The Vernonia cinerea - நெய்ச்சிட்டி

The Vernonia cinerea - நெய்ச்சிட்டி is a widespread weed, in waste places and gardens. These pictures taken at Bedok Road, Singapore.

Grows not more than 1 metre tall, usually 0.5 meters. Purple flowering heads, called "cupid's shaving brush", sometimes pinkish, small 6 -7 mm.


Leave your lawn unmowed for a month and the Vernonia cinerea will be the first to sprout to prominence .

Used in traditional medicine in most cultures. In Tamil medicine, its juice is used mainly as a vehicle for other compositions, besides being a lone prescription.

And Siddhar Theraiyar says:
தூய‌ழ‌கி ற‌ப்புரியுஞ் சூத‌க‌ந்த‌ மாதிக‌ளால்
வாய‌ழுகி நாறுப்புண்ணை மாற்றிவிடுந் - தீய‌ழ‌லை
நீக்கிவிடு நிம்ப‌நெய்யை நெய்யாக் கிடும்வ‌ம‌ன்ம்
போக்கிவிடு நெய்ச்சிட்டிப் பூண்டு.
‍‍.... தேரைய‌ர் வெண்பா


The ripe seeds, with 'feathers' waiting for a wind to blow them to your grass patch.

The Caesalpinia pulcherrima - நாழல்

The Caesalpinia pulcherrima - நாழல் seen at Lorong 8 Toa Payoh, Singapore.

A popular shrub, up to about 3 metres tall, stems thorny, flowers strikingly yellow, red or orange. Known as the 'peacock flower'.
Botanical syn: Poinciana pulcherrima

Pods, flat, up to 10cm long.

The Vinca rosea - நித்திய கல்யாணி

The Vinca rosea - நித்திய கல்யாணி seen at Hougang Avenue 4, Singapore.

This is a perennial herb, everblooming with flowers commonly rose-purple or white. Cultivated as an ornamental plant, often running wild. Seen to grow even in cracks of concrete paves. Some cultivars with red, pink and multi-coloured petals.

Fruits follicular, about 25mm long, with many small seeds.

Common names: Periwinkle, pin-wheel flower...
Botanical synonyms: Catharanthus roseus, Lochnera rosea.

The Aloe vera - கற்றாழை

The Aloe vera - கற்றாழை seen in blooms at Lorong 16 Geylang, Singapore. There are many varieties of this species seen in Singapore, big and small, sometimes called Aloe barbedensis.

The Dioscorea bulbifera - காய்வள்ளிக் கொடி

The Dioscorea bulbifera - காய்வள்ளிக் கொடி seen at Avenue 10 Ang Mo Kio, Singapore.

A vigourous twiner, stems barely woody. This is a monocotyledon, the first that I have brought up in my blog, with no regrets as I am sure this is truly an eye-catcher - for its mysterious looking aerial tubers, (bulbils) - commonly called the air-potato.

This is not a friut! It is a tuber that grows at leaf axils up to a size of a regular pumelo. I have not seen its fruits. Perhaps it doesn't fruit!

The bulbils are planted and it grows easily; in some countries it is the "poor man's" food. Elsewhere, it is considered and invasive plant - that it encroaches the space of other plants.


The flowers are tiny, white sometimes pale green. Seen here are the female spikes - up to 20 cm long, the male spikes being shorter about 4 cm.

More a food than a medicine. But then, there is no disease worse than hunger!

The Plumeria rubra - பெருங்கள்ளி

The Common Frangipani, Plumeria rubra, பெருங்கள்ளி or ஈழத்தலரி, seen at an open field near Lavender MRT Station, Singapore.

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What you see is a fruit bearing stalk!

Plants in this family, Apocynaceae, produce such follicles occasionally.

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This plant is extensively planted all over Singapore, even on traffic islands for its profuse, fragrant and brilliant flowers, colours - white, yellow and red with the combinations and shades of the three, including orange and pink.

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The Great Frangipani, P. acuminata and P. alba, also cultivated here, but less often, have the same names in Tamil.

Some plants in this family, like the Nerium Oleander - அலரி are poisonous, with many fatalities reported, but the Plumeria is nowhere near the Oleander on the poison scale. Still I wouldn't chew on it.

In native Tamil medicine its milky sap and various parts are used to treat skin ailments - FOR EXTERNAL USE ONLY! So don't worry if you get the sap on your hands.

"ஈழ‌த்த‌ல‌ரிப் பாவேறு புரைப்புண் தொடையின் வாழைப் புற்றும்போக்கும் மால்" ‍‍‍‍‍‍ --- அக‌த்திய‌ர் குண‌வாக‌ட‌ம்