AIR, WATER AND SOIL PURIFYING PLANTS WHICH WORK

1. RIDAY SAHA
AIR, WATER AND SOIL PURIFYING PLANTS WHICH WORK AS
PHYTOREMEDIATION

2. Binomial Name:
Tridax Procumbens
Native Name:
Tridhara Ful (ত্রিধারা ফ
ু ল)
Characteristic:
Tridhara or Coatbuttons is a perennial herb with soft, hairy
and weak stem. It can get a height about 1 m. The plant
grows on fallow land and roadside areas as weed in
Bangladesh. It can be planted in garden as an ornamental
flowering herb. Leaves are light green, opposite, short
petioled, ovate-lanceolate with divided or dented and hairy
edge. Flowers are beautiful, showy, yellow in color, head, set
on very long pedicel. In the head there are five ray florets
and the centre there are closely-knit small round disk
florets. Flowering occurs round the year.

3. Binomial Name:
Cleome Rutidosperma
Native Name:
Choto hurhuri (বেগুনি হ
ু ড়হ
ু নড়য়া ফ
ু ল)
Characteristic:
Choto hurhuri or Fringed spider flower is a small-sized
annual herb with branches up to 1 m height. The plant is
native to tropical Africa and has become naturalized in the
tropical and sub-tropical world. It grows on fallow land as
weed in Bangladesh.The plant flowers round the year.
Flowers are pink, white, lilac, violet or blue, single, on leaf
axil. Leaves are trifoliate, middle one long, light green.
Leaflets are glabrous, 4-7 cm long and 2-4 cm wide. Fruit is
capsule, 4-7 cm long, tubular, narrow at both ends, with an
array of seeds.

4. Binomial Name:
Commelina Benghalensis
Native Name:
Kanchira (ব ালপাতা / কািনিরর / কািাইোাঁনি)
Characteristic:
Kanchira or Bengal dayflower is an annual herb with swollen
nodes. It is native to tropical Asia and Africa. Leaves are
green, alternate, simple, 10-15 cm long, with prominent
sheath. Inflorescence arises from the axil of a foliage
leaf.Flower is blue, small, sepals 3, petals 3. It blooms in
August-September. Propagation of the plant is caused by
seeds. It grows as a weed on fallow land in Bangladesh. Its
juice is applied as antiseptic on cut or burning injury. Root is
used in headache, fever and leprosy. Knot of stem is used to
prevent sterility.

5. Binomial Name:
Evolvulus Nummularius
Native Name:
Bindweed (ভাঁ ই আকরা)
Characteristic:
Mainly available at road side, around huge trees, etc. Its a
good ground covering weed and it belongs to the Morning
glory family. Flowers are very tinny, around 0.5-0.7 cm size,
color is milky white. It has five separate petals and the
stamen, filament, stigma all are in white color.From the main
root, this herbaceous plant use to creep around and thus it
covers the ground. Without the flower, this plant still looks
beautiful for it's round shaped leafs. Leafs are arranged
oppositely around the stem.

6. Binomial Name:
Euphorbia Hirta
Native Name:
Dudhiya Ful (দুনধয়া ফ
ু ল)
Characteristic:
Mainly available at road side, around huge trees, etc. Its a
good ground covering weed and it belongs to the Morning
glory family. Flowers are very tinny, around 0.5-0.7 cm size,
color is milky white. It has five separate petals and the
stamen, filament, stigma all are in white color.From the main
root, this herbaceous plant use to creep around and thus it
covers the ground. Without the flower, this plant still looks
beautiful for it's round shaped leafs. Leafs are arranged
oppositely around the stem.

7. Binomial Name:
Phyllanthus Urinaria
Native Name:
Hajar moni (হাজার মনি)
Characteristic:
Small annual herb plant, but can reach up to 2 feet
sometimes. It doesn't grow as a bush, but it is found around
other bushes. This plant can tolerate shades, so can grow
easily inside other bushes. It has small flowers just under
the stem of the leaf. Each leaf stem holds up to 15 very small
flowers. The fruit is very small too and looks like a small ball.
If you observe the plant hastily you'd be dodged by
identifying this as Mimosa plant.Chamber Bitterplant is
highly useful to do treatment for lot of urine and kidney
related diseases, that's why it has the species name urinaria.

8. Binomial Name:
Leucas Aspera
Native Name:
Shetadrone (বেতাররাণ)
Characteristic:
Shetodrone is an annual herb with soft, hairy and
qudrangular stem. The weed is found in South and
Southeast Asia. It prefers dry, open and sandy soil. The
under-shrub can reach a height of 30-50 cm.Flowers rise
from axillary whorls are pure white, small and showy. It
blooms in March-April mainly. Leaves are short petioled,
entire, oblong-lanceolate, taper at the base; 6-8 cm long and
1-2 cm wide.Oblong fruits are nutlets, brown in color; 2-3
mm long. Propagation of the plant is caused by seeds.The
plant is full of medicinal qualities. Whole plant is used to
prepare medicine, which is effective in cold and headache.

9. Binomial Name:
Azadirachta Indica
Native Name:
Neem (নিম)
Characteristic:
Neem is a fast-growing tree that can reach a height of 15–20
metres (49–66 ft), and rarely 35–40 m (115–131 ft). It is
deciduous, shedding many of its leaves during the dry
winter months. The branches are wide and spreading. The
fairly dense crown is roundish and may reach a diameter of
20–25 m (66–82 ft). The neem tree is similar in appearance
to its relative, the chinaberry (Melia azedarach). The
opposite, pinnate leaves are 20–40 cm (8–16 in) long, with
20 to 30 medium to dark green leaflets about 3–8 cm long.
The terminal leaflet often is missing. The petioles are short.

10. Binomial Name:
Ficus Infectoria
Native Name:
Ashoth, Ashwatha or Bodhi tree (অেত্থ)
Characteristic:
Ashoth, Ashwatha or Bodhi tree is a gigantic and very
aggressive tree. This deciduous tree holds well-spread crown
& has irregularly shaped trunk.Fruits are fig, develop in pair
on leaf axil, sessile, sub-globose, depressed & pink when
ripe. Small unisexual flowers remain inside fig. Deciduous
ficus religiosa gives reddish new foliage in the spring
(March). Leaves are alternate, broad-ovate, 10-20 cm long
with acuminate apex and undulate margin, shiny above,
petiole 7-10 cm long.Almost every parts of the plant have
medicinal properties.

11. Binomial Name:
Portulaca Oleracea
Native Name:
Nunia Shak Ful (িুনিয়া িাক ফ
ু ল)
Characteristic:
Nunia or Common purslane is an annual herb with soft
branches, attaining a height of 25-40 cm. Its stem is purplish,
smooth. Flowering occurs mainly in the summer and rainy
season. Yellow flower blooms early in the morning; petals 4-
5. Flowers are up to 6 mm wide. It grows as weed in fallow
land, roadside and the margin of the crop field in
Bangladesh. Seeds are formed in a tiny pod, which opens
when the seeds are mature. Propagation is caused by seeds.
It is emollient and stomachic. Leaves are eaten as
vegetables.

12. • https://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/agriculture/2021/02/18/bangladeshi-scientist-leads-discovery-of-proteins-that-help-plants-soak-up-
soil-pollutants
• https://www.researchgate.net/publication/264552952_Phytoremediation_and_Prospects_of_Cleaning_up_a_Tannery_Waste_Contaminated_Si
te_in_Dhaka_Bangladesh
• https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/15226510801913884?needAccess=true
• https://bsmrau.edu.bd/seminar/wp-content/uploads/sites/318/2020/07/002-Marzan-E-Zannat-Surovy-seminar-paper-19-05-5293.pdf
• https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/jcsproc/222/0/222_0_206/_pdfhttps://www2.kuet.ac.bd/JES/images/files/v12_1/05_JES_V12_1.pdf
• https://www2.kuet.ac.bd/JES/images/files/v12_1/05_JES_V12_1.pdf
Reference's: