Mexican Lilac (গ্লিরিসিডিয়া ফুল) - Gliricidia sepium

Bengali Name :	Gliricidia (গ্লিরিসিডিয়া ফুল).
Common Name :	Mexican Lilac, Gliricidia , etc.
Botanical Name :	Gliricidia sepium
Synonym :	Gliricidia maculata
Family :	Fabaceae (pea family)

গ্লিরিসিডিয়া, নাম ইংলিশ হলেও বাংলায় মানিয়ে গেছে। নামের মতনই এই বিদেশী ফুলটাও যেন কেমন করে আমাদের দেশের আবহাওয়ার সাথেও মানিয়ে গেছে। বসন্ত এলেই হালকা গোলাপী রঙের অল্প সুগন্ধিযুক্ত ফুলের ঝাপি নিয়ে বসে সারা গাছটায়। আমারিকা অঞ্চলের এই ফুল মনে হয় রবি ঠাকুর দেখে যেতে পারেন নাই। তা না হলে এই ফুলের একটা যুতসই বাংলা নাম ভদ্রলোক দিয়ে যেতেন (হয়তো দিয়েছে, এই অধম তা জানিনা)।

This is a foreign flower from the perspective of our Bangladesh. Its origin is both the American continents. Not sure how it came in our country, but these days it has adopted our environment nicely and brings flowers profusely during the spring. This flowering plant is known as Gliricidia as per the genus name. Botanical name is Gliricidia sepium. It has another beautiful name which is Mexican lilac. This beautiful flowering plant belongs to the family Fabaceae. It doesn't have any Bengali name, so we also call this as Gliricidia (গ্লিরিসিডিয়া ফুল).

Mexican Lilac (গ্লিরিসিডিয়া ফুল) is a very fast growing plant and can growing in a soil having low fertility. This tree can grow up to 25 feet in height. Leafs are composite and having 12-25 leaflets. Each of the small leaflets are having ovate or elliptic shape. This plant is deciduous during the winter. But brings numerous flowers during the Spring on the leafless tree.

Blooming season for this attractive flower is Spring here in Bangladesh (just after the winter). The flowers are having the similarity with the bean flower as both the flowers share the same plant family. Gliricidia (গ্লিরিসিডিয়া ফুল) are whitish pink or rosy in color with a touch of yellow at the base. Flowers are are having light fragrance. These flowers bloom as a cluster. The ground under the tree uses to get covered with the withered flowers.

Lot of bees, carpenter bees, and small birds are attracted to this flower for its lovely color and the nectar. After successful pollination the plant brings pod like fruits which are having waved at the border. A pod can contain 4-10 brown round seeds inside. Propagation of this plant can be done from both seeds and the wood cutting.

In our country Gliricidia (গ্লিরিসিডিয়া) is an ornamental plant. But it has lot of applications in its native region. Being a fast growing plant it is also known as Quickstick plant. Also this plant is being used as a shade for the chocolate trees. Also it helps to enrich the infertile soil. For this reason this is also known as 'Mother of cocoa' plant. From the bark it is possible to produce a poison to kill the rats. And the genus name Gliricidia means 'mouse killer' in Latin.

A Carpenter bee is playing around the Gliricidia flower (গ্লিরিসিডিয়া ফুল).

A Carpenter bee is playing around the Gliricidia flower (গ্লিরিসিডিয়া ফুল).

A Carpenter bee is playing around the Gliricidia flower (গ্লিরিসিডিয়া ফুল).

Photos of this article were taken from the Curzon hall of Dhaka University. I was there during the month of February and March of 2015. As this flowering plant has suited our environment nicely, we should spread this plant throughout the country.


This article has written by Lonely Traveler,
for the blog http://icwow.blogspot.com/