Oroxylum Indicum on the Gangetic Plains, flowers fallen on a public footpath UD 08042011 001

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ushadi Micromini

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Aug 4, 2011, 6:20:17 AM8/4/11
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Dear All:

I was given to understand that  best  Oroxylum indicum, or  Shonyak of Ayurvedic medicine comes from those growing at the Himalayan foothills,  and I did not expect them in gangetic plains.

 

So I was very surprised when in peripheral vision out of running cab window I spotted some sword- like pods, and on second look saw leaves similar those on a 2 foot tall sapling I had seen in a herbal garden in Jamnagar about a decade ago...  here was a stand of Oroxylum indicum on the hot humid and  almost at or even a foot or two below sea level Gangetic plains....  on the northern fringes of Calcutta...

 

I stopped and took some pictures, and picked up a fallen flower....  from the PUBLIC sidewalk...

could not see or take pictures of the trunk or the bark etc....because of a huge  wall and could not pick up more of the fallen flowers because no sooner had I picked up a flower and spread it open that a cycle riding plains clothes person came and very authoritatively shooed me away..  saying it was a restricted area....   I could not understand how can a public footpath with two bus-stops within 50 feet of where I was standing be a restricted area...

 

Anyway, when I got home I had some dark and one acceptable picture of the leaves...Pods had previously opened and most likely dispersed its seeds away..the day before it had rained very heavily..... I did not see any on the footpath below in that quick 2 minute sojourn...

 

Details: *Oroxylum indicum*

Family:       Bignoniaceae

Genus:                 Oroxylum

Species:  * Oroxylum  indicum*

Sanskrit :  अरलु aralu,  श्योनक shyonaka

Gujarati and Marathi : टा यिटू tayitu, टेटु tetu

Hindi:   शल्लक shallaka

Santhal tribals call it: Rengebanam

 

The open flower shows 5 stamens …. See recent other threads about Shyonak/oroxylum indicum  this week …


***   Root bark and seeds are medicinal…

Root bark is an important constituent of Dashmool…. Very important in normalizing the gut related immune functions and improving the health of GI mucosa… normalizing it…  many many more…  recent research points to possible anticancer properties  of the kwath of dashmool and of the seeds…  much remains to study by astute modern clinicians….

 

Ushadi

Oroxylum indicum 1 trees what I saw driving by DSC02372 small crop name.jpg
Oroxylum indicum 2 fallen flower closed DSC02385 small cropped name.jpg
oroxylum indicum 3 flower fallen opened DSC02386 small freeform crop OPENED name.jpg
Oroxylum indicum 4 leaf flower stalk and sticks typical DSC02380 small crop name.jpg
Oroxylum indicum 5 typical sword like seed pods DSC02376 small crop name.jpg
Oroxylum indicum 6 leaves color Open seedpods NO seeds DSC02378 small name.jpg

Neil Soares

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Aug 4, 2011, 6:51:33 AM8/4/11
to efloraofindia, ushadi Micromini
Nice photographs Dr. Usha ! Seeds are clearly seen [in 2 pods on the left and one pod on the right] in the last photograph.
                  Regards,
                   Neil Soares.

--- On Thu, 8/4/11, ushadi Micromini <micromi...@gmail.com> wrote:
Oroxylum indicum, Tetu, Ullu - seed dispersal 1.jpg
Oroxylum indicum, Tetu, Ullu - seed dispersal 2.jpg

ushadi Micromini

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Aug 4, 2011, 7:00:52 AM8/4/11
to Neil Soares, efloraofindia
Thanks, Neil....please call me Usha...NO DR....
ha ha..
if you keep calling me Dr. Usha, I then have to call you Dr. Neil... that would go against my notions of fully operational democracy.... and I dont want to have to go against the grain....

NICE pictures...
How I wish  I could get my hands on a few hundred of these seeds... I want to try out some medicinal self experiment...

Your pictures make it plain to see...
I have seen them in the classes in Jamnagar... they are very light, have "wings" all around ...  I do not know what the terminology of winged seeds is....

Usha di
=======

ushadi Micromini

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Aug 4, 2011, 7:04:31 AM8/4/11
to Neil Soares, efloraofindia
Oh , yes, I know that, that's why I was sorry for myself that that guy came out and shooed me away... I would have loved to hang around for a big nice  wind gust... the seeds would have spilled out .... I tried to argue with the guy ... but its a military camp, I found out later... no arguing with them... they have work to do...

Usha di
======

On Thu, Aug 4, 2011 at 4:21 PM, Neil Soares <drneil...@yahoo.com> wrote:

Neil Soares

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Aug 4, 2011, 9:11:06 AM8/4/11
to ushadi Micromini, efloraofindia
Tetu seeds germinating 'in situ' 1.jpg
Tetu seeds germinating 'in situ' 2.jpg
Tetu seeds germinating 'in situ' 3.jpg

Balkar Arya

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Aug 4, 2011, 11:31:04 AM8/4/11
to Neil Soares, ushadi Micromini, efloraofindia
Nice capture Usha Ji. Once i got a chance to get its one Pod and that is kept in Museum of my College. today after seeing pics of yours i could remember that we have seen this plant in Morni Hills from where we collected its one pod.
--
Regards

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

ushadi Micromini

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Aug 4, 2011, 8:43:04 PM8/4/11
to Balkar Arya, Neil Soares, efloraofindia
where is this hill, what state? how high above sea level?
u
====

Balkar Arya

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Aug 4, 2011, 9:57:47 PM8/4/11
to ushadi Micromini, Neil Soares, efloraofindia
In Haryana near Chandigarh Panchkula District about 800-1000 
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