eChapters

Common name    :    English- Spanish cherry
        Hindi- Maulsari
        Odia- Baula
        
Family    :    Sapotaceae 

Habit & Distribution
The plant is a small tree (Fig. 64 a), frequently planted elsewhere also in gardens. It is distributed throughout India.

General Characters
It is a small tree with small shiny thick narrow, pointed leaves, straight trunk and spreading branches. The leaves are elliptic or oblong, 6.2-10 cm long. Flowers are small star shaped, white, yellowish white in color with a crown rising from the centre. The fragrance of flowers is very graciously scented. The fruit turns yellow-orange when ripens and are eaten fresh. The plant flowers during April-May and bears fruits during August-September.

Common name    :    English- Touch me not/sensitive plant
        Hindi- Lajwanti
        Odia- Lajakuli 
            
Family    :    Mimosaceae

Habit & Distribution
The plant is a common weed mostly found in roadsides, waste places, damp sites, agricultural lands etc. It is widely distributed throughout the better parts of India. (Fig. 63 a)

General Characters
It is a small prostrate or ascending herb with prickly stems and grows up to a height of 50 cm with a spread of 30 cm. The leaves are bipinnate, fern like and pale green, closing when disturbed. The flowers are pale pink or purple in colour, round to ovoid heads (8-10 mm in diameter) and the flower heads arise from the leaf axils. The plant bears flowers and fruits during August-May.

Common name    :    English- Tiger’s claw/Devil’s claw
        Hindi- Ulat kanta
        Odia- Bagha nakhi

Family    :    Martyniaceae

Habit & Distribution
The plant is a herb (Fig. 62 a), commonly occur in roadsides, waste lands, and also naturalized. It is widely distributed in India.

General Characters
It is an erect, often branched herb that grows up to 2 m in height. Leaves are kidney shaped to circular, mostly 6-15 cm wide, both surfaces are equally hairy, margins with shallow lobes and leaf stalk is 9-14 cm long. Flowers are bell shaped purplish white with dark purple markings. Fruit is capsule, more or less ovoid, 2 valved, with the style splitting into 2 curved, lignified and spiny processes with curved claw of about 1 cm. The plant bears flowers and fruits during August-January.

Common name    :    English- Mango
        Hindi- Aam
        Odia- Amba 
            
Family    :    Anacardiaceae

Habit & Distribution
It is a tree (Fig. 61 a) grows wild in valleys and widely cultivated throughout tropical India.

General Characters
The plant is a large, erect and ever green tree gowing up to 30-80 ft in height with a broad and rounded canopy. The leaves are variable in size and shape, usually lanceolate, entire, acute to acuminate with 10-20 cm in size. The flowers are greenish-yellow, small and polygamous with 5 lobed calyx which are ovate-oblong or elliptic in shape and remain spreading. There is a great variation in the size, colour and flavour of the fruits. They may be nearly round, oval, ovoid-oblong or somewhat kidney shaped and usually yellow in colour when ripe. The plant bears flowers during January-March and fruits during April-May.

Common name    :    English- Angled luffa
        Hindi- Karvitori
        Odia- Pita taradi

Family    :    Cucurbitaceae

Habit & Distribution 
The plant is a climber (Fig. 60 a), widely cultivated and also found in wild. It is cultivated throughout India.

General Characters
It is an annual climber with smooth and angled stem. The leaves are 5-7 lobed or angled, 7.5-15 cm across and covered with short hairs. Flowers are yellow in colour with male and female in the same axil. The fruits are ribbed and cylindricaly shaped and 1-2 feet in length. The plant bears flowers and fruits during August-November.

Common name    :    English- Wild sage 
        Hindi- Raimuniya 
        Odia- Naguari

Family    :    Verbenaceae
 
Habit & Distribution 
It is a shrub (Fig. 59 a), commonly found in roadsides, wasteland, damp site etc. It is distributed throughout India.

General Characters
The plant is an evergreen shrub grows up to 6 ft height and may spread 8 ft in width. The leaves are ovate-oblong, about 2-5 inches long with rounded tooth edges and a textured surface. Stem and leaves surfaces are covered with rough hairs and emit an unpleasant aroma when crushed. Flowers usually white-pink or orange-yellow in colour and are held in clusters that are typically 1-2 inches across. Fruits are small, globose, fleshy, purplish black berries after ripe. The plant bears flowers and fruits in all round the year.

Common name    :    Odia- Laoo
        English-Calbash     
        Hindi- Lauki

Family    :    Cucurbitaceae

Habit & Distribution
The plant is a climber (Fig. 58 a), commonly cultivated and distributed throughout India.

General Characters
It is an annual vigorous herb, running or climbing vine with large leaves and with lush appearance. Leaves are simple, 17-20 cm diameter, short and softly hairy with kidney or heart shaped outlines. Flowers are white, up to 4 inches in diameter with spreading petals. Fruits are of various shapes, in different varieties, like bottole or dumbbell shaped, rounded or elongated. The plant flowers during July-January and bears fruits during cold season.

Common name    :    English- Peregrina/Spicy jatropha
     
Family    :    Euphorbiaceae

Habit & Distribution
The plant is a shrub, usually planted in gardens.

General Characters
It is a small erect and branched shrub (Fig. 57 a). The leaves are entire, elliptic-oval, may be fiddle shaped with 7 inches long. The flowers are red and pink and about 2.5 cm across and borne in many flowered clusters at branch end. Fruit is rounded-trigonous. The plant bears flowers and fruits in most parts of the year.

Common name    :    English- Bellyache bush         
        Hindi- Ratanjoti 
        Odia- Baigoba/Baigewa

Family    :    Euphorbiaceae

Habit & Distribution
It is a shrub (Fig. 56 a), very commonly found in waste ground, village hedges, roadsides and scrub forests. The plant is cultivated and naturalized in several parts of India.

General Characters
The plant is a small dark colored glandular hairy shrub, 0.8-1.8 m in height. The leaves are 6-12 cm in diameter, palmatly 3-5 lobed, entire with 3-5 cm long petiole. Flowers are red with yellow centre. The petioles and stipules have glandular hairs. It flowers and bears fruits during July-October.

Common name    :    English- Royal jasmin         
        Hindi- Chameli
        Odia- Niali/Banamali

Family    :    Oleaceae

Habit & Distribution 
It is a shrub (Fig. 55 a), commonly found in forests and distributed in Central and Southern India.

General Characters
The plant is nearly erect, not twining or climbing. Branchlets are hairy. Leaves are simple, opposite, variable in size up to 18 cm long and 10 cm broad with long pointed end. Flowers are white, fragrant, three forked clusters with flowers stalk of 5 mm long. Berry is mostly simple, 1-1.5 cm long, ellipsoid and black when ripe. The plant flowers during March-May and bears fruits during June-July.

Common name    :    English- Yellow-Throated Morning Glory     
        Hindi- Neelkalme
        Odia- Kaladana

Family    :    Convolvulaceae

Habit & Distribution
The plant is an ornamental climber (Fig. 54a), common in waste places and road sides. It is widely distributed throughout the tropical countries.

General Characters
It is a climber. Stems trail for several metres and climb over low bushes, reddish, muriculate, hairless or velvety. The Leaves are ovate, 5-15 × 5-15 cm, blunt or long-pointed at the tip and heart-shaped. Flowers are funnel-shaped, blue with purplish tinge, 3.5-4.5 cm long, with a yellow center and borne in several-flowered cymes. The cyme is carried on a stalk 5-25 cm long. Capsule is ovoid to globose, hairless. Seeds are trigonous, brownish, hairless or very shortly velvet-hairy.

Common name    :    English- Scarlet morning glory         
        Hindi- Lalpungli
        Odia- Panikod

Family    :    Convolvulaceae
 
Habit & Distribution
The plant is (Fig. 53 a) a herbaceous climber, common in open forests and open places over hedges, bushes, fairly naturalized. It is naturalized throughout India.

General Characters
It is a twining, smooth to hairy annual plant. Leaves are ovate or broadly ovate, heart shaped having bases with pointed tips. The flowers are red in colour with a longer stalk than the leaves. Each flower stalk may bear a single flower or may have several flowers. The fruit is a round capsule up to 8 mm in diameter containing few seeds. Flowering and fruiting occurs during September-January.

Common name    :    English- Garden Balsam
        Hindi- Gul-mendi 
        Odia- Haragaura

Family    :    Balsaminaceae
 
Habit & Distribution
It is a herb (Fig. 52 a) commonly cultivated in gardens and also self-sown in waste lands, forest edges, roadsides. It is distributed throughout India.

General Characters
The plant is an erect annual herb, growing upto 30-80 cm in height with stilt roots from the lower nodes. The leaves are alternate, lanceolate or oblong-lanceolate and 2.5-9 cm long and 1-2.5 cm broad. Flowers are pink, red and white in colour with 2.5-5 cm in diameter. Flower stalks are up to 1-5 cm long. Capsules are ovoid ellipsoid and 1.5-2.5 cm long. The plant flowers and bears fruits during August-December.

Common name    :    English- Pipal tree
        Hindi- Peepal 
        Odia- Aswatha

Family    :    Moraceae

Habit & Distribution 
The plant is a large tree (Fig. 51 a), found in common, wild or human setteled localities. The plant is widely distributed throughout India.

General Characters
It is a large tree with grey bark and numerous roots which have fused with stem. Leaves are leathery, 4-8 inches long by 3-5 inches width with tailed at the tip and heart shaped at the base. Fruit is a fig which is axilary, sessile, 1-1.5 cm diameter and turns into dark purple when ripens. The plant flowers during June to October.

Common name    :    English- Cluster fig tree
        Hindi- Goolar
        Odia- Dimiri

Family    :    Moraceae

Habit & Distribution 
The plant is a tree (Fig. 50 a), fairly common in valleys and village surroundings. It is widely distributed throughout India.

General Characters
It is a large sized tree with few short areal roots. Leaves are ovate or elliptic with 7-20×3.5-9 cm in size. The most distinctive aspect of this tree is the red, furry figs in short clusters, which grow directly out of the trunk of tree. The figs do carry hundred of flowers in it. The plant flowers during the month March-June and bears fruits during July-September.

Common name    :    English- Banyan tree
        Hindi- Barh
        Odia- Baro

Family    :    Moraceae

Habit & Distribution
It is a tree (Fig. 49 a), fairly common, seen, in wild and sometimes planted. The plant is widely distributed throughout the plains of India.

General Characters
The tree is very large, growing up to 30 m tall, with many aerial roots that develop in to new trunks, so that the tree goes on spreading laterally, indefinitely. A single tree can cover a very wide area. The leaves are leathery, entire, ovate or elliptic, which grow up to 20-30 cm long with prominent lateral viens. The fruits are 1 to 2 cm in diameter, rounded in shape, without stalks arranged in pairs at leaf axils and it changes to bright red colour when ripens. The plant flowers round the year and bears fruits during April-June.

Common name    :    English- Blue gum
        Hindi- Nilgiri
        Odia- Eukalyptus/Nilgiri

Family    :    Myrtaceae

Habit & Distribution 
It is a tree (Fig. 48 a). The plant commonly planted in gardens and elsewhere and also widely cultivated as a plantation crop by forest department. It is commonly seen in most parts of India.

General Characters
The plant is a large, evergreen tree and reaches up to the height of 60 m. The leaves are commonly lanceolate, long-petiole, apperantly alternate and waxy green. The flowers have numerous fluffy stamens which may be white, cream, yellow, pink or red in colour. In the bud, the stamens are enclosed in a cap known as operculum, composed of fused sepals and petals. The plant bears flowers and fruits during January-August.

Common name    :    English- Indian Coral tree
        Hindi- Pangara 
        Odia- Paladhua

Family    :    Fabaceae

Habit & Distribution 
It is a small tree (Fig. 47 a), commonly planted and also found in wild in coastal regions of India.

General Characters
The plant is a prickley tree with smooth and greenish bark. Leaflets are rhomboid-ovate, 5-15cm×5.5-17 cm and acute or acuminate in shape. The flowers are deep red in colour, scarlet, 7 cm long, calyx split and spathaceous with very oblique mouth. Pods are many, subcylindric, narrowed with 15-25 cm long. It is 6-12 seeded, seeds are 1.5-1.8 cm in size with dark purple in colour. The plant flowers during March-April and bears fruits during April-July.

Common name    :    English- Lucky bean tree 
        Hindi- Putija/Putranjiva
        Odia- Poitundia/Poichandia

Family    :    Euphorbiaceae

Habit & Distribution 
It is a tree (Fig. 46 a), growing in hills, in wild often planted and self shown. It is distributed throughout tropical India.

General Characters
The plant is a moderate sized evergreen tree growing up to 12 meter in height. Leaves are simple, alternately arranged, dark green and shiny in colour. There are two types of flowers with short stalk, in rounded axillary clusters; females are green and 4 mm across. Fruits are ellipsoid or rounded drupes, white velvetly, seed normally one, stone pointed and very hard. The plant flowers during March-April and bears fruits during January-March.

Common name    :    English- Elephant apple
        Hindi- Cwhalta
        Odia- Awoo

Family    :    Dilleniaceae
 
Habit & Distribution: 
It is a tree (Fig. 45 a) which is frequently planted and often grown in gardens. The plant is widely distributed in evergreen forests throughout India.

General Characters
The plant is a moderate sized evergreen tree growing up to 15 in tall. The leaves are deep green in colour, oblong to lanceolate and 15-36 cm in long. The flowers are white, large, up to 5 inches across/ the fruit is rounded, 5-12 cm in diameter aggregate of 15 carpels and each carpel containing 5 seeds embedded in the pulp. The plant flowers during May- June and bears fruits in September-February.

Common name    :    English - Gold mohar
        Hindi - Gul mohar
        Odia - Krusnachuda

Family    :    Fabaceae

Habit & Distribution 
The plant is a tree (Fig. 44 a), commonly planted in gardens and avenues. It is widely planted throughout India as a street tree.

General Characters
The plant reaches up to 30-40 ft in height. Leaves are feathery and grow up to 60 cm long with 11-18 pinnae pairs and many leaflets. The flowers are orange or red in color and more than 10 cm across and appear in corymbs along and at the ends of branches. Pods are 30-60 cm long, green and flaccid when young and turn dark-brown later. The plant bears flowers in the month April-June.

Common name    :    English- Rose wood
        Hindi- Shisham
        Odia- Sissoo

Family    :    Fabaceae

Habit & Distribution
It is a tree (Fig. 43 a), commonly planted along roadsides. The plant is widely distributed throughout India.
 
General Characters
The plant is a medium sized tree with thick, gery or pale brown bark. It reaches up to a maximum of 25m in height and 2-3 m in diameter. The leaves are leathery, alternate and about 15 cm long. The flowers are yellowish in colour and 1.5 cm in long. The pods are oblong, flat, thin and 2.5-7.5 cm long with 3-4 seeds in it. The plant flowers during March-June and bears fruits during November-February.

Common name    :    English- Thron apple
        Hindi- Dhatura
        Odia- Duddura

Family    :    Solanaceae

Habit & Distribution 
The plant is a shrub (Fig. 42 a), commonly found in road sides, waste lands, damp grounds and also in forests. It is widely distributed throughout India and is of cosmopolitan nature.

General Characters
It is an annual shrub growing up to a height of 8 ft. The stem is green or purple in colour and leaves are ovate and irregularly lobed about 5-12.5 cm long. Flowers of the plant are white or purple in colour and 6.2-12.5 cm in size. The fruit is an egg shaped spiny capsule almost 5 cm in diameter. The plant flowers and bears fruits in the month of November.

Common name    :    English- Bermuda grass
        Hindi- Dub
        Odia- Duba ghasa

Family    :    Poaceae

Habit & Distribution
The plant is fairly common in lawns, roadsides, cultivated lands, damp grounds, wastelands etc. It is widely distributed throughout India. (Fig. 41 a)

General Characters
It is a variable perennial creeper with hairy leaves, 3-7 spikes (rarely 2) together at the top of the stem. The stem is erect and often grows 1-30 cm in height. It has a deep root system that grows to over 2 m deep in to the soil. It flowers and bears fruits throughout the year.

Common name    :    English- Giant dodder
        Hindi- Amar bel
        Odia- Nirmuli
 
Family    :    Cuscutaceae
 
Habit & Distribution
It is a parasitic plant (Fig. 40 a) that usually grows in a profilic manner over other plants as support. It is widely distributed throughout India. 

General Characters
The plant is a creeper with yellowish-green or yellow stem and often in dense mass. The flowers of the plant are white or pinkish and almost 6-7.5 mm long. The corolla of the flower is tubular with short reflected lobes. The fruits are fleshy and globose with conical in shape. It bears flowers during October to December and bears fruits during December-Jnauary.

Common name    :    English- Wild cucumber
        Hindi- Khira
        Odia- Pita kakudi

Family    :    Cucurbitaceae
 
Habit & Distribution
It is a herbaceous climber (Fig. 39a) apparently wild in open waste lands and distributed all over India.

General Characters
The plant is a herbaceous climber with simple tendrils. Leaves are entire or shallowly 5 lobed with 12 cm across and 15 cm petiole. Flowers are yellow in colour, 1.7-2.5cm across. The fruits are oblong, yellowish-green, glabrous and covered with rigid hairs or soft spines. Flowering and fruiting occur during September-November.

Common name    :    English- Rattle pods
        Hindi- San 
        Odia- Junujhunuka

Family    :    Fabaceae

Habit & Distribution: 
It is a shrub (Fig. 38 a), common in waste places, roadsides and river banks. It is widely distributed in India.

General Characters
The plant is a perennial shrub, with stems ascending or erect, 1-2 m tall. Leaves are trifoliate, leaflets elliptic, ovate, 2.8-9.5 cm long and 1.2-4.5 cm wide. Flowers are yellow, 1-1.5 cm long, somewhat long inflorescence about 15-40 cm long. Pods brown at maturity, 3.5-3.8 cm long. The plant flowers and bears fruits during April.

Common name    :    English- Indian cherry
        Hindi- Lasora 
        Odia- Ambota/Gualikoli

Family    :    Boraginaceae

Habit & Distribution 
The plant is a small tree (Fig. 37a), found frequently in mixed forests and distributed throughout India.

General Characters
The plant is a small tree with ususaly drooping branches and spreading crown. The stem bark is grayish brown, smooth or longitudinally wrinkled. Leaves are orbicular, elliptic-oblong, entire with 6-12.5 cm long. Flowers are white, pinkish white, fragrant, short stalked. The fruit is a yellow shining globose or ovoid drupe seated in a saucer like enlarged calyx and it turns black on ripening and the pulp gets viscoid. The plant flowers during March-April and bears fruits during July-September.

Common name    :    English- White jute
        Hindi- Titapat 
        Odia- Jhota

Family    :    Tiliaceae

Habit & Distribution
It is a herb (Fig. 36 a), commonly cultivated throughout India for fiber purpose.

General Charcaters
The plant is an erect, annual herb reaching up to 1-2 m height. The stems are usually purplish white. Leaves are ovate-lanceolate, 5-12 cm long, pointed at the tip and rounded at the base. The flowers are borne in small groups in the axils of the leaves about 4 mm long. The capsules are round to ovoid and about 1 cm in diameter. The plant flowers and bears fruits during July-November.

Common name    :    English- Elephant ear taro
        Hindi- Kachu/Kachlu
        Odia- Saru

Family    :    Araceae

Habit & Distribution
It is a herb (Fig. 35 a), commonly found in damp, shady places and also cultivated. The plant is widely distributed throughout the hotter parts of India.

General Characters
The plant is a tuberous bulb plant growing about 3-5 ft in height. The plant has large leaves. The leaves are heart shapes, 2-3 ft long with a long stalk of about 3 ft height. The flowers are yellowish-white spathes and spadixes are frequently produced. It bears flowers and fruits during June-November. 

Common name    :    English- Adlay/Job’s tear
        Hindi- Gurlu 
        Odia- Garagada

Family    :    Poaceae

Habit & Distribution
The plant is a herb (Fig. 34 a), usually found near water bodies, way sides of agricultural lands etc. It is widely distributed throughout the hot and damp parts of India and commonly seen in tropics.

General Characters
The plant is an annual grass rooting at the lower nodes, spongy, glabarous and grows up to 0.9-2 m in height. The leaves are flat, linear, and acuminate with a strong midrib and 10-40 cm long and 205-4 cm in width. The spikes are 6-10 cm long, erect and penduncled. The fruits are hard, bony, ovoid, shining white or nearly black in colour. It bears flowers during September to November and carries fruits during December to February.

Common name    :    English- Croton
        Hindi- Croton 
        Odia- Baska

Family    :    Euphorbiaceae

Habit & Distribution
It is an evergreen shrub (Fig. 33 a) widely planted in gardens and also cultivated. It is distributed throughout tropical region.

General Characters
The plant is a shrub which grows up to 10 ft in height and having large, leathery and shiny leaves. Depending on the cultivar, the leaves may be ovate to linear, entire to deeply lobed and variegated with green, white, purple, orange, yellow, red or pink colours. It bears long clusters of small inconspicuous white or yellow flowers. The plant bears flowers and fruits during dry seasons (March-June).

Common name    :    English- Coconut
        Hindi- Nariyal
        Odia- Nadia

Family    :    Arecaceae

Habit & Distribution
The plant is a large palm (Fig. 32 a), commonly cultivated, especially in the coastal belts. It is cultivated in the hot and damp regions of India mostly near the sea.

General Characters
It is a large palm reaching up to 30 m in height with pinnate leaves, 4-6 m long and with pinnae 60-90 cm long. The fruit of the plant is a drup and it carries 3 layers; the exocarp, mesocarp and endocarp. The plant has fibrous root system. The tree bears both male and female flowers on the same inflorescence, thus the plant is monoecious. It bears flowers and fruits throughout the year.

Common name    :    English- Hill glory bower
        Hindi- Bhant
        Odia- Genguti

Family    :    Verbenaceae

Habit & Distribution
The plant is a shrub (Fig. 31a), common in shady waste places, edges of forests, waysides etc. It is distributed throughout India.

General Characters
It grows up to 1-2 m high, with quadrangular branches covered with silky hairs. Leaves are oval, hairy and oppositely arranged with 10-20 cm long. The base of leaves is heart shaped. Flowers are white, tinged with pink, occur in large panicles. The 5 white petals are tinged pink at base. Four long stamens, 3 cm in size, protrude out of the flower. The plant flowers during January-March and bears fruits during April-July.

Common name    :    English- Orange
        Hindi- Santra 
        Odia- Kamala

Family    :    Rutaceae

Habit & Distribution 
The plant is a small tree (Fig.30a), commonly cultivated in hilly areas and widely seen in India and other subtropical countries.

General Characters
It is a small tree of moderate size, and grows up to 15-20 ft in height. The branches are slender, erect or spreading and spinous. The leaves of the plants are shiny and leathery, oblong to elliptic and grow up to 10 cm long having narrow wings in their petioles. The flowers are white in colour and are seen arranged in clusters of 1-6. Fruits are variable in size and shape, oblate and 7.5 cm in diameter ripen to light or deep yellow in colour. The plant flowers during January to June and bears fruits during November and December. 

Common name    :    English- Golden shower
        Hindi- Sundaraj 
        Odia- Sunari

Family    :    Fabaceae

Habit & Distribution 
The plant is a medium sized tree (Fig. 29 a), fairly common in forests and often also planted. It is widely distributed throughout India.

General Character
It is a medium sized tree having smooth bark. The leaflets are up to 4-8 pairs, ovate and oblong. Flowers of the plant are light yellow, and at least 30-60 cm long. The fruits are dark brown, long and cylindrical pods. Plants do flower during April and June, and fruiting occurs during March.

Common name    :    English- Papaya
        Hindi- Papaya/Papeeta
        Odia- Amruta bhanda

Family    :    Caricaceae

Habit & Distribution
The plant is a small tree (Fig. 28 a), commonly cultivated throughout India. The plant is widely distributed in tropical and subtropical regions.

General Characters
It is a soft tree. The leaves are large, palmately lobed, long petiole with hollow and swollen base. Sepals and petals are in alternate whorls. The flowers are yellowish-white in colour, and fruits are large and 1 celled. It bears flowers and fruits throughout the year.

Common name    :    English- Rubber bush
        Hindi- Akada
        Odia- Arakha

Family    :    Asclepiadaceae
 
Habit & Distribution
It is a shrub (Fig. 27 a), common weed, mostly found in disturbed sites, roadsides, and wastelands and roadsides. It is widely distributed in hot and dry areas of India.

General Characters
The plant is a shrub that grows up to 4 m in height. Leaves of the plant are opposite, gray green, broadky elliptic, large upto 15 cm long and 10 cm broad with a pointed tip. Flowers are waxy white, 5 petals, purple tipped inside and with a central purplish crown. Fruits are gray-green, inflated 8-12 cm long and contain numerous seeds. Flowering and fruiting occur during December and July. 

Common name    :    English- Gaint milk weed
        Hindi- Akoa
        Odia- Arakha

Family    :    Asclepiadaceae 

Habit & Distribution
The plant is a shrub. (Fig. 26 a) The plant is frequently found in waste grounds and roadsides. It is widely distributed throughout India.

General Characters
The plant is a stout-tomentose shrub. Leaves of the plant are 10-16×8-10 cm size, smaller in branchlets with elliptic-ovate to obovate in shape. The fowers are pale purple or greenish white in colour, 3 cm across having 5 pointed petals. The fruit is saccate, 6×3 cm ovoid, inflated and boat shaped. The plant flowers during December and July and bears fruits during February and June.

Common name    :    English- Peacock flower
        Hindi- Guletura
        Odia- Godibana

Family    :    Caesalpiniaceae

Habit & Distribution 
The plant is a shrub (Fig. 25a), commonly found in gardens and sometimes in wild. It is cultivated throughout India and probably native to tropical America, now widely cultivated in the tropics.

General Characters
The plant is a branched shrub or small tree that reaches up to 3-4 m in height. The leaves of the plants are bipinnate, 20-40 cm long, bearing 3-10 pairs of pinnae, each with 6-10 pairs of leaflets. The flowers are yellow or red in colour and borne in racemes up to 20 cm long. Petals are four in number, subequal and transversely oblong above the long claw. The plant flowers and fruits during most parts of the year.

Common name    :    English- Fever nut/Grey Nicker
        Hindi- Kat-karanj 
        Odia- Gila

Family    :    Caesalpiniaceae

Habit & Distribution
The plant is a herb (Fig. 24 a), commonly found in hedges, thickets, scrub forests etc. and is distributed throughout India.

General Characters
It is a large climber with staright or recurved prickles. The branchlets are hairy and leaflets are 8 pairs with elliptic and lanceolate shape. Flowers are yellow, simple and usually supra-axillary. The pods are broadly oblong with 5-7.5×4 cm in size. It is 1-2 seeded and the seeds are large and round, 1-8cm diameter. The testa is very hard. The flowering time for the plant is August to October and it bears fruits during December to April.

Common name    :    English- Bastard teak
        Hindi- Palash
        Odia- Palash

Family    :    Fabaceae 

Habit & Distribution
The plant is a tree distributed throughout India, fairly common especially in the drier parts of north-west odisha.

General Characters 
It is a small or medium sized dry deciduous tree, reaching to 15 m. in height. It is a slow growing tree. The leaves are pinnate, with about 8-12 cm long petiole and three leaflets, each leaflets of about 10-20 cm long. The flowers are 2.5 cm long, bright orange red, and produced in racemes up to 15 cm long (Fig. 23a). The fruit is a pod. The plant flowers during February and April, and bears fruits during May-July. The plant is popularly known as flame of the forest.

Common name    :    English- Miracle leaf
        Hindi- Zakhm-haiyal 
        Odia- Amarpoi

Family    :    Crassulaceae

Habit & Distribution 
The plant is a herb (Fig. 22 a), mostly found in rocky areas and also in plains. It is widely distributed in tropical area.

General Characters
It is a succulent herb, grows upto 1-2m in height. The leaves of the plant are simple, opposite, 3-5 lobed, thick and fleshy with crenate margins. Flowers are pink, or purple in colour. The plant has thick, flexible and short stems. The plant flowers during November to March. Fruiting occurs between January and February.

Common name    :    English- Palm
        Hindi- Taad
        Odia- Tala
Family    :    Arecaceae

Habit & Distribution 
It is a large tree and widely planted crop (Fig. 21a). The plant is native to tropical Africa but cultivated and naturalized throughout india.

General Character
The plant is a large tree and grows upto 30-40 m. in height. The trunk may have a circumference of 1.7 m at the base. The leaves are palmate, leathery, gray green and 1-3 m in wide with folded along at the midrib. Inflorescences are 90-150 cm long and branched. Fruits are ovoid, 15-20 cm in diameter with fibrous and fleshy mesocarp. The plant flowers during February to March and bears fruits during April to August.

Common name    :    English- Red silk cotton
        Hindi- Shalmali 
        Odia- Simili
Family    :    Bombacaceae 

Habit & Distribution: 
It is a tree (Fig. 20 a), fairly common throughout India. It is found in hot, dry river valleys, and the deciduous belt of the hills.

General Characters
The plant is a tree with prickly trunk and branches when young and grows up to a height of 25 meters with a spreading crown. Leaves are compound, stipulate, and clustered at twig ends with 12-25 cm long. Flowers are bright red in colour, 10-12 cm across, solitary or in fascicles and usually on leafless branches. Fruits are woody capsule, 5-valved with many seeds. The plant flowers during January-March and bears fruits during March to May.

Common name    :    English- Annatto
        Hindi- Latkan/Kumkum 
        Odia- Kumkuma

Family    :    Bixaceae

Habit & Distribution 
The plant is a shrub (Fig. 19 a), cultivated and naturalized, also planted in gardens. It is frequently cultivated throughout India.

Common name    :    English- Butterfly tree
        Hindi- Khairwal
        Odia- Kuilari          
Family    :    Caesalpiniaceae

Habit & Distribution 
It is a moderate sized tree (Fig. 18a), seen frequently in forests and often planted. It is distributed in foothill areas also and cultivated throughout India.

General Characters
The plant is a moderate sized tree with ashy or dark brown bark color. Leaves are often oblong, about 5-18, deeply lobed from one third way down to nearly the base with scarcely overlapping. Flowers are purple, large on terminal panicled racemes. Pods are 15-30×18-25 cm long, narrow below, somewhat broadening upwards. The plant flowers during September-February and bears fruits during February-March.

Common name    :    English- Indian spinach
        Hindi- Poi 
        Odia- Poi
Family    :    Basellaceae

Habit & Distribution 
The plant is a twining herb (Fig. 17 a), commonly cultivated and often found in wild state on rocky grassy hill sides. Also widely cultivated throughout India.

General Characters
It is a twining succulent herb with green stem and petioles. Leaves of the plant are broadly ovate and green to purplish in colour. Flowers are pinkish or purple in colour. Fruits are berries, ovoid or depressed-globose, turns black after ripening with deep purple juice.

Common name    :    English- Percupine Flower
        Hindi- Jhinti 
        Odia- Daskaranta

Family    :    Acanthaceae 

Habit & Distribution
The plant is a shrub (Fig. 16 a), common in waste places, roadsides and dry places. It is distributed throughout India.

Common name    :    English- Bamboo
        Hindi- Bans
        Odia- Baunsa
Family    :    Gramineae (Poaceae)

Habit & Distribution
It is a perennial tree (Fig. 15a), family common in mixed forest or dry hills, and often found in shady slopes and allovial plains.