Wild Flowers
Some
of the wild flowers which grow round Srinagar and their indigenous use.
PEGASUS
HERMALA
| Kashmiri
name |
Isband |
| English
name |
Rue |
| Family |
Malvaceae |
| Locality |
Malla Khah |
Uses-It
has a white flower. The ashes of this plan used in washing the hair and
the leaves are fatal to bugs. The seeds are burnt on wedding days to avert
the evil eye.
MALVA SYLVESTRIS
| Kashmiri
name |
Sotsal |
| English
name |
Mallow |
| Family |
Malvaceae |
| Locality |
Waste lands;
Also cultivated |
Uses-It
is a pot-herb. The seeds are used in decoction (sherbat). The root has
a lubricating value and is used in anaemia.
CANNABIS
SATIVA
| Kashmiri
name |
Bhanga |
| English
name |
Hemp |
| Family |
Labiatae |
| Locality |
River banks |
Uses-It
grows mostly above pampor on both the banks of the Vetasta. Its fibre is
used for making ropes and for sankering boats. The cheras, an intoxicating
drug, is made from this plant in three ways:
1. The live
plant is rubbed by hands and sticky substance is collected.
2. The pollen
dust.
3. The dry
plant is pounded and sifted. The material is placed in the maize-cob sheath,
or paper or birch bark and well-wrapped in rush and baked in hot ashes.
It is then smoked mixed with tobacco.
LANATUMA
MARRUBRIUM
| Kashmiri
name |
Tropor |
| English
name |
|
| Family |
Labiatae |
| Locality |
Waste lands |
Uses-It
bears a white flower. It is boiled in kanja and applied to a rheumatic
limb.
MELILOTUS
ALBA
| Kashmiri
name |
|
| English
name |
|
| Family |
Labiatae |
| Locality |
Shankarachar |
Uses-The
flowers which are on a raceme are white. The flowering season is August,
September. The leaves have delicious fragrance.
SALVIA MOORCROFTIANA
| Kashmiri
name |
Sholur |
| English
name |
|
| Family |
Labiatae |
| Locality |
Hari Parbat
and Shankarachar |
Uses-It
has bluish white flowers.
MENTHA SYLVESTUS
| Kashmiri
name |
Wena |
| English
name |
Horse-mint |
| Family |
Labiatae |
Uses-The
leaves have an acute fragrance and are used as flowers in worship by the
Hindus. Mixed with salt and chilli, it is eaten as chetni, and is considered
very stimulating.
PLECTRANTHUS
RUGOSUS
| Kashmiri
name |
Midal |
| English
name |
|
| Family |
Labiatae |
| Locality |
Shankarachar
and sandy soil |
Uses-It
has grey-white flowers and sweet fragrance. The leaves are used in worship
by Hindus. A decoction of leaves is given to a person fallen from height.
THYMUS SERPHYLLUM
| Kashmiri
name |
Jawen |
| English
name |
Thyme |
| Family |
Labiatae |
| Locality |
Hari Parbat,
Shankarachar and sandy soil |
Uses-The
plant bears pink flowers in clusters. Their jam is an excellent stomach
tonic. It is also put in Kanja (sadurkonz). It is good for weak sight,
stomach and liver troubles. It can be used to flavour vegetable or fish.
ARTEMISA
MOORCROFTIANA
| Kashmiri
name |
Tethawen |
| English
name |
|
| Family |
Compositae |
| Locality |
Malla Khah |
Uses-The
leaves are made into a pill as a medicine for worms. It is also used to
protect clothes and paper against fish insects.
CARDIUS
NUTANS
| Kashmiri
name |
Kond posh |
| English
name |
Thistle |
| Family |
Compositae |
| Locality |
Gardens and
waste lands |
Uses-It
is a thistle with a crimson flower. Its root dug in autumn mixed with cane-sugar,
half and half, is taken as medicine for neural diseases.
TARAXACUM
OFFICINALE
| Kashmiri
name |
Maidan hand
Exglish name Dandelion |
| Family |
Compositae |
| Locality |
Outside Srinagar |
Uses-It
has a yellow flower. It is a potherb. When dried, it is well cooked and
applied to a sprained limb.
CICCHORIUM
INTYBUS
| Kashmiri
name |
Won hand |
| English
name |
Chicory |
| Family |
Compositae |
Uses-It
has a beautiful blue flower. It is used as a vegetable and is given to
women after child-birth.
DATURA STRAMONIUM
| Kashmiri
name |
Datur |
| English
name |
|
| Family |
Solanaceae |
| Locality |
Waste lands |
Uses-It
bears a white trumpetlike flower which is highly prized for uses in worship.
The seeds which have a narcotic effect are found in a thorny capsule. The
leaf, lubricated with warm rape-seed oil, is applied to a diseased eye.
DAPHNE OLEODES
| Kashmiri
name |
Gandalun |
| English
name |
Daphne |
| Family |
Thymelaceae |
| Locality |
Shankarachar |
Uses-It
is a shrub bearing creamy white flowers. The leaves are used for some neural
diseases and nausea.
CAUCALIS
LEPTOPHYLLA
| Kashmiri
name |
Mohora Kach |
| English
name |
|
| Family |
Umbelliferae |
| Locality |
Waste lands |
Uses-It
has white flowers. The seeds are used as medicine.
ACHILLIA
MILLIFOLLIUM
| Kashmiri
name |
Phal gasa |
| English
name |
Milfoil |
| Family |
Umbelliferae |
| Locality |
Round fields |
Uses-It
has white flowers. The leaves are used in preparing medicine for stomach
affections and the root for toothache.
FENICULUM
VALGARE
| Kashmiri
name |
Phakazur |
| English
name |
Fennel |
| Family |
Umbelliferae |
| Locality |
In fields
(rare) |
Uses-It
is a beautiful plant. In some European countries it is used as a spice.
'As much as eight and a half pounds of fennel was brought for King Edward
I's household for one month's supply'.
RUMEX
| Kashmiri
name |
Oboj |
| English
name |
Dock |
| Family |
Polygonaceae |
| Locality |
In fidds and
gardens |
Uses-It
is a potherb. It has a little sour taste. It is cooked widh or without
fishes. The root pounded and mixed with oil or ghee is used for boils.
RUBUS NIVEUS
| Kashmiri
name |
Chanch |
| English
name |
Raspberry |
| Family |
Rosaceae |
| Locality |
Shankarachar,
Zaberwon |
Uses-It
is a shrub. The fruit is edible. It is good for blood.
ALTNEA OFFICENALIS
| Kashmiri
name |
Saza posh |
| English
name |
Holly hock |
| Family |
Malvaceae |
| Locality |
Gardens |
Uses-The
flower, along widh dle wheat bran, is used in washing the feet of a sick
person. The seeds form the chief ingredient in decoction of sherbat. The
root has a lubricating effect used for anaemia.
URTICA DIOICA
| Kashmiri
name |
Soai |
| English
name |
Stinging nettle |
| Family |
Urticeae |
| Locality |
Waste lands |
Uses-The
leaves are pounded and applied to wounds. The root boiled in tea and sugar
is believed to cure malaria. In old schools (maktabs) this plant was thrashed
on the naked boys as a punishment for bad behaviour.
AMARANTHUS
FRUMENTACUS
| Kashmiri
name |
Ganhar, lisa |
| English
name |
Amaranth |
| Family |
|
| Locality |
Fields, also
cultivated |
Uses-The
seeds are eaten mixed with sugar. The ashes of this plant are used as saz,
in soap preparation.
ANALYSIS
OF THE PLANT
| Moisture |
19.43 % |
| Ash |
3.19 |
| Protein |
11.50 |
| Carbohydrates |
66.62 |
| Fat |
4.45 |
| Fibre |
2.1 |
OXALIS CORNICULUTA
| Kashmiri
name |
Sebargi |
| English
name |
Sorrel |
| Family |
Geraminaceae |
| Locality |
Fields |
Uses-It
has a yellow flower. The leaves are used in chetni. It is good for eye-sight.
A medicine for eyes prepared from the juice of the plant.
GAGEA-KASHMIRIANA
| Kashmiri
name |
|
| English
name |
|
| Family |
Liliaceae |
| Locality |
Malla khah |
Uses-It
has a yellow flower like a star. It is one of the first flowers to bloom.
ACORUS CALAMUS
| Kashmiri
name |
Vai |
| English
name |
Sweet flag |
| Family |
Araideae |
| Locality |
In swampy
places outside Srinagar |
Uses-It
is used on New Year's day. It is good for memory. Jam is prepared from
it.
SOLANUM NIGRUM, DULCAMARA?
| Kashmiri
name |
Kambai |
| English
name |
|
| Family |
Solanaceae |
| Locality |
In waste lands |
Uses-It
has a white flower. The seeds are used in decoctions. The juice of the
plant mixed with butter is applied to a swollen limb.
CAPSELLA BURSA-PASTORIS
| Kashmiri
name |
Kralamond |
| English
name |
Shepherd's
purse |
| Family |
Cruciferae |
| Locality |
In all places |
Uses-It
has a white flower. The Plant is eaten raw.
VERBACUM
THAPSUS
| Kashmiri
name |
Bolar kon |
| English
name |
Mullein |
| Family |
Scrophularineae |
| Locality |
In waste lands |
Uses-It
has a light yellow flower. The leaves mixed with oil or butter are used
for itches.
CHENOPODIUM
BLITUM
| Kashmiri
name |
Wan palak |
| English
name |
Goose foot |
| Family |
Chenopodiaceae |
| Locality |
Shankarachar |
Uses-The
fruit and leaves are eaten.
BERBEBIS
LYCIUM
| Kashmiri
name |
Kava dach |
| English
name |
|
| Family |
Berberideae |
| Locality |
Shankarachar,
Zaberwon |
Uses-It
is a shrub. The fruit is eaten and is a blood purifier. The root is used
in preparing medicine for eyes. It is said to be a remedy for cholera.
FUMARIA
PAVIFLORA
| Kashmiri
name |
Shahtar |
| English
name |
|
| Family |
Fumariacea |
| Locality |
In fields |
Uses-The
juice of the plant is taken internally along with whey to give a cooling
effect.
DIOSCOREA
DELTOIDEA
| Kashmiri
name |
Krats |
| English
name |
|
| Family |
|
| Locality |
In fields |
Uses-In
spring the leaves are eaten as a vegetable and are supposed good for eye-sight.
|