Urginea Indica ??

This photo has been taken from the Kawal Tiger Reserve in Andra Pradesh. this species has underground bulbs and the leaves and flowering stalk comes out just before the onset of monsoon. it often considered as an Indicator for upcoming monsoon rain.  ( need more taxonomical verification)

Givotia rottleriformis

 A moderate sized  deciduous tree found in the deciduous forests of South India and Maharashtra and also in Sri Lanka. thsi species has palmately lobed leaves and is belonging to the family euphorbiaceae. its unique white coloured wood is used to carve toys and lacquered articles. Famous KONDAPALLI TOYS of Andhra Pradesh is made exclusively from its wood . The seed of the tree yields oil. this picture has been taken from Kondapalli village , of Krishna District, Andhra Pradesh. 

Ochna squarrosa

A small sub-deciduous tree found in the dry deciduous forests of india . Leaves alternate, obovate, elliptic, sharply serrate. Flowers fragrant and yellow in colour. locally known as  Hindi: Ramdhan Champa • Kannada: Ramatana champaka • Telugu: Sunari, Tammi, Erra Juvvi, Kukkamovi •Tamil: Kalkuruvi, Chilanti. this photo has been taken from NSTR, A.P. 

Careya arborea bloom

Careya arborea is a deciduous tree belonging to the family Lecythidaceae and  grows up to 15m-45ft high. it is common species in dry deciduous and moist deciduous forests of India. Its leaves turn red in the cold season. Flowers are yellow or white in colour that become large green berries. fruits are often eaten by bats and some birds. this picture has been taken from NSTR, A.P. this species is locally known as pezhu in malayalam, Kumbhi in hindi and slow match tree in english. 

Cipadessa baccifera

Cipadessa is a small sized tree belonging to the family Meliaceae. Leaves are compound, imparipinnate, 10-28 cm long, alternate, spiral, often crowded at twig ends. Found throughout india in a wide range of climates ranging from moist deciduous to fringes shola forests.  

Firmiana colorata in bloom

Firmiana colorata (Sterculia colorata) is a medium sized deciduous tree with fluted stem and having palmate leaves ( 3-5 lobed) clustered at the end of brachlets. Flowers are showy scarlet or orange red, solitary or in clusters of 2-3 in short panicles from the axils of fallen leaves. it occurs  through out the dry deciduous forests and moist deciduous forests of India (present both in Eastern Ghats and Wester Ghats). this picture has been taken from Farhabad region of Nagarjuna Sagar Sreesylum Tiger Reserve (NSTR),AP. 

nilgiri langur feeding on Mallotus tetracoccus

Gomphia serrata

Small trees up to 5 m tall. Distributed through out the Indo-malayan region. Found in secondary forests and in the margins of evergreen forest and in open formations up to 1200m. this specimen has been collected from my homestead at Calicut, Kerala at an altitude of 60 m above MSL. The bitter roots and leaves are used against stomach complaints. The twigs are used against toothache.

Aeginetia peduculata

Aeginetia pedunculata is a common total root parasite in grass lands and sugarcane fields. They can cause considerable economic losses in sugarcane fields, if get unchecked. Present picture was taken from the grass land at Chembra peak (2000m above MSL), Wayanad.

(picture courtesy : Dr. K. Sudhakara, Professor, K.A.U., Kerala)

Balanophora -root parasite

Balanophora is a genus containing holo root parasites (total parasites). They are often seen on forest floors without any green leaf systems and the plants are attached to the host root system through haustoria. plant families like Orobanchaceae, Ericaceae, Hydnoraceae and Monotropaceae are also composed exclusively of parasitic plants. Orobanchaceae is common in Western Ghats with species like Aeginetia pedunculata and Aeginetia indica distributed through out the grasslands and forests. Cistanche tubulosa is the common Orobanch species in India.

upland paddy cultivation

Upland rice is normally cultivated in the space available in coconut farms and other upland farm area near the houses. upland rice was cultivated in Kerala during the start of monsoon and now this practice has became very rare. this picture has been taken from my homestead. 

chembra peak, meppadi

Chembra Peak is the highest peak in Wayanad district of Kerala, at 2,100 metres (6,900 ft) above MSL. Chembra is located in Meppady range of South wayanad forest division and is 8 km south of Kalpetta. Chembra peak is accessible by foot from Meppady. trekking is Permissible with the consent of forest department. This hill range habours rare species of flora including Malabar Daffodil Orchid (Ipsea malabarica ).

Strobilanthes

The genus Strobilanthes, having over 300 species within South / South-east Asia, has speciated and diversified in the hill ranges of Western Ghats. This genus has over half of world’s species in India. The hill ranges of peninsular India have 59 species. There are altogether 43 species of Strobilanthes known from the state of Kerala. Of these, 38 are endemic to Peninsular India. The most popular character of Strobilanthes is its monocarpic nature and they flower after a long period of vegetative growth ranging from 1-15 years and some rare species produce flowers even after 35 years.Famous among this genus is Strobilanthes kunthianus.

Angiopteris evecta

Angiopteris evecta, commonly known as the Giant Fern is a large fern distributed through out the Indo-malayan region, Polynesia,Melanesia Micronesia, Australia,Fiji, New Guinea and Guam.Angiopteris evecta is cultivated worldwide as an ornamental fern. Also, its starchy rhizomes are sometimes eaten or used to perfume coconut oil.

elaeocarpus tuberculatus

This plant is locally known as Badraksham and is a wild relative of the much known rudraksham (Elaeocarpus ganitrus). this plant is distributed through out the wet regions of the western ghat and are charcterised with Tall trunks up to 40 m with plank buttresses and horizontal branching pattern as in Badam plant (Terminalia catappa).Young leaves are reddish and seeds are elliptic-oblong compressed deeply, unlike the Rudraksham.