Jatropha curcas *Family- Euphorbiace *Location-Babhnan Basti Uttar Pradesh India

*Botanical name -Jatropha curcas

*Family- Euphorbiace

*Location-Babhnan Basti Uttar Pradesh India

*Date- 09-01-2022

 The specific epithet, "curcas", was first used by Portuguese doctor Garcia de Orta more than 400 years ago

J. curcas is a semi-evergreen shrub or small tree, reaching a height of 6 m (20 ft) or more.It is resistant to a high degree of aridity, allowing it to grow in deserts. It contains phorbol esters, which are considered toxic.However, edible (non-toxic) provenances native to Mexico also exist, known by the local population as piñón manso, xuta, chuta, aishte, among others.J. curcas also contains compounds such as trypsin inhibitors, phytate, saponins and a type of lectin known as curcin.

The seeds contain 27–40% oil (average: 34.4%) that can be processed to produce a high-quality bio diesel fuel, usable in a standard diesel engine.Edible (non-toxic) varieties can be used for animal feed and food.

@ Shivam Maddhesiya 

Ranunculus sceleratus *Family - Ranunculaceae *English: Cursed Buttercup, Poisonous buttercup, Hindi: Shim, Aglaon, जलधनिया Jaldhaniya

*Botanical name - Ranunculus sceleratus

*Family - Ranunculaceae 

*Location -Babhnan Basti Uttar Pradesh India

*Date- 17-02-2022

English: Cursed Buttercup, Poisonous buttercup, Celery-leaved buttercup, Blister buttercup

Hindi: Shim, Aglaon, जलधनिया Jaldhaniya

Names: Ranunculus sceleratus . The generic name Ranunculus, is from two Latin words, 'rana' meaning ' frog' and 'unculus' meaning 'little' and together they refer to a group of plants, many of which grow in moist places - like little frogs. The species, sceleratus, is Latin for 'cursed' and probably was used to describe this species as it is one of the most dangerous of the genus. See notes below the photos. 'Celery-leaf' comes from the shape of the lower leaves. The family name of Buttercup, used to be "Crowfoot', hence the continuation of the old name in many of the species common names. The author name for the plant classification, 'L.' refers to Carl Linnaeus (1707-1778), Swedish botanist and the developer of the binomial nomenclature of modern taxonomy.

POISONOUS PLANT

Resembles celery so sometimes mistakenly eaten. One of the most toxic buttercup species with the divided leaves causing blistering of the mouth and lips.

Sceleratus translates as vicious as the sap in this plant can cause great discomfort and blistering to human skin. It can also be extremely toxic to livestock.

Leaves are dimorphic submerged leaves are dissected and aerial leaves are entire.

The leaves are both basal and stem, both similar in shape but the upper leaves much smaller. Leaves are kidney shaped with 3 to 5 palmate lobes, ranging from shallow to deep on the basal leaves. The margins of the lobes have large blunt teeth or secondary lobes. Basal leaves and stem leaves are stalked, with the stem leaves, being alternate, and having more slender lobes, whereas smaller leaves are on the flowering stems and are usually sessile with just 3 linear lobes. All leaves are smooth, green and fleshy.

Inflorescence: Flowers are usually solitary and stalked at the tip of stems.

The flowers are 5-parted, about 1/3 inch across, with 3 to 5 (usually 5) yellow petals with rounded tips, 3 to 5 yellow green sepals with triangular tips that are at least as long as the petals, if not slightly longer, but they bend downward. Stamens number 10 to many, have yellow anthers, and surround the green receptacle composed of numerous pistils without styles. The nectaries of the flower are right on the base of the petals. A true corolla is lacking. The central receptacle elongates at maturity as the petals drop away. Sepals are not persistent.

@ Shivam Maddhesiya

Gazania rigens Family: *Asteraceae (Sunflower family) *Common name: Gazania

*Botanical name: Gazania rigens Family: *Asteraceae (Sunflower family)

*Location Babhnan Basti Uttar Pradesh India

*Date-23-03-2022

*Common name: Gazania

A typical daisy like flower up to about 10cm across, they are commonly banded with a dark zone around the central disc. Some types may have linear petal strips also. Colours vary from white, cream, yellow, gold, orange to the very dark reds, pale to dark lilac variations are possible also. Flowers are produced on stems up to 25cm in length, these close in the evening or on dark overcast days. Leaves turn upwards at night. Plants require high light for the flowers to open

@ Shivam Maddhesiya

Acacia nilotica *Family: Mimosaceae (Touch-me-not family) *Common name: Babool, Gum arabic • Gujarati: બબરિયા Babaria • Hindi: बबूल Babool

*Acacia nilotica

*Family: Mimosaceae (Touch-me-not family)

*Location: Babhnan Basti Uttar Pradesh India

*Date - March 2022

Common name: Babool, Gum arabic • Gujarati: બબરિયા Babaria • Hindi: बबूल Babool, कीकर Kikar • Kannada: ಬಬಲೀ Babli • Malayalam: Karivelam • Manipuri: ꯆꯤꯒꯣꯡ ꯂꯩ Chigong lei • Marathi: बबूल Babul • Sanskrit: बब्बुला Babbula, बबुला Babula, बर्बुरः Barburah • Tamil: கறுவேளை kaRuvELai • Telugu: Nalla tumma • Urdu: Babool, Keekar

Botanical name: Vachellia nilotica subsp. indica Family: Mimosaceae (Touch-me-not family)

Synonyms: Acacia nilotica subsp. indica, Acacia arabica var. indica

Babool is a medium to large tree that can reach a height of 10 m, with an average of 4-7 m in height. The crown is somewhat flattened or rounded, with a moderate density. The branches have a tendency to droop downwards if the crown is roundish. The bark is blackish grey or dark brown in mature trees and deeply grooved, with longitudinal fissures. The young branches are smooth and grey to brown in colour. The young twigs are covered in short hairs. Paired, slender, straight spines grow from a single base and sometimes curve backwards, are up to 80 mm long and whitish but often reddish brown in colour. The leaves are twice compound, i.e. they consist of 5-11 feather-like pairs of pinnae; each pinna is further divided into 7-25 pairs of small, elliptic leaflets that can be bottle to bright green in colour. Flowers are bright yellow, numerous, in fluffy globular heads 1.2 cm diameter, usually in clusters of 2 to 6, on individual pubescent axillary stalks 1.5 to 2 cm long. Babool is native to S. Iran to Indian Subcontinent.

@ Shivam Maddhesiya 

Tropaeolum majus *Family: Tropaeolaceae (Nasturtium family) Common name: Nasturtium, Garden nasturtium, Indian cress

*Botanical name: Tropaeolum majus *Family: Tropaeolaceae (Nasturtium family)

*Location : Babhnan Basti Uttar Pradesh India

*Date:03-03-2022

Common name: Nasturtium, Garden nasturtium, Indian cress

Tropaeolum is a genus of dicotyledonous annual or perennial plants, often with somewhat succulent stems and sometimes tuberous roots. The alternate leaves are hairless, peltate, and entire or palmately lobed. The petioles or leaf stalks are long and in many species are able to twine around other stems to provide support. The flowers are bisexual and showy, set singly on long stalks in the axils of the leaves. They have five sepals, the uppermost of which is elongated into a nectar spur. The five petals are clawed, with the lower three unlike the upper two. The eight stamens are in two whorls of unequal length and the superior ovary has three segments and three stigmas on a single style. The fruit is naked and nut-like, with three single seed segments

Nasturtium contains important plant compounds to skin and scalp health, particularly vitamin A (beta-carotene), vitamin C, vitamin E, and flavonoids. These superhero compounds work to protect the skin, scalp and hair from the damage of the sun's rays, as well as pollution, and other environmental bad guys.

@ Shivam Maddhesiya

Acmella radicans * Family: Asteraceae (Sunflower family) * Location-Babhnan Basti Uttar Pradesh India

* Botanical name: Acmella radicans  

* Family: Asteraceae (Sunflower family) 

* Location-Babhnan Basti Uttar Pradesh India

* Date - 29-12-2021

Synonyms: Spilanthes radicans, Acmella tenella, Spilanthes debilis

White Spot-Flower is an annual herb native to parts of Africa. It has become naturalized in parts of India, and is believed to be invasive. It is an erect to prostrate herb up to 1 m high, lower nodes often without roots. Stalks with internodes 0.5 to 13 cm in length. Leaves have stalks 0.2-2 cm long, blade 1-9 cm long and 0.3-5.5 cm wide, ovate to ovate-lanceshaped, base broad, pointed to long-pointed at the tip, margin entire or with short teeth. Inflorescence is terminal or in leaf axils, solitary or paired cones. Disc-shaped flower-heads are carried on stalks up to 7 cm long, with spindle-shaped receptacle, up to 1.5 mm in diameter and 6 mm in height. Flowers are up to 2 mm long, 5 lobed. Achenes are up to 1.5 mm long, hairless to hairy spread distally, the margins ciliate, pappus consisting of 2 fine bristles

@ Shivam Maddhesiya

Hydrilla verticillata *Family: Hydrocharitaceae * Location- Babhnan Basti Uttar Pradesh India

*Hydrilla verticillata 

*Family: Hydrocharitaceae

*Location-Babhnan Basti Uttar Pradesh India

*November 2021

Hydrilla is a monotypic genus; H. verticillata is both phenotypically and genetically variable

submerged aquatic plant that is the sole member of the genus Hydrilla in the frog’s-bit family (Hydrocharitaceae)

H. verticillata may be either monoecious or dioecious. The flowers are unisexual, arising from spathes situated in the leaf axils, each flower has three sepals and three petals. All six perianth parts are clear or translucent green (the sepals usually slightly reddish). The ovary is enclosed in the base of a hypanthium, the style is as long as the hypanthium and there are three stigmas. Due to an elongation of the hypanthium, the female flower ascends to the surface of the water. The perianth segments remain closed over the stigmas during this movement and retain a bubble of air above them. The perianth segments open to form a wide funnel which floats with its rim just at the water surface, its walls holding back the water and preventing wetting of the stigmas. The male flower becomes detached from the plant and subsequently rises to the surface of the water where the perianth segments uncurl. The anthers dehisce explosively and spread pollen for some 20 cm around the open flower. Pollination occurs via the air.

This species also reproduce vegetatively through the formation of large clones. In California and the Gulf States of the USA, and in Europe, there is no seed formation because only female flowers are produced

@ Shivam Maddhesiya

Medicago polymorpha * Family: Fabaceae (Pea family) Location-Babhnan Basti Uttar Pradesh India

*Botanical name: Medicago polymorpha  

* Family: Fabaceae (Pea family)

Synonyms: Medicago denticulata, Medicago polycarpa

*Location-Babhnan Basti Uttar Pradesh India 

*Date- 07-12-2021

Common name: Bur Clover, bur medic, toothed medic • Hindi: Chandansi, Churgali

Bur Clover is an annual herb 6-22 inches tall, maturing in 6-8 weeks. Superficially, it looks like a clover producing burs. It has leaves with 3 clover-like leaflets. Leaflets are inverted-egg shaped, with a wedge-shaped base, toothed in the upper third part. The flower clusters consists of 3-5 small yellow flowers which bloom in early spring. Flowers are really tiny. The seed-pod, called bur, is the most interesting part of this plant. It is a spiraled-coiled, disk-like structure, which has prickles with hooked tips. This seed pod can be 3.5-8 mm in diameter. Flowering: February-march

@ Shivam Maddhesiya 

Portulaca umbraticola Location Babhnan Basti District Uttar Pradesh India

*Botanical name: Portulaca umbraticola *Family: Portulacaceae (Purslane family) 

*Location : Babhnan Basti District Uttar Pradesh India

Common name: Wingpod Purslane, Portulaca

B

Wingpod Purslane is often incorrectly sold under the name of Portulaca oleracea. Native to the United States, this portulaca is easily identifiable by the prominent margin on the fruit capsule. The popular cultivar Portulaca umbraticola, "Yubi Summer Joy', has large 2 inches flowers whose flat, smooth petals curve in slightly around the edges. It blooms from spring to fall. The flowers are open only part of the day and do not open fully on very cloudy days, like all portulacas. The name "Portulaca" is a derivative of "portare" (meaning, to carry) and lac (milk) which refers to the plant's milky sap. Seeds are formed in a tiny pod which opens when the seeds are ready. Young leaves and tender stem tips can be used as a potherb, but are usually eaten raw in salads. It has a tart, lemony taste. In fact, it is a better nutrient source than spinach. Seeds may be eaten either raw or ground and made into bread.

By Shivam Maddhesiya

Dichrostachys cinerea Location Babhnan Basti District Uttar Pradesh India

* Botanical name: Dichrostachys cinerea * 
Family: Mimosaceae (Touch-me-not family)
* Location : Babhnan Basti District Uttar Pradesh India

Common name: Sickle Bush ashy babool • Hindi: खेरी kheri, कुणाली kunali, शमी shami, वेलाटी velati, वीरतरु virataru • Marathi: दुरंगी बाभूळ durangi babhul, सिगम काटी sigam kati • Rajasthani: गोया खैर goya khair • Sanskrit: बहुवारक bahuvaraka, दीर्घमूल dirghamula, महाकपित्थ mahakapittha, वीरतरु virataru, वीरवृक्ष

Botanical name: Dichrostachys cinerea Family: Mimosaceae (Touch-me-not family)

Synonyms: Cailliea glomerata, Dichrostachys glomerata, Mimosa cinerea

Sickle bush is a beautiful, small Mimosa-related tree, growing up to 8 m tall. It has bipinnate leaves, 4-8 cm long, 5 to 15 pairs of pinnae, each with 12 to 30 pairs of leaflets. It blooms with beautiful bottle-brush like flower heads which are half pink and half yellow. The rear pink part fades to white with time. The buds look like beautiful pink and yellow mulberry fruits. The fruit-pod is narrowly oblong, variously curved and/or coiled, 5-7 cm long, 0.8-1.5 cm wide, blackish, glabrous. Sickle bush is native to India, SE Asia, Africa and Northern Australia. Flowering: June-August.

By Shivam Maddhesiya

Euphorbia heterophylla var. cyathophora Location Babhnan Basti District Uttar Pradesh India

* Botanical name: Euphorbia heterophylla var. cyathophora    

* Family: Euphorbiaceae (Castor family) 

*Location - Babhnan Basti district Uttar Pradesh India

Common name: Painted Leaf Poinsettia, Summer poinsettia, Mexican Fire Plant, Painted-leaf spurge • Hindi: तितली फूल Titli phool

Botanical name: Euphorbia heterophylla var. cyathophora Family: Euphorbiaceae (Castor family)

Synonyms: Euphorbia cyathophora, Euphorbia pandurifolia, Poinsettia cyathophora

Painted Leaf Poinsettia is an erect herb which is a close cousin of the popular garden plant Poinsettia. It has green stems and grows up to 1 m tall. Laternately arranged leaves are very variable. Leaf stalks are slender, 1-4 cm long. Leaf blades are mostly fiddle-shaped with 2 or 4 obtuse or cute lobes, those of basal leaves sometimes simply ovate, entire or obscurely distantly serrate, 4-7 cm long, 1.5-3 cm wide. Uppermost leaves or bracts are blotched with red towards the base. Flowers are yellowish, with 1-2 small glands or nectaries, and occur in compact in cymes. Painted Leaf Poinsettia is native to the Americas, but is cultivated in many places, and has naturalize

By Shivam Maddhesiya