Common Smilax, Prickly Ivy, Rough Bindweed, Salsaparilla • Hindi: salsa, kalisar, magrabu, kukurdara, kumardar, kukarjari Sanskrit, chopachini

Common name: Common Smilax, Prickly Ivy, Rough Bindweed, Salsaparilla • Hindi: salsa, kalisar, magrabu, kukurdara, kumardar, kukarjari Sanskrit, chopachini

Botanical name: Smilax aspera    

Family: Smilacaceae

Occurrence:-1200-2500Mtr.

Location:-HP, Chamba

DOC:-11/2021

From @ Gajinder Varma

Yellow Himalayan Raspberry Vernacular name:-आंखरे Botanical name: Rubus ellipticus

Common name: Yellow Himalayan Raspberry

Vernacular name:-आंखरे

Botanical name: Rubus ellipticus 

Family: Rosaceae (Rose family)

Location -Himachal Pradesh Chamba

DOC:-04/2022

Synonyms: Rubus rotundifolius

Flowering:-Feb.-April

Yellow Himalayan Raspberry is a shrub, growing up to 2 m tall. It is clothed with prickles and reddish hairs. The alternate leaves are compound with three round to blunt leaflets 5-10 cm long. The undersides of the leaves are lighter than the upper surface and covered with downy hairs. The flowers are small, white with five petals. The fruit is a round yellow cluster of druplets easily detaching from the receptacle. The prickly shrub invades native forests principally in pig-disturbed habitats. The plant has underground shoots that contribute to its spread and allow it to rapidly regenerate following a fire. The fruits are edible and frugivorous birds spread the seeds. Himalayan raspberry can invade disturbed habitats and displace other plant species. Yellow Himalayan Raspberry is native to India and south Asia.

Medicinal uses:-Source Google 

The bark from this plant is used for medical reasons in Tibetan villages, mainly as a renal tonic and an antidiuretic. Its juices can also be used to treat coughs, fevers, colic and sore throat. The plant can also be used to make a bluish-purple dye

From @ Gajinder Varma

Tiger Foot Morning Glory • Hindi: पंचपतिया Panchpatia, Botanical name: Ipomoea pes-tigridis

Common name: Tiger Foot Morning Glory • Hindi: पंचपतिया Panchpatia,

Botanical name: Ipomoea pes-tigridis Family: Convolvulaceae

Location:-HP,Chamba(@Bhuja)

DOC:-27/08/2021

Tiger Foot Morning Glory is a twining, herbaceous, hairy, annual vine, all parts being more or less covered with rather long, spreading, pale, or brownish hairs. The leaves are somewhat rounded in outline, 6-10 cm in diameter, palmately 5- to 9-lobed, heart-shaped at the base and somewhat hairy on both surfaces. The lobes of the blade are elliptic, with narrowed base and rounded sinuses. The 5-lobed leaf resembles tiger's paw, which inspired its common name, as well as the botanical species name pes-tigridis. The flowers occur in axillary head, usually only one opening at a time. The sepal tube is green and about 1 cm long. The flowers are white and 4 cm long, the limb being 3 cm in diameters. Flowers open after 4 pm, and fade next morning. The fruit is rounded and 6-7 mm in diameter. Flowering: September-November.

From @ Gajinder Varma

Himalayan Snoutbean Botanical name: Rhynchosia himalensis Family: Fabaceae (Pea family)

Common name: Himalayan Snoutbean

Botanical name: Rhynchosia himalensis    

Family: Fabaceae (Pea family)

location:-HP,Chamba(@Chaned)

DOC:-07/09/2019

occurrence:-2000-2800 Ft.

Himalayan Snoutbean is a climber with stem trailing, round, hairs yellow, viscous, up to 10 ft long. Stipules are about 4-5 mm long, hairy. Leaves are trifoliolate, stalk 2.0-5.5 cm long, hairy. Stalks of leafllets are about 2-2.5 mm long, hairy. Leaves are 2.5-7.5 cm long, 1.6-5.5 cm broad, ovate, entire, long-pointed, velvety on both sides. Flowers are borne in a stalks raceme about 15-30 cm long, in leaf axils. Raceme is carried on a stalk 2.5-3.5 cm long. Bract are 5-6 mm long, hairy. Flower-stalks are 3-4 mm long, hairy. Sepal cup is 1.5-1.7 cm long, velvety. teeth very unequal, lower tooth longest, 1.2-1.3 cm long, upper teeth 6-7 mm long. Flowers are yellow, standard petal with brownish purple veins, about 1.4-1.5 cm long. Wing is about 1.2-1.3 cm. Keel about 1.3-1.4 cm. Fruit 2.5-2.8 mm long, 6-8 mm broad. narrow at both ends, velutinous, 2-seeded. Himalayan Snoutbean is found in the Himalayas, from Kumaon, Garhwal, Nepal to China.

From @ Gajinder Varma

St Paul's Wort, Eastern St. Paul's-wor, holy herb, Indian-weed, stickyweedt Hindi: गोबरिया.

Common name: St Paul's Wort, Eastern St. Paul's-wor, holy herb, Indian-weed, stickyweedt Hindi: गोबरिया.

Vernacular name:-Gumber

Botanical name: Sigesbeckia orientalis Family: Asteraceae (Sunflower family)

Synonyms: Siegesbeckia orientalis, Minyranthes heterophylla

DOC:-01/09/2021

Occurrence:-400-2700Meter

St Paul's Wort is a small annual herb, growing up to 2-4 ft tall. Stem and branches are velvety, purple. Oppositely arranged leaves, 5-10 cm long, are triangular-ovate, sharp tipped, with toothed margin. The flowers heads are small with five bracts just below them, which are covered with very sticky glandular hairs. The secretion continues till after the fruit is ripe and aids in its distribution - the whole flower-head breaks off and attaches itself to some passing animal. The flowering heads are yellow, small, somewhat rounded, and 5-6 mm in diameter. The ray flowers are red beneath, very short, curved back, and 3-toothed. The achenes are each enclosed in a boat-shaped bractlet which is hairless but slightly rough. St Paul's Wort is found in India at altitudes of Flowering: October-November.

Medicinal uses: Warning: Unverified information The juice of the fresh herb is used as a dressing for wounds, over which, as it dries, it leaves a varnishing coating. A decoction of the leaves and young shoots is used as a lotion for ulcers and parasitic skin diseases.

From @ Gajinder Varma

Field Bindweed • Hindi: हिरनपग , Convolvulus arvensis Family: Convolvulaceae

Common name: Field Bindweed • Hindi: हिरनपग

Botanical name: Convolvulus arvensis Family: Convolvulaceae (Morning glory family)

Synonyms: Convolvulus prostratus F. W. Schmidt, Convolvulus sagittifolius

DOC:-12/09/2021

Field Bindweed is a climbing or creeping herbaceous perennial plant growing to 0.5-2 m high. The leaves are spirally arranged, linear to arrowhead-shaped, 2-5 cm long and alternate, with a 1-3 cm leaf-stalk. The flowers are trumpet-shaped, 1-2.5 cm diameter, white or pale pink, with five slightly darker pink radial stripes. Flowering occurs in the mid-summer, when white to pale pink, funnel-shaped flowers develop. Flowers are approximately 2.0-2.5 cm across and are subtended by small bracts. Fruits are light brown, rounded and 3 mm wide. Each fruit contains 2 seeds that are eaten by birds and can remain viable in the soil for decades. Field Bindweed is generally considered a weed. Field Bindweed is native to Native to Europe and Asia.

From @ Gajinder Varma

Cypress Vine, Star Glory, Hummingbird Vine • Hindi: कामलता ,Ipomoea quamoclit Family: Convolvulaceae

Common name: Cypress Vine, Star Glory, Hummingbird Vine • Hindi: कामलता

Botanical name: Ipomoea quamoclit Family: Convolvulaceae (morning glory family)

Location-HP,@hp.chamba

DOC:-26/09/2016

Cypress Vine, with its tiny red flowers and delicate fern-like leaves, is a marvelous thing to have on a fence. Belonging to the same genus as the morning glory, the dainty red flowers bloom in the morning. The leaves are 3-4 in long and feather-like, finely divided pinnately into threadlike segments. The scarlet red (rarely white) flowers are tubular, about 1.5 in long, and flare out at the mouth into a five-pointed star. It is a hummingbird favorite. This annual plant produces hundreds of flowers--and thousands of seeds--usually insuring its presence from year to year. Particularly in warm locations, Cypress Vine can become invasive. However, as an annual it can be controlled if unwanted plants are removed before they set seed.

From @ Gajinder Varma

Snake Gourd • Hindi: चचिंडा Chachinda, चिचौंडा Chichonda Sanskrit: अमृतफल Amritaphala, bijagarbha, Trichosanthes cucumerina

Common name: Snake Gourd • Hindi: चचिंडा Chachinda, चिचौंडा Chichonda Sanskrit: अमृतफल Amritaphala, bijagarbha.

Botanical name: Trichosanthes cucumerina 

Location:- HP,Chamba

DOC:- 16/10/2021

Family: Cucurbitaceae (Pumpkin family)

Synonyms: Trichosanthes anguina, Cucumis anguinus, Trichosanthes lobata

Snake Gourd is a tropical or subtropical vine, raised for its strikingly long fruit, used as a vegetable and for medicine. The narrow, soft-skinned fruit can reach 150 cm long. Its soft, bland, somewhat mucilaginous flesh is similar to that of the luffa and the calabash. Leaf blade kidney-shaped or broadly ovate, 7-10 × 8-11 cm, membranous, deeply 5-7-lobed, lobes triangular or rhombic. The white flower is beautiful and lacy, and open at night. It is most popular in the cuisine of South Asia and Southeast Asia. The shoots, tendrils, and leaves are also eaten as greens. It is a popular vegetable in South India.

Medicinal uses: Warning: Unverified information According to Ayurveda, the plant pacifies vitiated pitta, constipation, skin diseases, burning sensation, diabetes, anorexia, flatulence, constipation, worm infestation, fever and general weakness.

From @ Gajinder Varma

Zingiber chrysanthum:-Golden flower Ginger Family:-Roscoe (Zingiberaceae)

Zingiber chrysanthum:-Golden flower Ginger

Family:-Roscoe (Zingiberaceae) 

Location:-HP,Chamba

DOC:-29/10/2021

Zingiber chrysanthum Roscoe is a traditional medicinal plant species sparsely occurring in Kumaun Lesser Himalaya, Uttarakhand. Seeds of this species were collected from wild populations and essential oil was extracted. This essential oil was phytochemically analyzed by GC/MS and various biological activities viz: antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial were also performed using standard protocols. More than 92 compounds were identified from essential oil of the seed. β-pinene (36.3 %) is identified as major product of the oil followed by α-pinene (9.3 %), limonene (5.4 %), γ-terpinene (5.0 %), (E)-caryophyllene (4.0 %), α-terpineol (3.6 %) and terpenin-4-ol (3.2 %) suggesting a greater efficacy of plant in flavor, decorative and non decorative cosmetic industry. The essential oil showed strong antioxidant activity in terms of DPPH (IC50=10.81±0.03 μL/ mL), metal chelating (IC50=16.84±0.46 μL/mL) and reducing power activity (RP50= 15.55±0.02 μL/mL). Anti-inflammatory activity in terms of protein denaturation (IB50=16.76±0.00 μL/mL) and a moderate antibacterial activity was also reported against the bacterial strains E. coli and S. aureus by the Z. chrysanthum seed essential oil.

From @ Gajinder Varma

Withania somnifera, known commonly as ashwagandha, Indian ginseng,poison gooseberry,or winter cherry,

Withania somnifera, known commonly as ashwagandha, Indian ginseng,poison gooseberry,or winter cherry,

Family:-Solanaceae

Location-HP,Chamba

18/10/2021

is an annual evergreen shrub in the Solanaceae or nightshade family that grows in India, the Middle East, and parts of Africa. Several other species in the genus Withania are morphologically similar.Although thought to be useful as a medicinal herb in Ayurveda and sold in many countries as a dietary supplement, there is insufficient scientific evidence that it is safe or effective for treating any disease.

From @ Gajinder Varma

Mahonia napaulensis:-Barberry Vernacular name:-Jharod Family:-Berberidaceae

Mahonia napaulensis:-Barberry

Vernacular name:-Jharod

Family:-Berberidaceae

DOC:-05/03/2021

Location-HP Chamba

Synonyms: Mahonia napaulensis, Berberis leschenaultii, Mahonia manipurensis.

Flowering:-October-April

Occurence:-2000-2900Meter

Medicinal

The fruits are strongly antioxidant, diuretic and demulcent.They are used in the treatment of dysentery

A decoction of the bark is used as eye drops to treat inflammations of the eyes

A decoction of the root and stem is used in the treatment of dysentery, abscesses, conjunctival congestion, sore pain, periodontitis, acute pharyngolaryngitis, tuberculosis, and hemoptysis

Mahonia species have a long history of medicinal usage, with several members of the genus being commonly used in traditional medicine and also in modern herbalism. They are employed in the treatment of a wide range of conditions and have, in particular, been demonstrated to exert good efficacy in the clinical treatment of dysentery, internal and external haemorrhage, acne vulgaris and chronic pharyngitis amongst other diseases. Phytochemical research into this genus has resulted in the identification of more than 150 chemical constituents, amongst which alkaloids are predominant. The isolated compounds and crude extracts have been shown to exhibit a wide spectrum of in vitro and in vivo pharmacological effects, including antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, hepatoprotective, antioxidant, antimutagenic and analgesic properties

Berberine, an alkaloid that is universally present in the rhizomes and stems of Mahonia species, has been shown to have a marked antibacterial effectand is also used as a bitter tonic.Since it is not appreciably absorbed by the body, it can be used orally in the treatment of various enteric infections, especially bacterial dysentery.

Berberine has also shown antitumour activity

The plant should not be used with Glycyrrhiza species (Liquorice) because this nullifies the effects of the berberine

Other Uses

A yellow dye is obtained from the stem and leaves

From @ Gajinder Varma

Himalayan Ivy, Hindi Bano, Lablab, Mithiari, Kural Botanical name: Hedera nepalensis

Common name: Himalayan Ivy, Hindi Bano, Lablab, Mithiari, Kural 

Botanical name: Hedera nepalensis    

Family: Araliaceae (Ivy family)

Location:HP, Chamba

Occurrence:-1800-3000Mtr.

From @ Gajinder Varma