Department of Botany, Namrup College: Scientific name of plants available at Namrup College campus

1.Botanical Name: Rhynchostylis retusa (L.) Blume

Family: Orchidaceae

Common name: Foxtail Orchid

Vernacular name in Assamese: Kopou phool

General characters: Epiphytic herb. It has an erect growth form and can grow up to 50 cm tall. The leathery leaves are recurved and deeply channeled. The flowers are borne on densely flowered, drooping racemes originating from the leaf axils. The flowers consist of white sepals and petals with pink blotches and a pink flower lip.

Traditional Knowledge: The inflorescence is used by Assamese girls to adorn their hair during the spring festival ‘Rongali Bihu’. Among the youths of Assam, this orchid is regarded as symbol of love, fertility and merriment. It is also used in marriage ceremony of the Assamese. Considering its importance the native of Assam grow this species in their home premises.

Medicinal Uses: Plant used in treatment of cuts and wounds.

Note: It is an endangered species.

2.Botanical Name: Mimusops elengi L.

Family: Sapotaceae

Common name: Spanish cherry

Vernacular name in Assamese: Bokul

General characters: Medium-sized evergreen tree. The leaves are glossy, dark green, oval-shaped, 5–14 cm (2.0–5.5 in) long, and 2.5–6 cm (0.98–2.36 in) wide. The flowers are cream, hairy, and scented. The fruits are fleshy, range in color between yellow and brown, and contain a large brown seed.

Uses: The yellow color pulp is edible. The bark, flowers, fruits, and seeds are used in Ayurvedic medicine in which it is purported to be astringent, cooling, anthelmintic, tonic, and febrifuge. It is mainly used for dental ailments such as bleeding gums, pyorrhea, dental caries, and loose teeth.

3.Botanical Name: Polyalthia longifolia (Sonn.) Thwaites

Family: Annonaceae

Common name: False Ashoka, Mast Tree, Indian Mast Tree, Weeping Mast Tree, Green Champa

Vernacular name in Assamese: Debdaru

General characters: A tall handsome evergreen tree, 12-20 m tall, with straight trunk, undivided, smooth brown greyish bark and slender branches, 1-2 m long, longer at the base up to touch the soil. Leaves are membranous, lanceolate, tapering to a fine point, shining, glabrous, margin undulate or wavy and gland-dotted

Uses: The leaves are used for ornamental decoration during festivals. The tree is a focal point in gardens. It have been widely used in folklore medicine for the treatment of rheumatic fever, gastrointestinal ulcer and generalized body pain.

4.Botanical Name: Mesua ferrea L.

Family: Calophyllaceae

Common name: Ceylon Ironwood

Vernacular name in Assamese: Nahor

General characters: The tree can grow over 30 meters tall. Trunk is straight and erect. Bark is smooth and ash reddish brown in color. Wood is red, hard and heavy. Leaves are 8.0-15.0 cm long, oblong-lanceolate, acute, red when young, afterwards shining above and glaucous, rounded at the base and with close inconspicuous veins.

Uses: Flowers are used in treating diseases like rheumatism, asthma, inflammation, fever, dyspepsia, renal diseases, dysentery, bleeding piles, a bacterial and fungal infection.

5.Botanical Name: Morus alba L.

Family: Moraceae

Common name: White mulberry

Vernacular name in Assamese: Nuni

General characters: A fast-growing shrub or moderate-sized tree with a fairly cylindrical, up to 35 m high and 1.8 m in girth, without buttresses; bark dark greyish-brown, rough with vertical fissures; exuding white or yellowish-white latex.

Uses: Leaves are used to improve eyesight, nourish the liver, repel wind, and clear heat. It also aids in treating dizziness, dysentery, supports liver function, maintains youthful skin, coughs and cold symptoms, strengthens blood, treats colic and strengthens eyes. Fruits are edible.

6.Botanical Name: Delonix regia (Hook.) Raf.

Family: Leguminosae

Common name: Royal poinciana, also called flamboyant tree or peacock tree

Vernacular name in Assamese: Krishna sura

General characters: A medium-sized deciduous tree with a broad-spreading, flat-topped, umbrella-like crown. This tree is noted for featuring a superb ornamental display of showy scarlet flowers and compound mimosa-like leaves.

Uses: Ornament tree. It has some medicinal properties like anti-diabetic activity, anti-bacterial activity, anti-diarrheal property, Hepatoprotective/Cytotoxic property, anti-microbial and anti- inflammatory activity.

7.Botanical name: Albizia lebbeck Benth

Family: Mimosaceae

Common name: Lebbek

Vernicular name: শিৰিষ /স্বৰ্ণচূড়া

Description: Lebbek is a deciduous, perennial medium-sized legume tree. It reaches 3-15 m in plantations and up to 30 m in the open. Its dense shade-producing crown can be as large as 30 m in diameter. Leaves are bipinnate with 3-11 pairs of bright green, oblong leaflets, 1.5-6.5 cm long x 0.5-3.5 cm broad. Inflorescences are globular clusters of 15-40 white fragrant flowers. The fruits are 10-30 cm long x 3-6 cm broad, reddish-brown pods that contain 5-15 flat rounded, free moving seeds. They produce an incessant rattle in the wind, reminding women's chatter, hence the name "women's tongue" (FAO, 2010; Orwa et al., 2009; Lowry et al., 1992).

Distribution

Lebbek is native to tropical Africa, Asia and Northern Australia. It is widely naturalized within sub-humid, semi-arid tropics and subtropical areas where there is a marked dry season and a reliable rainy season. It is found from sea level up to an altitude of 1800 m (Cook et al., 2005; Lowry et al., 1992; Duke, 1983).

Optimal growth conditions are average day temperatures ranging from 19°C to 35°C, annual rainfall between 500 mm and 2500 mm and fertile, well-drained loamy soils. It may, however, withstand lower and more irregular rainfall conditions. It can also grow on a wide diversity of soils such as acid, alkaline or saline soils, eroded soils and laterites except heavy clays (Orwa et al., 2009; Lowry et al., 1992). It is tolerant of heavy grazing and fire (Lowry et al., 1992). Seedlings are sensitive to frost and heavy browsing but older plants can survive (NAS, 1980).

Uses: Good for fire wood. It is generally planted as shade tree in tea and coffee garden (Orwa et al., 2009; Duke, 1983).. Its provide shelter for birds and varieties of inspect. Due to rapid growing nature of the plant, people prefer to plant it in public places for shade. Lebbek is a multipurpose tree. As a fodder tree, its foliage, twigs, flowers and immature pods are relished by different classes of livestock (camels, cattle, small ruminants and rabbits) (FAO, 2010). It is also used planted as timber yielding plant. Lebbek is suitable for agroforestry regimes in which the benefits of animal production are combined with wood production (Lowry et al., 1998).

IUCN status: LC

Local name: ঔটেঙা (O Tenga)

Scientific name: Dillenia indica L.

Family: Dilleniaceae

8. Local name: কৃষ্ণচূড়া (Krishnasura)

Scientific Name: Delonix regia (Hook.) Raf.

Family: Leguminosae

9. Local: নাহৰ (Nahor)

Scientific Name: Mesua ferrea L.

Family: Calophyllaceae

10. Local name: হেলচ্ (Haloch)

Scientific Name: Antidesma ghaesembilla Geartn.

Family: Family: Phyllanthaceae