Pati Bet Ful(পাটি বেত ফুল)

Common Name :
Bengali Name :	Pati Pata(পাটি পাতা), Pati Bet(পাটি বেত).
Botanical Name :	Schumannianthus dichotoma
Synonym :	Clinogyne dichotoma
Family :	Marantaceae

These beautiful waxy white flowers are from the plant Patibet(পাটিবেত) or Pataipata(পাটিপাতা) which are it's native name and belongs to our country Bangladesh. This is also available at few parts in India and East Asia. This is mainly cultivated for the stem that is uses to make the mat locally known as Shital Pati(শিতল পাটি).

Botanical name of the plant is Schumannianthus dichotoma. It Belongs the the plant family Marantaceae. This is available at the wet lands in Bangladesh such as Sylhet(সিলেট), Chittagong(চট্রগ্র্রাম), and Noakhali(নোয়াখালী) region. People from this part of our country use to cultivate this plant commercially.

This is an erect plant having glossy dichotomous branched stems and it uses to grow mostly around the wetlands. It can grow around a height of 2-5 meter depending upon the condition and the diameter of the stem can be around 2 centimeter.

Though this is cultivated for it's stem, but the flowers are attractive and showy. Milky white wax-like flowers are delicately beautiful and looks very bright during a sunny day. The flowers are disguised in such a way that they have around six petals. But In my opinion, the lower three are the white bracts of the flower and the white flower is slightly extended on a small tube after it.

A small group of our country use to live by cultivating this plant and making basket, mat, and handicraft using the stem. This plant doesn't require any special care for growing. It just grow well enough as an weed.