Celebrating Indian Flowers

A Celebration of INDIAN FLOWERS

With a rich, colorful culture, thousands of years of history, and many interwined religions, India has been called the land of Gods and Goddesses. In this spiritually charged world, flowers occupy a respected, ceremonial position, some even being worshiped. This has been embedded in the social and cultural lives of Indians. This calendar celebrates the importance and significance of some Flowers of India, and brings it out through the journey of 12 months, describing the social, cultural, medicinal and religious characters of some of the flowers.

2018

01

COMMON NAME carnation

THE STORY of CARNATION Its scientific name dianthus roughly means “flower of love” or “flower of the gods”. This plant dates back to Roman and Greek times being used for its color and beauty in art masterpieces. It has been thought that the flower was first bloomed the day Mary wept for Jesus on the cross. The color of this flower has grown over time. When first discovered, the colors were mostly pink and peachy, but the palette has also added greens, purples, reds, yellows, and whites.

CLASS Magnoliopsida

FAMILY Caryophyllaceae

Dianthus caryophyllus JANUARY Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa

7 14 21 28

1 2 8 9 15 16 22 23 29 30

3 4 10 11 17 18 24 25 31

5 12 19 26

6 13 20 27

02

COMMON NAME MARIGOLD

As it is called ‘GAINDA’ The genus name for marigold (Tagetes) gets its name from the Etruscan god ‘Tages’ - the god of wisdom . It’s common popular name ‘marigold’ comes from “Mary’s gold” after Mother Mary. The flower is offered to Mother Mary on the Feast of the Annunciation.

Marigold seeds are sown in pots as a symbol for auspiciousness and patience to await the divine. In Hinduism too, the flower symbolizes auspiciousness. The saffron/orange colour signifies renunciation and hence is offered to God as a symbol of surrender. It symbolizes a trust in the divine and a will to overcome obstacles. Thats why the flower assumes such improtance on Vijayadashami - the day Lord Rama prevalied over Ravana - a victory of good over evil. Its used as a ‘torana’ (gateway) because it has a piercing odour that keeps insects and other pests at bay.

CLASS Tagetes

FAMILY Asteraceae

Tagetes erecta

FEBRUARY Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa

4 5 6 11 12 13 18 19 20 25 26 27

1 7 8 14 15 21 22 28

2 9 16 23

3 10 17 24

03

COMMON NAME LOTUS

‘kamal’ The Lotus or the Water Lily, an aquatic plant with broad floating green leaves and bright fragrant flowers that grows only in shallow or murky waters, is the National Flower of India. Rich in meaning and metaphor and untouched by the impurity, the Lotus symbolizes divinity, fertility, wealth, knowledge and not to forget enlightenment. Lending to its uniqueness, it also symbolizes the last and final lotus - Charan Kamal or Lotus Feet of the Almighty. The divinities Vishnu and Lakshmi often portrayed on a pink lotus in iconography.Vishnu is often described as the “Lotus-Eyed One”. The growth of its pure beauty from the mud of its origin holds a benign spiritual promise.

ORDER Proteales

FAMILY Nelumbonaceae

Nelumbo nucifera MARCH Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa

4 5 6 11 12 13 18 19 20 25 26 27

1 7 8 14 15 21 22 28 29

2 9 16 23 30

3 10 17 24 31

04

COMMON NAME jasmine

mograa / motiaa / bela / chameli The fresh and gorgeous Jasmine flowers are the pride of India. Jasmine is considered the queen of flowers and is called the “Belle of India” or the “Queen of fragrance” as it is exquisitely scented to soothe and refresh. They are used all over the southern region to make pretty looking garlands. Women love decorating their hair using this because of its lovely appearance and wonderful fragrance. It is one of the oldest flowers cultivated by man and believed to have aphrodisiac qualities. Madurai ‘malligai’ received a Geographical Indication (GI) tag, protecting it by law and establishing its quality.

ORDER Lamiales

FAMILY Oleaceae

Jasminum APRIL Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa

6 13 20 27

1 2 3 7 8 9 10 14 15 16 17 21 22 23 24 28 29 30 31

4 11 18 25

5 12 19 26

05

COMMON NAME CHAMPA

‘champa’ | ‘frangipani’ | ‘golenchi’ Champa is native to India and its other neighbouring counties. It is a large evergreen tree with a close tapering crown composed of ascending branches. It naturally occurs in the eastern Himalayan region. The most interesting and attractive part of this plant are its flowers that have an extremely heady fragrance but are not very showy with just a few yellowish white petals. The fragrance of Champa has made it very popular and has been a part of the Indian culture from time immemorial. In various parts of India, Champa is used in religious offerings. The scent of its flowers can be enjoyed from several hundred feet away. Champa flowers are used to make some of the world’s most expensive perfumes.

ORDER Gentianales

FAMILY Apocynaceae

Plumeria rubra MAY Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa

6 13 20 27

1 2 3 7 8 9 10 14 15 16 17 21 22 23 24 28 29 30 31

4 11 18 25

5 12 19 26

06

COMMON NAME Bougainvillea

‘Booganvel’ Named after Louis de Bougainvillea, a French navigator who came across it in Brazil during the 18th century, Bougainvillea has gained popularity all over the world, due to its versatility, richness and suitability to thrive in degrading environmental conditions. It is a semi-climber and can be grown as a hedge, a shrub, a climber over a sunny wall and also in pots. With its sharp thick thorns it is avoided by cattle, goats, monkeys and even birds. It loves open sunshine and the colours of some varieties grow brighter and more attractive in hot dry climate.

ORDER Caryophyllales

FAMILY Nyctaginaceae

Bougainvillea glabra JUNE Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa

3 4 5 6 7 10 11 12 13 14 17 18 19 20 21 24 25 26 27 28

1 8 15 22 29

2 9 16 23 30

07

COMMON NAME RAJNIGANDHA

‘tuberosa’ | ‘Gul shabbo’ | ‘Nila Sampangi’ Rajanigandha means “The Fragrance of the Night”. The common name derives from the Latin tuberosa, meaning swollen or tuberous in reference to its root system. Polianthes means “many flowers” in Greek. It is a flower that is both mythical and magical, its nectar said by some to have special powers and its scent magical to all who experience it.

Tuberoses are a popular flower in floral arrangements and their scent is used to produce perfumes the world over. Polianthes come from Mexico and the above is probably more familiar as a florist’s cut flower. The unopened buds are pinkish but the flowers are pure white. Tuberoses thrive in sunny spots and bloom in late summer. Their tall stems (2-3 ft.) and rather sparse, grass-like foliage make them ideal for interplanting.

ORDER Asparagales

FAMILY Agavaceae

Polianthes tuberosa JULY Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa

1 2 3 4 5 6 8 9 10 11 12 13 15 16 17 18 19 20 22 23 24 25 26 27 29 30 31

7 14 21 28

08

COMMON NAME Gulmohar

‘gulmohur’ | ‘gul mohr’ | flame tree | Discovered in the early 19th century in its native Madagascar by botanist Wensel Bojer, Gulmohar is a flamboyant tree in flower - some say the world’s most colorful tree. For several weeks in spring and summer it is covered with exuberant clusters of flame-red flowers, 4-5 in across. Even up close the individual flowers are striking: they have four spoon shaped spreading scarlet or orange-red petals about 3 in long, and one upright slightly larger petal (the standard) which is marked with yellow and white. Gulmohar gets 30-40 ft tall, but its elegant wide-spreading umbrella-like canopy can be wider than its height. Gumohar is naturalized in India and is widely cultivated as a street tree.

ORDER Fabales

FAMILY Fabaceae

Delonix regia AUGUST Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa

5 6 7 12 13 14 19 20 21 26 27 28

1 2 8 9 15 16 22 23 29 30

3 10 17 24 31

4 11 18 25

09

COMMON NAME ALMALTAS

‘amaltas’ | ‘golden shower tree’ | ‘Indian Laburnum’ This native of India, commonly known as Amaltaas, is one of the most beautiful of all tropical trees when it sheds its leaves and bursts into a mass of long, grape-bunches like yellow gold flowers. A tropical ornamental tree with a trunck consisting of hard reddish wood, growing up to 40 feet tall. The wood is hard and heavy; it is used for cabinet, inlay work, etc. It has showy racemes, up to 2” long, with bright, yellow, fragrant flowers. The fruits are dark-brown cylindrical pods, also 2’ long, which also hold the flattish, brown seeds (up to 100 in one pod) These seeds are in cells, each containing a single seed.

Medicinal uses: The sweet blackish pulp of the seedpod is used as a mild laxative.

ORDER Fabales

FAMILY Fabaceae

Cassia fistula SEPTEMBER Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa

2

3 4 5 6 7 9 10 11 12 13 14 16 17 18 19 20 21 23 24 25 26 27 28 30

1 8 15 22 29

10

COMMON NAME CHINA ROSE

‘gurhal’ Nobody knows whether the hibiscus really is a native of China as its latin name, Hibiscus rosa-sinensis, (rosa-sinensis = Chinese Rose) suggests or not. Many believe, it comes from India. This large shrub or small tree grows to 15 feet high. The toothed leaves are arranged alternately and vary a lot, but tend to be large, dark green, and shiny. This plant has a coarse texture and may be upright or broad and spreading. It is often many-stemmed.

Flowers are glorious and huge at their best up to 6” in diameter and occur in many colors.

Most are flared and have a bell shape and may be single or double, smooth or scalloped.

They have a long central tube with stamens and pistils at the tip.

ORDER Malvales

FAMILY Malvaceae

Hibiscus rosa-sinensis OCTOBER Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa

7 14 21 28

1 2 8 9 15 16 22 23 29 30

3 4 10 11 17 18 24 25 31

5 12 19 26

6 13 20 27

11

COMMON NAME ROSE

‘rose’ Roses are a group of herbaceous shrubs found in temperate regions throughout both hemispheres The birthplace of the cultivated Rose was probably Northern Persia, on the Caspian, or Faristan on the Gulf of Persia. The red rose is the symbol of England and is worn on St George’s Day. It is also the symbol of love and is hugely popular on St Valentine’s Day. Rose water is considered highly effective in keeping eye problems at bay.

Splashing rose water in the eyes eradicates redness and swelling. Gulkand produced from rose helps cure stomach ulcers and is a natural laxative as well.

ORDER Rosales

FAMILY Rosaceae

Rosa Rosaceae NOVEMBER Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa

4 5 6 11 12 13 18 19 20 25 26 27

1 7 8 14 15 21 22 28 29

2 9 16 23 30

3 10 17 24 31

12

COMMON NAME sunflower

‘sunflower’ | ‘ring of fire’ | ‘surajmukhi’ ‘Ring of Fire’ is a five-inch sunflower having golden petal edges and a ring of red surrounding the chocolate brown center. Decidedly different from other sunflowers, ‘Ring of Fire’ stands out in a crowd of plain gold or yellow flowers. Its genus- Helianthus is also quite literal and means sun (helios) and flower (anthos). The sunflower is the Greek symbol of Clytie (a water nymph) who turns into a sunflower after grieving over the loss of her love (Apollo). Sunflower is associated with the energy, warmth, happiness and longevity of the sun.

ORDER Asterales

FAMILY Asteraceae

Helianthus annuus

DECEMBER Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa

4 5 6 11 12 13 18 19 20 25 26 27

1 7 8 14 15 21 22 28 29

2 9 16 23 30

3 10 17 24 31