Komarika
Komarika Scientific name: Aloe vera Family name: ALOACEAE English name: Aloe Local name: Komarika (කෝමාරිකා) Description: Herbs with short, thick, branching subterranean stems. Leaves radical, 25-80 cm long, 3-10 broad at base, very fleshy, narrowly lanceolate, more or less flat adaxially, convex at the back, tapering to the apex and tipped by a spine, with […]
Kathurumurunga
Kathurumurunga Scientific name: Sesbania grandiflora Family name: FABACEAE English name: Hummingbird tree Local name: Kathuru murunga Description: Trees, to about 10 m tall; young stems pubescent. Leaves paripinnate with axis about 12-30(-60) cm long, 30-60-foliate; ;eaflets 2-4 cm long, 5-15 mm wide. Inflorescences 2-4-flowered. Flowers about 5-10 cm long; petals red, pink, or white, (5-) […]
Kasthuri Dehi
Kasthuri Dehi Scientific name: Triphasia trifolia Family name: RUTACEAE English name: Lime berry Local name: Kasthuri dehi Description: Shrub up to 3 m tall or a small tree. Compound leaves with 3 elliptic leaflets with the terminal leaflet twice as large as the lateral leaflets. Pair of spines at the base of the leaf petiole. […]
Kapukinissa
Kapukinissa Scientific name: Abelmoschus angulosus Family name: MALVACEAE Local name: Kapukinessa ( කපුකිණිස්ස) Description: Herb, perennial or undershrub, erect to 2 m tall; stems hollow, hispid, yellowish hairs intermixed with stellate hairs. Leaves 3.5-22 cm diameter, palmately 3-7-lobed or –divided , margin serrate or crenate; petiole 0.5-20 cm long or more; stipules 5-15 mm long. […]
Iriveriya
Iriveriya Scientific name: Plectranthus zatarhendi var. tomentosa Family name: LAMIACEAE English name: Tulsi Local name: Iriveriya (ඉරිවේරිය) Conservation status: EN (NCS) 2012 Description: Perennial herb, about 60-90 cm tall; stems so0mewhat prostrating, bluntly quadrangular, reddish and hairy. Leaves opposite, 5.3-6.5 cm long and broad, hairy on oth sides; petioles 2.5-3 cm long, reddish, hairy. Flowers […]
Inguru Piyali
Inguru Piyali Scientific name: Kaempferia galanga Family name: ZINGIBERACEAE English name: Lesser galanga Local name: Inguru piyali Description: Rhizomatous herbs. Stem short or more or less absent. Leaves few, sheaths open on one side; blades distichosly arranged, up to 15 x 10 cm, often with a narrow reddish edge above, paler below. Inflorescence sessile, of […]
Heen – Thambala
Heen – Thambala Scientific name: Carmona retusa Family name: BORAGINACEAE Local name: Heen thambala (හීන් තඹල) Conservation status: LC (NCS)-2012 Description: Shrubs or small trees, to 2 m. leaves mostly fasciculate on short, spur-like branches, occasionally alternate, small, spathulate, to 4 cm long and 1.5 cm wide, retuse and/or with 2 – 7 teeth at […]
Gurulla
Gurulla Scientific name: Aristolochia ringens Family name: ARISTOLOCHIACEAE English name: Dutchman & acutes pipe Local name: Gurulu raja Status: Only under cultivation Edible parts: None
Gaja Madara
Gaja Madara Scientific name: Cleistanthus collinus Family name: EUPHORBIACEAE English name: Garari Local name: Madara Description: Small deciduous tree. Leaves are alternate, quite entire, leathery, circular, broadly-obovate or elliptic, 1.5-3 inches long. Leaf stalk is 6 mm long. Flowers are yellowish-green, in small silky hairy clusters in leaf axils. Capsule is woody, stalkless, spherical, obscurely […]
Elawara
Elawara Scientific name: Calotropis gigantea Family name: ASCLEPIADACEAE English name: White Gigantic swallow wort Local name: Ela wara Description: An erect spreading shrub up to 3 m height. Leaves oblong, obovate or panduriform, rather thick, cottony tomentose when young, petiole 0.3-2 cm long, leaf blade 6-18 cm long and 3-8 cm wide, cordate at the […]
