Week and Your Plants – July 31 to August 06
Zodiac sign : Cancer/ Karkidakam
Butea Monosperma (പ്ലാശ്) - Fabaceae
It is medium-sized, slow-growing, deciduous multipurpose tree. The leaves are three foliate with bright orange red flowers. The tree has a wide range of medicinal and other uses. It is also used in spiritual functions. Due to the abundant flowers, it is popular as flame of the forest and often planted as ornamental. The flowers yield dye for festivals like Holi. Its seeds are anthelmintic, antifungal, antibacterial and purgative properties. The tree is known to be a host for lac insect.
July 31, Monday : Pooradam : Salix tetrasperma (ആറ്റുവഞ്ചി) - Salicaceae
A medium sized tree of riverbanks and wetlands. Its bark has been used in traditional medicine in many countries to alleviate pain, fever, and inflammation. The non-medicinal applications of the plant include the use as fodder, soil binder on embankments and fuel and in making baskets, agricultural tools, sports articles, furniture and roofing material.
August 1, Tuesday : Uthradam : Artocarpus heterophyllus (പ്ലാവ്) – Moraceae
Large evergreen trees with milky white exudate and are cultivated. Fruits are edible,large agrregate (sorosis) with yellowish-green conical tubercles.
August 2, Wednesday : Thiruvonam : Calotropis gigantea (എരുക്ക് ) - Apocynaceae
Shrubs with opposite broad thick leaves. Calotropis is used for conditions such as digestive disorders, toothache, cramps, joint pain, and many others like swellings. Spiritually significant as the flowers in Shiv pooja.
August 3, Thursday : Avitam : Prosopis cineraria (വഹ്നി ) - Fabaceae
Thorny trees of costal and dry zones providing fodder, fuel for timber, and shade, as well as affecting soil improvement and sand dune stabilization. Known to be used for Treatment of various ailments like leprosy, dysentery, asthma, leucoderma, dyspepsia and earache etc.
August 4, Friday : Chathayam : Neolamarckia cadamba (കദംബം ) - Rubiaceae
Tall fast-growing trees. Timber and manufacturing paper. Additionally, the sweet-scented flowers are used to make perfume. The paste prepared from the bark of stem and leaf of Kadamba is useful to treat pain, redness and itching due to insect bite.
August 4, Friday : Poororutathi : Mangifera indica (മാവ് ) - Anacardiaceae
A large evergreen tree of multiple utility. For wood, fruit, medicine and more. The fruits are sweet and delicious with high market demand. An infusion of leaves and bark is used as an astringent, and it is applied as a mouth wash for toothache, sore gums, sore throat, and similar affections. The trees are of significance in spiritual functions.
August 5, Saturday : Uthratathi : Borassus flabellifer (പന ) - Arecaceae
A multipurpose palm for timber, fibre, leaves, fruits etc. The Palmyra palm (Borassus flabellifer) leaves are used for thatching, mats, baskets, fans, hats, umbrellas, and as writing material. Tala (Toddy palm) – Borassus flabellifer is an Ayurvedic plant used for the treatment of general debility. The fermented sap from the tree is popular as toddy or boiled down to make sugar blocks, also known as palm ‘jaggary. The germinating ones are used for edible purpose.
August 6, Sunday : Revathy : Madhuca longifolia (ഇലിപ്പ) - Sapotaceae
It is an evergreen multipurpose tree with with dense crown and leaves crowded at branch tips and milky latex, that is very important to the local economy, supplying a range of foods, medicines and other commodities. Flowers and fruits are edible. An oil extracted from the seed is used both as a substitute and an adulterant of ghee. Seeds are used in rheumatism and skin infections.