NE India flora and fauna

THE  ELEPHANT APPLE One more popular fruit of North-eastern part of India particularly Assam is the Elephant Apple or Dillenia indica. It is called 'Ou-tenga' in Assamese and 'chalta' in Hindi .The  fruit  is native to South-eastern Asia and found abundantly in India,Srilanka, China, Vietnam,Thailand,Malaysia and Indonesia. Today  the fruit  grows throughout Asia  and parts of Australia. In India, the fruit  grows in the northern tropical region particularly in Assam,West Bengal,Bihar,Odisha,Madhya Pradesh and toward  the south in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. The fruit also thrives in swamps,semi-tropical and the evergreen forest of the sub-Himalayan tract from Kumaon to Garhwal. The  existence of the elephant apple in the wild indicates elephant habitat. This fruit is commonly called elephant apple because it is a favorite fruit of the elephants and these elephant are important seed dispenser.It is therefore prohibited to collect these fruits from the  core are

Common edible flowers in Assamese Cuisine  Night Flowering Jasmin  Assamese name:Sewali phool Scientific name : Nyctanthes arbor-tristis                     Drumstick tree flower Assamese name: Sajina Scientific name : Moringa oleifera    Banana tree flower Assamese name : Koldil Scientific  name : Musa sp.            Humming bird tree flower Assamese  name : Bok Phool Scientific  name : Agati grandiflora         

Hi friends, today I will talk about the largest citrus fruit Pomelo  and focus on three important health benefits. Citrus fruits are edible fruits that belong to the genus Citrus.The pulp of these fruit is juicy.These fruits are either eaten by simply peeling  off the skin or are squeezed to make  juice. Citrus fruits are  characteristically sour in  taste due to the presence of citric acid, some turning sweet when ripe. Pomelo is the largest fruit of the genus Citrus and so its scientific name is Citrus maxima or citrus grandis.It is 15-25 cm in diameter and weigh 1 to 2  kg.It is primarily found in south east Asia and it is native to Malaysia .It is also cultivated in some areas of Mediterranean region,California,Florida, Brazil and Mexico.Pomelo is closely related to grape fruit. The northern eastern region of India has been identified as one of the major centre of diversity of Citrus having about 17 species,52 varieties and seven natural hybrids.Pomelo is a common citrus fr

   Hi Friends,today I will share with you some of my experience related to Passion Fruit and also its health benefits.Passion fruit is native to Brazil,Argentina and Paraguay.In India,it is cultivated in some areas of Nilgiri hill region,Karnataka,Himachal Pradesh and north eastern states of Manipur, Nagaland and Mizoram.In our state i.e.Assam it is rare and I was not familiar with it.Although,I grew up in a family involved in horticulture,having a big farm with all different seasonal and perennial fruits,I could hardly remember consuming it in my childhood.It was in the year 1999,I had a chance to work on a project on organic farming of Passon fruit in our neighbouring state of Manipur.It was then, as if I rediscovered passion fruit and came to know its nutritional importance. The Passion fruit is nearly round to oval in shape either purple or yellow at maturity,depending on its variety.The plant is a perenial vine,shallow rooted and woody climbing by means of tendrils.Passion fru

Hi, everyone,Welcome to an exciting journey with me to discover new destination, exotic food,health secrets, fauna and flora of North East India in particular and the world at large.     I am Ruby Kashyap from Assam,India,a post graduate in biotechnology.Hope you will find the post informative and exciting.    North Eastern India is rich in different varieties of flora and fauna.A number of different types of citrus fruits is found here.One such is the Star fruit or Carambola. Star Fruit or Carambola.(Fruit beneficial for liver, blood glucose,cholesterol)    Starfruit or Carambola is known as 'kordoi' in Assamese and 'kamrakh' in Hindi.It is commonly seen in the orchard all over Assam.It is also consumed throughout South east  Asia. The fruit initially appear green in colour and turns yellow when ripen. The Carambola tree typically produces the most fruit from April to June and October to December. The fruit has distinctive ridges running down its sides. When cu