in India. Allied Publishers Ltd., New Delhi, 656 p. 10. Saldanha, C.J. and Dhawan, J. 1984. Plants of India. Oxford and IBH Publishing Co. Ltd., New Delhi. 11. Santapau, H. and Henry, A.N. 1984. A Dictionary of the Flowering Plants in India. Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi. 198 p. 12. http://www.us.ipni.org January to June 2008.

 
9cjbsk

Browse Subject

Payment Methods