IDENTIFICATION OF WILD FLOWER

[vikram jit singh]

Dear Mr Garg,

Could your group of experts please help identify and describe this wild flower i photographed in the foothills of chandigarh. These flowers were found growing on the banks of a wheat field..

I am writing about these flowers in the newspaper and would require your expertise.

Regards,

Vikram Jit Singh.

9814019356

215 Sector 19

Chandigarh.

Columnist and writer for

The Times of India

Columnist for

The Dainik Bhaskar

The Hindustan Times.

[Balkar Singh]

Peristrophe paniculata may be

--
Regards

Dr Balkar Singh
Head, Deptt. of Botany and Biotechnology
Arya P G College, Panipat
Haryana-132103
09416262964

[Gurcharan Singh]

Balkar ji it is I suppose Dicliptera bupleuroides Nees

https://groups.google.com/forum/#!searchin/indiantreepix/Acanthaceae$20Week:$20Dicliptera$20bupleuroides$20from$20Manali/indiantreepix/rlwL4AL-4ls/mOkvsHHQkSgJ 

In Peristrophe paniculate (now correctly known as Dicliptera paniculata) the inflorescence is much longer and broader on long stalks and petals much narrower.

https://groups.google.com/forum/#!searchin/indiantreepix/Peristrophe$20paniculata/indiantreepix/gUGEuzZrpR8/0xdtSNzjrRwJ

https://groups.google.com/forum/#!searchin/indiantreepix/Peristrophe$20paniculata/indiantreepix/Wus6nvZixLw/EJsCRNE3WZcJ

https://groups.google.com/forum/#!searchin/indiantreepix/Peristrophe$20paniculata/indiantreepix/XpAv241LsiA/kiKCbV5aJ3QJ

-- 
Dr. Gurcharan Singh
Retired  Associate Professor
SGTB Khalsa College, University of Delhi, Delhi-110007
Res: 932 Anand Kunj, Vikas Puri, New Delhi-110018.
Phone: 011-25518297  Mob: 9810359089
http://people.du.ac.in/~singhg45/ 

[Vijay]

It looks like Dicliptera sp.
Vijayasankar

Sent from my iPhone

> <Compressed-1.jpg>

[Balkar Singh]

Thanks for Correction Sir

[vikram jit singh]

Thanks very much for the help. could u please spell out the full name of this flower and provide some background info.

On Sat, Jan 28, 2012 at 10:48 AM, Vijay <vijay.b...@gmail.com> wrote:

--

[Giby Kuriakose]

Since the inflorescence of this plant is axillary clusters and not panicles, this may not be P. paniculata.

Regards,

Giby

--
GIBY KURIAKOSE PhD
Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE),
Royal Enclave,
Jakkur Post, Srirampura
Bangalore- 560064
India
Phone - +91 9448714856 (Mobile)
visit my pictures @ http://www.flickr.com/photos/giby

[Giby Kuriakose]

Yes I agree with Gurcharan ji and Vijay as this plant is Dicliptera bupleuroides of Acanthaceae family 

http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=242421981 



Regards

Giby

[Gurcharan Singh]

Perhaps a caution is needed in light of diverse treatment in eFlora of Pakistan and eFlora of China.

Flora of British India recognises two taxa:  D. roxburghiana Nees growing in plains on N. India from Punjab to Assam (it has elliptic acute leaves; bracts elliptic or obovate, apiculate not acuminate (less than twice as long as broad-eFl China) and D. roxburghiana var. bupleuroides growing in hills from 1000-6000 ft. (which is now treated as distinct species D. bupleuroides; leaves ovate or elliptic acute or acuminate; bracts linear or linear-oblong nearly parallel sided and acuminate-cuspidate at tip)

Pakistan Flora does not list D. roxburghiana and treats D. roxburgiana auct (non Nees); T. Anders  as synonym of D. bupleuroides, in which flowers are supposed to be 12-15 mm long, lists flowers shorter than 5 mm in D. verticillata which also has linear-lanceolate bracts.

Flora of China luckily includes both the species D. bupleuroides (corolla 5 mm long) and D. chinensis (L.) Juss. (with D. roxburghiana Nees as synonym). Both are reported to be growing in India, D. bupleuroides according to Useful Plants of India, CSIR known as Bouna in Simla and D. Roxburhiana as Kirch or Somni in Punjab.

Luckily Vikram ji not following the posting guidelines has been blessing in disguise, because after downloading I could enlarge the photograph and focus on bracteoles, they are clearly broader and nearly rounded at apex  nearly obovate with apiculate apex, suggesting that species could be D. chinensis, that matches with distribution in FBI.

I am attaching the cropped photograph

-- 
Dr. Gurcharan Singh
Retired  Associate Professor
SGTB Khalsa College, University of Delhi, Delhi-110007
Res: 932 Anand Kunj, Vikas Puri, New Delhi-110018.
Phone: 011-25518297  Mob: 9810359089
http://people.du.ac.in/~singhg45/ 

[vikram jit singh]

Dear Mr Garg,

Could your group of experts please help identify and describe this wild flower i photographed in the foothills of chandigarh, ie the Lower Shiwaliks. .

[Gurcharan Singh]

Argemone mexicana, family Papaveraceae

local names: Pila dhatura, Bhat katia

English names: Pickly poppy

Plant of West Indies and Mexico now naturalized in many parts of world.

-- 

Dr. Gurcharan Singh

Retired  Associate Professor
SGTB Khalsa College, University of Delhi, Delhi-110007
Res: 932 Anand Kunj, Vikas Puri, New Delhi-110018.
Phone: 011-25518297  Mob: 9810359089

http://www.gurcharanfamily.com/ 
http://people.du.ac.in/~singhg45/ 

[Pankaj Oudhia]

Thanks Gurcharan ji. It seems that you missed to quote the source of above mentioned information. It is 

http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=5&taxon_id=200009118 

Please note that Bhat Katia is wrongly mentioned in that link. Bhatkatiya or Bhat Katia is Hindi name for Solanum xanthocarpum. Argemone is known as Satyanashi in general.

regards

Pankaj Oudhia

[Gurcharan Singh]

Thanks Pankaj ji for information

Here are more names from Useful Plants of India (CSIR).

Sans. & Tel: Bramhadandi

Hindi: Bharband

Beng: Siyal kanta

Tam: Kudiyoetti

Kan: Datturi

Mal: Ponnummattam

-- 

Dr. Gurcharan Singh

Retired  Associate Professor
SGTB Khalsa College, University of Delhi, Delhi-110007
Res: 932 Anand Kunj, Vikas Puri, New Delhi-110018.
Phone: 011-25518297  Mob: 9810359089

http://www.gurcharanfamily.com/ 
http://people.du.ac.in/~singhg45/ 

[Vijayasankar]

The most commonly used Tamil names for Argemone mexicana are:  பிரம்ம தண்டு ‘Birammha thandu' and நாய் கடுகு 'Nai kadugu’
I think the seeds are poinonous (?) and can easily be confused with mustard.
Traditional healers in Tiruvannamalai district (Tamil Nadu) use the seeds for treating blackened skins near eyes in some just-delivered women, to regain the normal skin colour.
They also use the petal-juice for the treatment of any eye infection or injury.
(Disclaimer: This is just for information, and not to use without consulting expert healers/doctors).

 

Regards 

 

Vijayasankar Raman
National Center for Natural Products Research
University of Mississippi

[ushadi Micromini]

Vikram:   If you were to google it... you'll see that the seeds are a deliberate adulterant of mustard seeds,  even as little as 1 gram per hundred grams of oil leads to capillary leakage of protein rich fluids into soft tissues of the body and hence the name Dropsy...  which has no specific therapy, once a diagnosis is made ... treatment is only supportive....  and a definitive diagnosis can be made by detecting the exact toxin   sanguinarine  in Urine...  such dropsy most recover but there are instances where  death/deaths occur.. and hence is a public health hazard...

What  i find fascinating is that the tradesmen try to pass the buck and say the adulteration was accidental... most often its intentional .. since the Sheyal Kanta oil is very cheap... compared to Mustard oil...

There is a very strongly put forward argument  at this URL , that I found to the point and very informative http://www.itg.be/itg/distancelearning/lecturenotesvandenendene/47_Medical_problems_caused_by_plantsp8.htm of about 4000 pages that show up on google.

Good luck
and please send us a reprint or scanned article when you do write this up....

Usha di
============

On Thu, Apr 26, 2012 at 2:21 PM, vikram jit singh <vikramji...@gmail.com> wrote:

--
Usha di
===========

[Pankaj Oudhia]

Thanks Vijayashankar ji for sharing important information. 

It is really surprising that the dropsy caused by Argemone seed oil is successfully treated with the help of other plant parts of Argemone itself. I have reported this unique Traditional Knowledge.

Seeds are poisonous but used as traditional medicine as such and also after purification by the Healers. Argemone plant parts are used in hundreds of Formulations in Traditional Healing and most of these Formulations are still waiting for proper documentation. 

regards

Pankaj Oudhia 

[Dinesh Valke]

Many many thanks Vijayasankar ji for the more common names in Tamil.
Many thanks Gurcharan ji for pila dhatura.

Following in my notes:
commonly known as: Mexcian prickly poppy • Bengali: barashil-kantal • Hindi: सत्यानाशी satyanashi • Kannada: ದತ್ತೂರಿ ಗಿಡ್ಡ datturi gidda, ಗೊಳಗೊಳಿಕೆ golagolike • Konkani: फिरंगी धुतरो phirangi dhutro • Malayalam: ponnummattu • Marathi: फिरंगी धोतरा phirangi dhotra • Sanskrit: कनकक्षीरी kanakkshiri, काञ्चनक्षीरी kanchankshiri, क्षीरिणी kshirini, स्वर्णक्षीरी swarnakshiri • Tamil: குடியோட்டி kudiyotti • Telugu: బ్రహ్మదండి brahmadandi


Regards.
Dinesh

[vikram jit singh]

Thanks for the insights. 

How do such alien plant species come into India? Possible ways?

What is Sheyal Kanta oil?

I will send the write-ups on scan, once these are published.

--
Vikram Jit Singh

Golf Columnist and Wildlife Correspondent:

The Times of India

at Chandigarh.

Columnist and Writer for:

The Dainik Bhaskar

Golf Style (India)

The Tribune

The Daily Ajit

215, Sector 19 A,
Chandigarh -- 160019,
India.

0172-2724938

09814019356.

Facebook Profile:

http://www.facebook.com/people/Vikram-Jit-Singh/543394961

[vikram jit singh]

Dear all,

I am attaching a scan of my sunday column in the hindustan times, which carried the piece on argemone mexicana. the full text is pasted below for ready reference.

Thanks.

------------------------------

wildbuzz

 

Vikram Jit Singh

 

Ninny ki prem kahani

 

 

* Wild creatures suffer when men go to war. The 323 Air Defence Regiment was undertaking a field firing exercise of radar-enabled L70 guns in the famous Pokharan deserts of Rajasthan. When the fire and brimstone eased, soldiers found a terrorised Chinkara fawn. Then C.O. of the Regiment, Col. Prem Kumar, posted a Havildar at the spot to stand guard over the fawn, hoping the mother would return. However, the mother was probably dead and after a full day's wait, the Regiment adopted the fawn and christened him `Ninny'. A string of beads was put around its dainty neck. Ninny took readily to the Regiment and the hardened soldiers' hearts melted when Ninny frequented their tents for a tasty morsel. The fawn's HQs was Col. Kumar's house. Whenever annoyed at his whims not being pandered to, Ninny would slink into the Puja room and sulk for hours! As Ninny grew, the Regiment built a mini zoo with a flock of domesticated geese to keep Ninny company. Such was the camarderie that one one memorable occasion when Col. Kumar was herding the geese, he got a rude butt in his backside. It was Ninny rushing to the defence of his goosey girlfriends!  

 

April phool

 

*  A flower of vivid yellow blooms wild in the scrubland forests of the Lower Shiwaliks behind the Sukhna lake. Don't be fooled by its brilliance, though. The Argemone Mexicana (Prickly poppy), which is a plant native to Mexico and the West Indies, has been used by traders to adulterate mustard and rape seed oils. This is because the seeds of Argemone and mustard look very similar. According to botanists of the group, efloraofindia, even if 1g of Argemone seeds are mixed with 100g of oil, it leads to capillary leakage of protein-rich fluids into soft tissues of the human body. The ailment is called Dropsy and it has no specific therapy. There were Dropsy epidemics in India in 1934 (more than 2,000 cases) and in 1998, when 52 died and 2,500 more were hospitalised. This prompted the Government to temporarily ban mustard oil. New cases appeared in the summer of 2003. Efloraofindia botanists say tradesmen try to pass the buck by claiming adulteration was accidental. However, more often than not, adulteration is intentional since Argemone oil is much cheaper than mustard oil.

 

Snakes evict Minister

 

* Snakes seem to have launched a drive to evict Punjab Cabinet Minister Gulzar Singh Ranike from his sprawling bunglow (956 in Sector 39, Chandigarh). In the last five years, a dozen snakes have surfaced amongst the jittery Ranikes. The latest intrusion came when a 3.5 feet Common krait was rescued by snake-rescue expert Salim Khan from Ranike's back lawns on a midnight emergency call last Thursday. The krait is India's most venomous snake, with a toxicity reckoned to be 15 times that of a cobra. A nocturnal snake, It is encountered frequently in City Beautiful homes, stealing around the kitchens in search of cockroaches and lizards. Two pet dogs of the Minister have died. One dog died after it was bitten by cobra/krait. The other dog, a Bull mastiff, died after it was given wrong veterinary treatment following a bite on its face by the Rat snake, which is a non-venomous species. The mastiff had valiantly battled the snake in the laundry room and defended two trembling pups. The snake invasion is one of the main reasons why Ranike is shifting residence to Sector 2, Chandigarh.

 

Flights delayed  

 

* The highly-endangered Yellow-eyed pigeon has gladdened the hearts of ornithologists by prolonging its stay at the Tal Chhapar wildlife sanctuary in Rajasthan. Tal Chhapar's energetic Range Forest Officer, SS Poonia, reports a 100 of these pigeons in April this year. In previous years, the pigeons flew back to Central Asian breeding grounds from Tal Chhapar by March. Historical records of British ornithologists show that there are few instances where these pigeons have been sighted in April. These include sightings by Hugh Whistler in 1912 at Phillaur; Sirsa in 1896; Delhi in 1876; and by Per Undeland at the Harike Wildlife sanctuary, Punjab, in April-May 1995. Colloquially called the Salara in Punjab, the pigeon was last seen at Harike at the beginning of this decade. The shift from pulses and mustard to the wheat-rice cycle robbed this pigeon of a suitable habitat in Punjab. The pigeon's worldwide population is now between 10,000-20,000 with hunting pressures in its breeding grounds contributing to a drastic decline. Black clouds of thousands of pigeons once frequented the Punjab in the early 20th century.

-------------------------------------ENDS----------------------------------

 

 

 

 

   

On Thu, Apr 26, 2012 at 10:03 PM, ushadi Micromini <micromi...@gmail.com> wrote:

[Pankaj Oudhia]

Thanks for sharing. Worrying about this statement

"Argemone oil is much cheaper than mustard oil." 

In fact, there is no Argemone oil as such in market. Argemone seeds are adulterated with Mustard seeds due to similarity. Argemone oil is not mixed with Mustard oil, its seeds only (with Mustard seeds).

regards

Pankaj Oudhia 

[vikram jit singh]

Thanks for the clarification, Mr Oudhia. I based my statement on the following info provided by ushadi in the earlier discussion on this flower:

What i find fascinating is that the tradesmen try to pass the buck and say the adulteration was accidental... most often its intentional .. since the Sheyal Kanta oil is very cheap... compared to Mustard oil...

[Pankaj Oudhia]

It is always good to take second opinion specially in technical issues. 

regards

Pankaj Oudhia

[vikram jit singh]

Dear All,

[vikram jit singh]

Thanks, Chitra, I am attaching another pix for the group's perusal of ``coltsfoot''.

On Thu, May 17, 2012 at 6:22 AM, Chitra Shanker <chitra...@gmail.com> wrote:

The image is not very clear, but it looks like coltsfoot, Tussilago farfara, family:  Asteracea
chitra

--
Dr. Chitra Shanker
Sr. Scientist (Entomology)
Directorate of Rice Research,
Rajendranagar, Hyderabad -500030

[J.M. Garg]

On further examination and discussions at thread: Dicliptera bupleuroides Nees (accepted name) ??? , I feel it should be Dicliptera riparia Nees (syn: Dicliptera roxburghiana var. riparia (Nees) Benoist) as per distribution, specimens and references herein.

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: vikram jit singh <vikramji...@gmail.com>
Date: Sat, 28 Jan 2012 at 10:26
Subject: IDENTIFICATION OF WILD FLOWER
To: J.M. Garg <jmg...@gmail.com>, efloraofindia <indian...@googlegroups.com>

Dear Mr Garg,

Could your group of experts please help identify and describe this wild flower i photographed in the foothills of chandigarh. These flowers were found growing on the banks of a wheat field..

I am writing about these flowers in the newspaper and would require your expertise.

Regards,

Vikram Jit Singh.

9814019356

215 Sector 19

Chandigarh.

Columnist and writer for

The Times of India

Columnist for

The Dainik Bhaskar

The Hindustan Times.

--

With regards,
J.M.Garg

[JM Garg]

  This is D.chinensis as per details at Dicliptera roxburghiana and Dicliptera roxburghiana var. bupleuroides