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| Weekend trip in woods with Botany teachers | | | Om Prakash Vidyarthi | 7/15/2021 11:17:40 PM |
| I love woods,dense forest growth ,enchanting landscape full of flowers in spring or vedant green in rainy-season.After many weeks of self confinement to indoor life ,I got an opportunity to visit woods in the company of two Botany teachers who had plans to move out ,I joined them for a field trip .
Trio travelled in private vehicle driven by Prof Vijay Chandan himself after I was picked up from home by Prof Romesh Atri .Our first stop in woods was at Tanda where locals have displayed locally grown mango varieties namely Safeda, Sindoori, Dussehri for familiarity of mango variety names.After traversing hilly road through tough terrain of deciduous broad leaved forest ,I noticed flowering Cutch tree ,delt tempted to capture few flowering spikes but it was a rare encounter with several butterflies and hymenopteran insects all enjoing floral feast,I got good shots of Common Silverline , Common Emigrant,Common Leopard all on that single tree named Senegalia catechu locals name Khair ,word Khair derived from Sanskrit name Khadira.
I got reminded of Solanum sisymbrifolium which I collected from this forest as new record for J&K during UN declared International year of forests 2011.Taxonomy expert Dr H Nathani helped in getting the paper published as new find for J&K,I kept looking for the same but could not pinpoint location after a gap of ten years.
Under the Jamun & Pine tree deep in the woods,we got another mango stall ,I cold not resist temptation to taste Desi mango in the forest.We feasted on the vermillion red variety called Sindoori ,I looked at nearby Mallotus tree known to locals as Kamilla ,it is presumed that earlier day vermillion was infact fruit outer covering powder of this tree Kamilla used as Sindoor, Rufous oriental turtle dove feasts on red fruits as we were feasting on sindoori mangoes.
I felt amazed when Vijay chandan shared traditional usage of threatened liana Malkangni botanically identified as Celastrus paniculatus,he revealed that locals grind seeds of Malkangni ,mix with soaked wheat grain extract to develop special cuisine good for health as tonic.I too added information about the woody climber as Intellect vine ,seed oil called Jyotishmati oil prescribed for the treatment of neurological disorders.
Just near to Malkangni vines laden with fruits at a location named Kappa gala ,I spotted another tree from Malkangni family Celastraceae , Cassine glauca with elliptic toothed leaves borne in opposite to sub-opposite fashion ,earlier it was named Elaeodendron glaucum ,infact once it was confused with wild mango and then named as Mangifera glauca ,presently in different family Celastraceae.Locally tree is named as Marindu in Kalakote area ,named as Gangera in Billawar,Udhampur,Ramnagar ,I feel tempted to link name of Gangera hills near Udhampur town to this tree Gangera,may be its abundance in earlier vegetation made natives to name the location as Gangera,I shared my thoughts with accompanying two Botany teachers Vijay Chandan and Romesh Atri.
After crossing Kali Temple in Kalidhar on way to Bhambla at Goddar ,we sat for a working meals served in the roadside rural dhaba , maize roti , Amaranth leafy vegetable , little curd and prickly ash fruit sauce.Here we spotted trees of Wendlandia heynei locally called Pansar,leaves opposite ,interpetiolar stipules broad ovate ,we tried to explore other species Wendlandia puberula with linear stipules but could not trace any.Wild Tree Potato , Solanum erianthum previously named Solanum verbascifolium growing nearby was fully laden with fruit clusters ,we captured images sharing the inputs it is tallest Solanum of our area,mostly Solanum species are herbaceous or shrubby but S erianthum grows to a tree dimension,local names Jatt, Aksan ,Ullaah reflect its familiarity with locals,I whispered.
Another location which we explored for floristics was Dharpur ridge,many tree taxa discussed for their traditional usages and nomenclature.Bauhinia semla ,B racemosa, Ehretia laevis , Wrightia arborea , Glochidion velutinum were seen on way to Shiva Mandir perched at the summit of hillock.Most important species at the location was Litsea glutinosa locally named Reeanjhan or Rinjhan but in Udhampur Ramnagar area it is named as Raihn ,many name it as Medda Sak,I recalled.Prof Vijay Chandan briefed me about the surrounding area , village on the downhill is Parnada , next to Parnada in the area lies hamlet Nautthi which has presence of threatened Golden Himalayan spike Phlomoides superba popularly named Gajarmoola , root resembles thick carrot & radish.On way back from temple in the forest ,we came across shrubby Jasminum ,it looked similar to Jasminum pubescens ,leaves were less hairy almost glabrescent,mature fruits black drupaceous ,I was initially inconclusive whether it is other species or ecological plasticity in the morphological features,however ultimately it was identified as Jasminum arborescens based on its arborescent habit and close resemblance to Jasminum multiflorum locally called Kund which has climbing habit and is quite floriferous,flowers are auspicious ,once used in marriage ceremonies.
At Makol gala near a wet habitat beside water spring Vijay Chandan noticed highly aromatic plant he named Baboori which I identified as Kashmir’s Babbari beol ,in Dogri named as Malli or Nazposh , Baboori was new vernacular for me,botanical identity Ocimum basilicum I zeroed in.Here grew bushes of Pearl beauty , Callicarpa macrophylla , fruits pearly white so named Pearl beauty in fact beauty of pearl like fruit is the basis of genus name Callicarpa , Calli means beautiful , carpa means fruit,I elaborated while sitting back in the vehicle.
Little further ,I was thrilled to spot bushes of Otostegia limbata which I was seeing after a gap of almost 36 years, spiny nature of plant simulating with Berberis lycium but flowers are pale yellow , corolla tube emerging from the cupular calyx,I tried to differentiate two taxa though looking similar but belong to entirely different plant families. After negotiating a curve beside Fakodi nala,we looked at tall Liana Segeretia oppositifolia locally named Kanaihnoo.Jamun like lofty trees attracted our attention ,Prof Vijay brought down its leafy twig for a closer look ,leaves shining glabrous but not opposite ,it was thrill to pinpoint that tree before us is Mock orange ,Himalayan Yellow fragrance botanically labelled as Pittosporum napaulense which Taxonomist Brij Mohan Sharma documented in Flora of Jammu as tree seen at Suketar after Nandani.Its presence at Jhangad near Kali temple in Nowshehra is well known beside its occurrence at Bala Sundari in Billawar,I shared locations of my earlier sightings of aromatic tree locally named Gadseelu or Kaud Kainthal,in Hindi however named as Tumri,I made brief commentary before advancing further. Prof Vijay Chandan made us to retreat in the riverine habitat beside mountain stream of Bharakh where I caught glimpses of few Dragonflies & Damselflies.Hurried glimpse of single male damselfly popularity names as Stream glory,zoologically called Neurobasis chinensis added to my ecstacy more than the glimpse of several dark coloured Rhinocypha biforata damselflies resting on a rock in middle of the brook.
Later we caught glimpse of lesser known Rock fig bushes hanging from the rocky ledge,it was looking like a miniature Peepal but leaf lamina was not drawn into any tail like extension,so it was identified as Paras peepal botanical binomial as Ficus arnottiana.Here we noticed cottony white bushes of Adusa family plant named locally as Safni, binomial Aechmanthera gossypina I whispered to reveal plant’s botanical identity,Vijay shared his joy to find new bush in his native area,he was unaware of its identity.
On way back near roadside at Barnai village,we spotted more plants,one was identified as Pakalana vine Telosma cordata local called Gualmanda,leaves cordate borne in opposite pairs,corolla lobes oblong obtuse,in Telosma pallida corolla lobes are linear acute,flowers of both species under Telosma are cooked & developed into cuisines by local villagers,even flowers find display for sale in local vegetable market in the City of temples,I added.Nearby bushes of Flemingia semialata locally known by villagers as Van chhola were spotted, bush bearing compound leaves have gram like pods,infact it is nitrogen fixing plant like Desmodium ,it is host plant for Kerria lacca insect which provides its excretion as shellac which is however more commonly reared on leaves of Kusum Schleichera oleosa and Palash Butea monosperma.
We reached Kadull at 3-45 pm,here Vijay Chandan collected fruit laden Pauna tree twigs ,I named Ehretia acuminata previously called Ehretia serrata as leaves are serrated,its tender springtime foliage harvested by locals and cooked as vegetable,I told to kids gathered there who were curious to know what is special about the tree.Hurriedly we proceeded further ,It was time to join for a Van mahotsav valedictory online event organized by Govt Degree college Bishnah ,I got internet connectivity at a curve nearby,I joined the event, recited two eco-poems written by me to highlight ecological sensibilities and displayed plant samples collected enroute to the participants.
In the evening we started trekking from Ransoo to reach holy Shiva cave popularly named as Shivkhodi.On the way ,I noticed Roxburgh’s Fig trees named in honour of Dr William Roxburgh who is remembered as Father of Indian Botany.After crossing bridge we encountered distant relative of Cinnamon or Tejpatta , superficially looking like Dalchini or Tejpatta leaf but floral and fruit features left us with no doubt that tree is Woolly Litsea under the species lanuginosa or cupiala. On left side we noticed large tree like Rhea bushes botanically labelled as Dabregeasia salicifolia or D hypoleuca named so due to white undersurface of leaves.I spotted some introduced decorative trees & bushes notably Silver oak Grevillea robusta, Chandni Tabernmontana divaricata.On trees huge Liana of wild grape Vitis lanata has made dense growth ,I recalled its fruits are edible under the Dogri name Nabbhre , Nirbaihn , Mambraihn ,leaves are densely pink tomentose underneath.Prof Vijay Chandan and Prof Romesh Attri meanwhile got flowering twigs of another lesser known tree Wrightia arborea locally called Dudhi or Dudaanh,it was seen during the day at Dharpur too but flowers fascinated us more while hiking uphill to reach holy cave of Shivkhodi.
It was late evening ,I spoted a pair of Grey Treepie Dendrocitta formosae sitting on a tree before more ecstatic sighting of shy secretive bird of fascinating beauty named Orange headed Thrush Zoologically identified as Geokichla citrina,sharp captures shared by birding enthusiasts on facebook helped me to connect to the bird instantly,I felt overjoyed but that thrush skulked inside vegetation swiftly therefore not able to capture its image, moreover it was evening dusk hour, light too feeble to photograph such birds.
Blue whistling Thrush also flew beside the Ransoo brook but there was no time to listen to whistles to trace the location of bird we fondly called Bhatol,my first close encounter with bird was however in the Botanical garden university of Jammu during winter month of the year 1983.Later I captured its juvenile image at Gagangir Sonamarg where I located it inside Sambucus wightiana bush laden with orange red berries of great beauty , though plant is invasive and considered bad for native flora.
Very near to the cave ,I noticed Royle’s spurge Euphorbia royleana , Vijay Chandan added a comment on cuisine development despite its toxic nature and use as fish poison,it is said that rocks in its vicinity develop shilajit of better quality.After paying reverence inside the cave,we started trek downhill still engrossed in the discussion of plants.We noticed Albizia odoratissima and Ziziphus jujuba tree where ponies were waiting for the devotees to be carried to Ransoo base camp.
Other morning when I got up ,I noticed heavy downpour,it was raining heavily but by 7 am weather turned pleasant,village folk dealer Balwan Singh had arrived with a sample of rare threatened Gentiana kurroo local called Satsiri jadi,I was familiar with other name Neelkanth.Neelkanth is another name of lord Shiva so bird named as Neelkanth is Indian Roller locally named leelari,here medicinal herb collected by folk healer was Gentiana kurroo ,in Sanskrit known to Ayurvedic practioners as Trayaman.Herb is labelled as Rambaan for its proven therapeutic qualities ,herbal named Karu in trade.
In the company of folk healer ,we started exploring monsoon herbs,we got glimpses of trailing plant Tiger’s foot print , kind of morning glory , botanically identified as Ipomoea pes tigridis, its Hindi name Baghpadi is based on lobed leaf lamina.Here we came across Sticky Spider flower Cleome viscosa ,leaves compound,seeds used as spice under the name Jakhya.We discussed healing qualities of several plants like Ice vine Cissampelos pariera,Sickle pod Senna obtusifolia ,Worm wood Artemisia nilagerica,Bugle weed Ajuga integrifolia, Medda sak Litsea glutinosa , Simblu Berberis lycium etc.
Then we reached a location called Dhooda gala where wild walnut tree relative Samma tree Grove was noticed perched on a hillock ,Prof Vijay shared input that tree leaves impart cosmetic red colour to lips therefore popular traditional use by women folk is as tooth brush ,tree bearing spiral pinnate leaves was identified as Engelhardtia spicata under the family Juglandaceae,local name Samma.In the vicinity,we spotted few bushes of Rabdosia rugosa earlier labelled as Plectranthus rugosus,local names vary location to location ,in Chenab valley named Solei,in Ramnagar named Saleiee, Gojars call it Peunmaar or Peinmaar as its insect repelling properties are well known to natives. travelling back to Higher secondary school Letar .On the way at Kanda location ,I noticed several butterflies , Blue tiger Tirumala limniace , common crow Euploea core and common Emigrant Catopsilia pomona enjoying blossom feast on the flowering spikes of Senegalia catechu.
After that we halted at water point for tasting mangoes we carried from Tanda roadside kiosk while making onward journey yesterday.Here I was shown other plant taxa for further discussion on the floristics ,climbing plant Dregea volubilis ,low medicinal bush Danti Baliospermum montanum and Bombay Ebony Diospyros montana ,I was amazed to notice Diospyros which looked different from Diospyros cordifolia called Rajain in Jammu.
We reached Higher secondary school Letar in search of medicinal anti-obesity edible forest succulent Caralluma tuberculata locally named as Kareenjali ,same being under cultivation at residence of Principal Ravinder Khajuria,he had invited us to visit school and get the succulent for further propagation in other colleges of Jammu.Here Madam Anu Sharma presented ripe medicinal fruits of Golden apple ,Wood apple ,Lord Shiva’s apple popularly called Bael,Madam Sumeet Soodan gifted basketful of aromatic forest fruit commonly called Toothache tree or Prickly ash tree Tinbroo botanically known as Zanthoxylum armatum. We discussed many lesser known plants of Kalidhar notably Meddasak,Tinbroo,Reetha,Trimbal, Tarad, Dadoohr before leaving the school for Baba Dhansar in search of rare tree taxa called Itea nutans.
On way back we visited Sulah park,I noticed Plains Cupid on the host gymnospermic cycad Cycas revoluta,I felt thrilled to capture dozen photographs of lovely butterfly under the family Lycenidae.Golden blossoms of Sphagneticola trilobata attracted our attention ,while capturing few shots we shared our fear that it may go invasive if not controlled.Neaby we noticed an identified umbellifer which we had noticed beside Ransoo nala on way to Shiv khodi but it eluded its identity.Prof Romesh Atri was anxious to know the identity but it baffled me,to me it looked like Trachyspermum.After negotiating few uphill curves,we halted near holy shrine of Ziyarat of Baba Karam Shah at Simbal choa to see lesser known tree mostly confused with Arjun but it was not Terminalia arjuna,infact tree identified was Axle wood tree Anogeissus latifolia.Prof Vijaya Chandan and Romesh Atri felt overjoyed to find the tree growing in its natural habitat,seen growing only in Reasi forests ,how they delt always curious to see leader known taxa but sighting of same eluded them for quite long before ultimate they got it there.
At Baba Dhansar ,we explored protected sacred grove to find leader known Snail tree Cocculus laurifolius locally called Chopdu , its leaves mock Tejpatta so often mixed with consignment of true Tejpatta Cinnamomum tamala.We noticed trees of simple leaved maple Acer oblongum , Himalayan sweetspire Itea nutans , Climbing Schefflera venulosa , Australian olive Olea paniculata, Ujjain Desmodium ,D oojenense , Madhav lata Hiptage bengalensis and curiously coiled Maloo creeper Bauhinia vahlii sometimes names Phanera vahlii local ky called Maloongar , its broad cleft leaves often stiched as Doona pattals, cups & plates to serve meals during festivity and feasts.
Last but not the least ,we caught glimpse of the Tamarind tree richly laden with flowers beside a road little short of Katra ,I recalled 2006 springtime visit to Katra when I could capture glimpse of lesser known Thomson Lily Notholirion thomsonianum ,a rare find which I could not see second time.
Weekend in woods with Botany teachers was rejuventaing especially during the month of Van mahotsava,on the day of travel I had interaction with faculty and students of Government Degree college Bishnah through webinar where I recited my poetry on festival of forests, displayed lesser known Paras Peepal Ficus arnottiana, Himalayan Golden Fragrance Pittosporum napaulense and Silky Ash tree Ehretia acuminata. After back from the woods,I had another web interaction with NSS students of Gandhi Memorial science college to share inputs on plants I got connected during weekend trip in woods with Botany teachers who took keen interest in learning field Taxonomy and gathering traditional inputs.
Unidentified umbellifer seen at Ransoo & Suleh Park was later identified as Cyclospermum leptophyllum popularly named as Marsh celery ,Slender celery having much dissected filiform leaf segments ,few flowered umbels in leaf axils and globular fruits.
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