Showing posts with label Mimosaceae. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mimosaceae. Show all posts

Sunday, February 9, 2020

Black Wattle (Acacia mearnsii)

An introduced tree native to Australia. Planted in some locations in the higher hills. An invasive tree in some other countries where this tree has been introduced (Vlas J. & Vlas J., 2014). Dasanayaka M.D & Fosberg F.R, 1980. recorded it from Pattipola. Few trees can be still observed along the road from Pattipola to Ohiya via Horton Plains National Park. Will it be a threat to the native and rare endemic plants of the Horton Plains National Park sooner or later?

Dasanayaka M.D & Fosberg F.R, 1980, A Revised Handbook to the Flora of Ceylon Volume 1
Vlas J. & Vlas J., 2014, Illustrated field guide to the flowers of Sri Lanka, Volume 2

Monday, April 30, 2018

Giant mimosa/Giant sensitive Tree (Mimosa pigra)

An introduced  shrub native to the Mexico, Central and South America. First identified at the Mahaweli river bank near Kandy in 1996 (But probably colonized there since early 1980's.). It is now considered as a invasive plant and widely distributed along flood plains of some rivers and along roads when sand from the river bed has been used for road constructions. 

Monday, September 19, 2016

පුස් වැල්[Pus wel](Entada rheedei[Syn:Entada pusaetha])

Large native woody climber in moist low country forests up to about 600 m a.s.l. Juice of the wood and bark used in medicine. 

Saturday, August 20, 2016

Mesquite (Prosopis juliflora)

An introduced tree or shrub with scattered thorns, native to South America and West Indies. Naturalized in open grazed areas near the south coast, around Hambantota* (Revised Hand Book to Flora of Ceylon Vol 1)

* Also observed at Chilaw to Puttalam area of North Western coast.

Saturday, May 14, 2016

Calliandra (Calliandra houstoniana var. calothyrsus [Syn: Calliandra calothyrsus])

Native tree of Northwest Panama to South Mexico. Introduced and cultivated as a shade tree in tea plantations. Leaves use as a fodder. 

Thursday, July 2, 2015

Wednesday, August 28, 2013

ඉපිල් ඉපිල්/Ipil Ipil/ Wild Tamarind/Cofee bush (Leucaena leucocephala)


An introduced shrub or small tree cultivated as green manure, fodder, for afforestation and as cover plants of tea estates. It is native to the tropical America. Since it has the ability of rapidly spreading to adjacent areas and invade all other native flora, Ipil Ipil is now considered as an invasive.

Thursday, March 1, 2012

දිය නිඳිකුම්ඹා[Diya-Nidikumba]/Water mimosa/Sensitive neptunia (Neptunia oleracea)

An aquatic herb with floating stems and sensitive leaves, found in tanks and ponds in the dry zone lowlands. Young ends of stems and pods are edible and sometimes eaten as a vegetable. Juice of the stem and roots are used for medicinal purposes.

Thursday, December 22, 2011

නිදිකුම්ඹා[Nidi-kumba]/Sensitive plant/Touch-me-not (Mimosa pudica)

Nidi-kumba is a native plant of Brazil and now pantropical. It is said to be introduced by Alexander moon then director of Peradeniya Botanical garden to the Sri Lanka. However it may have been introduced much earlier (Flora of Ceylon - Vol 1). It is very common weed of roadsides, waste lands, etc throughout the island being much common in wet and intermediate zones.

Monday, May 2, 2011

මදටිය[Madatiya]/Saga seed tree/Red sandalwood/Coral tree (Adenanthera pavonina)

An indigenous tree of low country up to about 1300m a.s.l. It is rare in wild but commonly cultivating in home gardens. Hard red wood of this tree is used to make furnitures and red dye yields from wood is used by Brahmins in India to place marks on their foreheads. Pulp made out of seeds with borax and water has a medicinal value. Seeds also use as weights in jewelry industry.
Flowers – Small white cream flowers in long racemes turn to yellow with age.

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Giant sensitive plant/Creeping mimosa (Mimosa diplotricha [Syn: Mimosa invisa])


Woody herb with long trailing stems native to Brazil and introduced to other tropical countries. It is considered as a serious invasive plant. In Flora of Ceylon Volume 1 it is mentioned that this species was once found along the road outside Agricultural station in Peradeniya and it was imported as a green manure (Dassanayaka & Fosberg 1980). However today it is one of widely spread weed of waste lands, along roads and secondary shrub lands etc.