Caesar Weed Flower grows in abundance on the roadsides just after the monsoons in the villages of Goa. These beautiful pink flowers of the weed naturally attract the attention of passers-by. The weed’s botanical name is Urena Lobata, also called Congo jute, and in Hindi Bachita, Unga, and Lapua.
Caesar Weed Flower
The flowers grow singly in the axil of the leaf and have five petals that are usually pink. The fiber of the weed reportedly has many uses like the jute fiber. The flower is about a cm in diameter and you can partly see an insect inside it.
It is a tall, erect plant that can grow up to 2 meters in height. It has a thick, hairy stem and lobed leaves. The flowers are pink or white and are borne in clusters. The fruit is a capsule that contains several seeds.
Freshly bloomed flowers with lush green fields for the background, with the added spider net on the weed, drew my attention to photographing them. Monsoons at Goa as elsewhere reactivates the growth of vegetation and one can find this kind of colorful Indian wildflowers drawing the attention of nature enthusiasts and photographers. The lush green fields in the background add to the charm of the beautiful colors of the flowers.
It is a tender perennial, variable, erect, ascendant shrub measuring up to about 8 ft tall. The stems are covered with minute, star-like hairs. Considered a weed, it is widely distributed in the tropics and seen across Goa. The weed grows rapidly invading disturbed areas.
It is an invasive species that can quickly spread and outcompete native plants.
Reportedly medicinal properties of the leaves and roots of the plant have been used to treat a variety of ailments, including fever, diarrhea, and inflammation.
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Happy travelling!
What a lovely capture!
The essence of the photograph where the bud and the bloom is shown in a beautiful contrast is a food for thought for the readers!
Glad you liked it 🙂