Re: Planting local plants in our gardens

[J.M. Garg]

Hi, Lavkumar ji,

Pl. e-mail to indian...@googlegroups.com

I am forwarding this message to the group on your behalf.

On 21 September 2010 17:16, lavkumar khachar <lavkuma...@gmail.com> wrote:

Dear Shri Garg,

I have been reading a spate of messages from members on this group. I would like to know how I can send in some messages other than replying. In anycase, may I request you to kindly have this circulated among the group on my behalf?

There are so very many wonderful local plants that could be lovely additions to out gardens that if we start taking them in in a big way, we may change the appearance of Indian gardens making them not only national in character, but very regional at that. I have been encouraging landscapers to do this in Gujarat but unhappily when plants are needed in quantity, nurseries do not have them. The Forest Departments too are more often than not, unable to provide local species of forest trees.

I wonder if in this group we could develop a strong movement whereby our local species become popular. We would also be able to help some of the more endangered ones to be propagated and ensure their conservation. I can think of the Glory Lily (Tiger Lily/ Gauri Lily). Could friends who have this plant not only propagate it, but help others on the group to acquire the bulbs? I for one would love to have a cluster in my garden and to see that all gardens of friends have specimens so that it becomes widespread.

What I have to say about this species would apply to our wonderful trees, shrubs and perennial woody climbers.

Regards,

Lavkumar Khachar. 

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[Pankaj Oudhia]

Garg ji, it always surprises me that how people allow Gloriosa in their home garden where children and pets visit frequently. Unfortunately I have seen many cases of Gloriosa poisoning in urban areas. It has taken many lives also. It is very very toxic plant. Accidental ingestion of its small part may take life within minutes. Anand ji can throw more light as he writes about toxic plants.

In my state the natives have named it as Jhaghadhin means plant that creates disputes in family if planted in home garden. Thats why natives always keep distance from it. One of the reasons behind this name is to keep the common people away from toxic plant.

The Traditional Healers use this herb with utmost care. Even after touching its flowers they wash their hands from black soil.

Many years back Down to Earth reported the sadening story of Gloriosa growers in TN. At that time the production of this herb was surplus and farmers were committing suicide by consuming it.

The plant warns us from its flower color that I am toxic and keep distance with me. The modern research also confirms it. Gloriosa contains Colchicine which is used for creating mutation in Genetical studies. Without knowing this bare fact urban people are unnecessary promoting this toxic herb near population.

Dr. E.A.Farrington writes in Clinical Materia Medica that Aconite is very toxic but when in other country it was promoted as hedge, in decades it lost the toxic properties, Many times domestication of wild types changes the properties of herb.

But for Gloriosa it will take time as domestication has started in recent past.

Gloriosa is no doubt endangered but if you want to conserve it, select speific area, grow it and save it from human beings.

PLEASE keep it far from human population. Please correct me if I am wrong.

regards

Pankaj Oudhia   

[Anand Kumar Bhatt]

Pankaj-ji is absolutely right. I have written a small piece on Poisonous Plants of India which is in my blogsite. The link is:

http://anandkbhatt.blogspot.com/2008/12/some-poisonous-plants-of-india.html

There is a sequel also in which a few more plants have ben added. 

ak

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[formp...@yahoo.com]

In Marathi also called as Kal lavi meabs induce fighting.
Madhuri

Sent from BlackBerry® on Airtel

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From: Pankaj Oudhia <pankaj...@gmail.com>

Sender: indian...@googlegroups.com

Date: Wed, 22 Sep 2010 11:18:42 +0530

To: efloraofindia<indian...@googlegroups.com>

Subject: Re: [efloraofindia:47902] Re: Planting local plants in our gardens

[Pankaj Kumar]

As far as I remember, Gloriosa superba belongs to family Colchicaceae
and has underground horizontal tuberoids which contains low amount of
Colchicine, which is believed to be mitotic poison as it inhibits cell
division. In jharkhand, they usually dont plant it in the garden as
according to the myth it brings bad omen to the house nearest to it.
But they do use the plant for various medicinal purpose from wild.
All plants needs to be handled with care. Even a simple plant like
Taraxacum can cause death, Gloriosa is a big deal.
I remember reading one news somewhere. A person died while preparing
string of beads using Abrus precatorius seeds. He was making holes in
the seed using a needle. The needle must have come out from the other
side of the seed and punctured his skin reaching the blood vessels
underneath.
Pankaj

--
***********************************************
"TAXONOMISTS GETTING EXTINCT AND SPECIES DATA DEFICIENT !!"

Pankaj Kumar Ph.D. (Orchidaceae)
Research Associate
Greater Kailash Sacred Landscape Project
Department of Habitat Ecology
Wildlife Institute of India
Post Box # 18
Dehradun - 248001, India

[Pankaj Oudhia]

Thanks Madhuri ji. It is new information for me.

regards

Pankaj Oudhia

On Wed, Sep 22, 2010 at 1:23 PM, <formp...@yahoo.com> wrote:

[Dinesh Valke]

Madhuri ji ... remembering to have read somewhere that kal-lavi (Marathi: कळलावी) means: induces labour (pain).
Regards.

[promila chaturvedi]

Lavkumar Ji,

I fully agree with you . We should also use indigenous trees and shrubs in landscape, but the problem is thatso many of our Lanscapists are Architects, who, at times, overlook the importance of soft landscaping. May be  they do not have much idea of plants or they do not consider plant that important. But those, who want to use local flora, do not get it. You have correctly dignosed the problem. We all depend on nurserymen who do not keep them.

Unless we have our own stock somewhere they cannot be used.
Promila

 

On Wed, Sep 22, 2010 at 10:17 AM, J.M. Garg <jmg...@gmail.com> wrote:

[Pankaj Oudhia]

As Traditional medicine one of its uses is to hasten the process of delivery i.e. child birth. In this context Dinesh ji's comment looks in positive direction. Lets wait for comments of other members.

regards

Pankaj Oudhia

[Bhatt Sweta]

Few years back i was working in the forest of Chotta Udepur, Gujarat. The plant used to grow randomly in the forest. However, what i want to tell here is that the local tribes were aware about the poisonous nature of this plant to the extent that they use to tie the fruits of this plant on the back of their cattles to save them from being meals of the big cats in the region. And if any cat dared to make the meal of the cattle, it used to be found dead the next morning.....

--

Bhatt Shweta

Asso. Prof.,

TCSC,

Doctoral Research Student,

M.S.U.

[Pankaj Oudhia]

Thanks a lot Shewta ji for valuable information.

This very useful website gives details of Gloriosa poisoning, although updates are required in the site.

http://www.inchem.org/documents/pims/plant/pim245.htm

I have posted another link earlier also related to LTTE and Glory Lily. The BBC link describes about poisonous nature of Gloriosa.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/3631793.stm


regards

Pankaj Oudhia

[Bhatt Sweta]

Thanks a lot for this detailed info.

[mohina macker]

The trouble with wanting to plant native is trees is the lack of
information and also a lack of saplings. But it is not impossible.
With help from many friends and tree guides I was able to make a
tentative list of saplings that I wanted for my place in Alibaug. Then
they had to be found. Vivek Broome and Oikos in pune have a good
number of native tree saplings. They were also kind and patient enough
to educate me about how and where these saplings could be best
planted. Go green in karnala and a tiny nursery called nirmaya in
karjat have some native tree saplings. Bhavan's college nursery has a
few, and some of friends helped me procure a few as well. Commercial
nurseries sometimes have interesting stuff, I got a few cochleospermum
religiosum from one such nursery. Unfortunately most forest nurseries
dont have native trees and in any case are not even very helpful. But
it is really a case of how badly you want something and whether you
are willing to go thru a spot of bother to get it.

[arvind kadus]

Dear all,Kal-lavi (Marathi: कळलावी) means: induces labour (pain).is correct.In Ayurveda some ref.are there regarding this.It is having synonames like Agnishikha ( Flowers are like Agni), Garbhanut/ garbhapatini i.e. it induces labour.,  Visha i.e. Poisonous. Though it is poisonous it is used in many preparations by purifying the rhizomes. In Konkan areas the people using the flowers  to decorate in the Ganesh festival, they called it as Gauriche haat. We also many times collected the flowers of the same plants to decorate or for study. We didn't had any problem. Handling of the flowers doesnt cause any harm its my opinion.The Colchicine which is in higher % in the Seeds as compare to Roots is used in Biotechnology. In TN large no plantation is there for Colchicine. I think there is no substance in the world which is not a medicine unless and untill you use it with brain ( by Ayurveda). So we are using Aconite, Nux vomica, Dhtaura seeds and many other Medicines given in Ayurveda. Thanx, Dr.Kadus Arvind,Pune.

[Pankaj Oudhia]

Arvind ji, you have written

" In TN large no plantation is there for Colchicine."

Please check this link

"At present Gloriosa was raised in over 1,100 hectares and annually 220 tonnes of seeds are produced and exported for production of medicines "

http://www.hindu.com/2008/01/06/stories/2008010654930500.htm


I am in touch with atleast 100 farmers and traders related to Gloriosa trade in TN. Gloriosa is state flower of TN.

regards

Pankaj Oudhia