Sunshine during the day, oranges in the afternoon and a cosy fireplace in the evenings. That is how I have always known winters to be. That is how we spend winters in Assam. That is how I wish my winters to be each year. I grew up in the educational town of Assam, Jorhat (in …
Tag: Nature
The Refreshing Rains
A couple of days back in Delhi It seems that the rain gods have finally smiled upon Delhi with monsoon eyes. It is now raining almost everyday. After a spell of long hot weather, it is finally much cooler. I have shared many a times that I am a rain fan. The rains soothes my …
Z for "Zephyranthes (Rain Lily)"
Common Name: Rain LilyScientific Name: ZephyranthesRain Lily is one of my favourite flowers. Most of the year, their bulbs would lie dormant. And once the rain touches them, they would spring back to life in a myriad of colours. I remember rain lilies blooming in my childhood home, in the monsoon in three colours, pink, …
Y for "Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow"
Common Name: Yesterday-today-and-tomorrow, Morning-noon-and-night, Kiss Me Quick, Brazil raintreeScientific Name: Brunfelsia paucifloraAssamese Name: Bou-PaagolYesterday-today-and-tomorrow is a flowering shrub and has pretty fragrant flowers. The flower blooms purple with a white throat, then turns lavender and then white, hence the common names. Many years ago, there was a bulky bush of this plant at my grandparents' …
X for "Xerochrysum bracteatum (Paper Daisy)"
Common Name: Paper Daisy, Strawflower Scientific Name: Xerochrysum bracteatumAssamese Name: Kaagoz phoolI saw the Paper Daisy for the first time in my grandmother's garden. As a kid, I was fascinated and I still am. The flower doesn't look like a real flower at all. The petals are crispy and papery. Nature has so many wonders, …
Continue reading X for "Xerochrysum bracteatum (Paper Daisy)"
W for "Weeping Bottlebrush"
Weeping Bottlebrush back home. Check out the pretty bird perched on it.Common Name: Weeping Bottlebrush, Drooping Bottlebrush, Red Bottlebrush, Red CascadeScientific Name:Callistemon viminalis/Melaleuca viminalisAs a kid, I found the Weeping Bottlebrush flower very interesting because of its look. Yes, it looks like a bottle-brush and hence the name.Back home, Deta planted this tree on the …
V for "Vine-Bleeding Heart"
The crimson variety in bloom several years ago at homeCommon Name: Bleeding Heart VineScientic Name: Clerodendrum The Bleeding Heart Vine is a tropical twining creeper. It is basically a summer flower. The crimson variety has been a part of our garden since many years now. The Bleeding Heart Vine is not to be confused with …
U for "Utonglei (Mexican Oleander)"
Common Name: Mexican Oleander, Lucky NutScientific Name: Cascabela thevetia/Thevetia peruvianaAssamese Name: KorobiManipuri Name: UtongleiMexican Oleander is a common short flowering tree grown in gardens and roadsides. It is an ornamental plant and colour varieties are yellow, white and peach. I think the yellow one is the most common, since it is one I see everywhere. …
T for "Tengesi"
Common Name: Purple Wood Sorrel, OxalisScientific Name: OxalisAssamese Name: TengesiTengesi is basically a herb. The leaves are a part of Assamese cuisine as well and are used to make typical Assamese tangy curries. The tangy juice is also consumed as a remedy for severe cough.The leaves are clover-like. Only recently I learned that it is …
S for "Spreading Sunset"
Common Name: Spreading Sunset, Lantana, Spanish FlagScientific Name: Lantana camaraAssamese Name: Goo phool Spreading Sunset is a common flowering shrub in Assam, and it usually grows in the wild. The flower has a unpleasant smell and hence the Assamese name Goo (meaning shit) phool (meaning flower). For the same reason, people usually don't have it in …
