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Time for sukhdarshan, the spider lily
White flowers spread like an octopus, magenta buds that would not open, and a worrying name, “poison bulb”: my hunt for the spider lilies on campus.
The honeysuckle that stayed a stranger for a year
A creeper beside our adda spot at Curzon Hall kept its name a secret for a whole year, until its white flowers, turning to gold, finally gave it away.
Spellbound by the scent of swarnachapa
In my first year, when lectures dragged, I gazed out of the window at a tall tree full of golden flowers. The story of swarnachapa and its unforgettable scent.
Have you met bhui amla, the stonebreaker?
For weeks I could not tell bhui amla from its look-alikes. How a tiny weed with flowers tucked under its leaves finally became an old friend.
Seeds of love from the roktochandan tree
At a relative’s village home, I saw children playing with what looked like red chocolates. Years later, at university, I found the tree behind those seeds of love.
Udal and patharkuchi in bloom
Shamim’s camera reminded me that the udal tree was in flower. Going to photograph it, I found another surprise in the botanical garden: a patharkuchi in bloom.
A glimpse of Baldha Garden
A day at Baldha Garden with the Udbhid Chottor group. First a long wait at the gate that nearly sent us home, then rare plants in Psyche and old friends in Cybele.
The whitewashed eucalyptus
As a child I thought someone had painted this tree with lime. Years later the lemony smell of one fallen leaf told me what it really was, a lemon eucalyptus.
The garjan tree flowers too
Deep in the Mirpur Botanical Garden we followed a sweet smell and found patterned flowers lying on the path. They had fallen from a garjan tree far above our heads.