WILD FLOWERS WHICH ARE USED FOR DOMESTIC PURPOSES IN KASHMIR

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	Madal
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.

                                                                     MADAL

                                                 WENA
POSTED  BY : VIPUL KOUL                       EDITED BY:ASHOK KOUL