Himalayan Wild Flowers

Common name: Chameleon Plant, Toningkhok (Manipuri) Botanical name: Houttuynia cordata    Family: Saururaceae (lizard-tail family) Chameleon Plant is a perennial ground cover plant. It is been marketed as a creeping ornamental garden plant, which has heart shaped leaves up to 75 mm long and almost as wide. The leaves are comprised of a mixture of colors from green through yellow to red, the brighter colors being more prominent when grown in full sunlight. The leaves are opposite along thin erect stems which arise from slender rhizomes. The minute flowers are densely clustered on short spikes. At the base of each spike are four white petal-like parts. The leaves of Chameleon Plant are heart-shaped, usually green, but take on various colors like variegated cream, bronze, scarlet, and have a peppery scent when crushed. The leaves make a marvelous flavoring in salads. In Manipur, people love it and consume it in various ways, as salad, also in pakodas.          Common name: False-Nettle Leaved Pepper • Sanskrit: Chavya, Gajapippali Botanical name: Piper boehmeriifolium    Family: Piperaceae (Pepper family) Synonyms: Chavica boehmeriaefolia, Piper boehmeriaefolia? False-Nettle Leaved Pepper is an erect subshrubs 1-3 m tall, hairless to uniformly hairy, most parts usually drying black. Stems are round to thickly ridged when dry, minutely papillate to smooth, usually hairless. Leaf-stalks are 3-10 mm. Leaves, toward base of stem, are elliptic, narrowly elliptic, oblong, oblong-lanceolate, or ovate, 11-24 × 4-9.5 cm, papery to thinly papery, densely finely glandular, smooth above, base oblique, 1 side rounded, other side tapered and acute, bilateral difference 2-3 mm, tip pointed to long pointed, veins 6-10, usually 1 more lateral vein on wider side. Flower-spikes are mostly leaf-opposed, often at branch ends in male plants. Male spikes are 10-16 cm × 2-3 mm, carried on 1-3.5 cm long stalk. Female spikes are 6-12 cm. Fruits are densely clustered, round, distinct, 1.2-3 mm in diameter. False-Nettle Leaved Pepper is found in Eastern Himalayas, from Bhutan to NE India, Malaysia, Myanmar, Sikkim, Thailand, N Vietnam and parts of China, at altitudes of 500-2200 m. Flowering: December-July.                Common name: Hill Pepper • Hindi: Pahari Pipar • Sanskrit: चव्या Chavya, गजपिप्पली Gajapippali Botanical name: Piper mullesua    Family: Piperaceae (Pepper family) Synonyms: Piper brachystachyum, Piper guigual Hill Pepper is a woody climber, hairless except for rachis and bases of bracts. Stems are slender, hard, basal part tuberculate. Leaf-stalks are 0.7-2 cm, slender. Leaves are elliptic or narrowly elliptic or ovate-lanceolate, 7.5-9 x 3-4 cm, papery to thinly leathery, without glands, base wedge-shaped, symmetric or slightly oblique, apex long-pointed, falling off, veins 5-7, very prominent below, apical pair arising 1-2.5 cm above base, usually alternate; reticulate veins conspicuous. Flowers are bisexual, carried in short round spikes leaf-opposed, at tips of branchlets, about 3 x 2.5-3 mm, stalk 2-3 mm. Bracts are circular, about 1 mm wide, peltate. Drupe is obovoid, about 2.5 mm in diameter, partly immersed in rachis. Hill Pepper is found in the Himalayas, from Kumaun to Bhutan, and other parts of India, at altitudes of 400-2500 m. Flowering: May-July.   Common name: Campbell's Magnolia Botanical name: Magnolia campbelli    Family: Magnoliaceae (Magnolia family) Campbell's magnolia is a magnolia that grows in the forests of the Himalaya from Nepal to SW China and Burma, at altitudes of 2400-3000 m. It is a large deciduous tree, bearing large white or cream, scented flowers, mostly on bare branches. Flowers are 13-20 cm across, with 12-15 large white petals, outer ones silvery-haired. Smooth oval leaves are up to a foot long, with silky hairs on the underside when young. Fruit is a cylindrical spike 15-20 cm long, with red seeds. A pink flowered form of Campbell's Magnolia occurs in East Himalayas, and is cultivated around Darjeeling. Flowering: March-April.        Common name: Temple Magnolia, Doltsopa, Sweet Michelia • Manipuri: লৈহাও লাইসঙ Leihao-laisang Botanical name: Magnolia doltsopa    Family: Magnoliaceae (Magnolia family) Synonyms: Michelia doltsopa, Magnolia excelsa, Michelia manipurensis Temple Magnolia is an evergreen trees, native to the Himalayas, up to 30 m tall. Young twigs, buds, leaf-stalks and leaf underside are covered with grayish white velvety hairs. Stipular scar is about 1/5 as long as the leaf-stalk. Leaf-stalks is 1-2 cm long. Leaves are elliptic, oblong- elliptic, or narrowly elliptic, 10-22 cm long, 5-7 cm wide. The underside of the leaves is greyish, base broadly wedge-shaped or blunt, margin slightly incurled, apex pointed to long-pointed. Tepals are white, narrowly obovate-spoon-shaped, 5-7 cm long, about 2.5 cm wide, base clawed, tip rounded. Stamens are 1.2-1.7 cm long. Fruit is 4-7 cm; mature carpels nearly obovoid, 1.5 cm.     Common name: Egg Magnolia • Hindi: हिम चम्पा Him Champa • Manipuri: ঊথম্বাল Oothambal Botanical name: Magnolia liliifera    Family: Magnoliaceae (Magnolia family) Synonyms: Talauma candollei Egg Magnolia is a medium size tree with large velvet leaves and fragrant yellowish off-white flowers about 4-5" wide. It is found in North-East India - Assam, Manipur, Sikkim. Before opening, buds have an egg shape, hence the common name. One of the most valuable ornamental fragrant trees of Asia. A highly valued fragrant flower of this small tree or shrub resembles Dwarf Magnolia flower, but the scent is much stronger. Leaves are large, 7-9 inches long and 4 inches wide. Can be grown in container in a well-lit spot. Egg Magnolia is similar to Dwarf Magnolia, as both species have those egg shaped flowerbuds, but Dwarf Magnolia flowers are white.