Those who are familiar about the plants I am going to talk below, may laugh at me because they were generally considered as unwanted and unimportant weeds and jungle plants. Those weeds were plenty in our house gardens and jungle plants I am referring to, in small woods. Whether you laugh at me or not, those were pleasant to my eye since my childhood and they always soothed my body and mind. I was throughout a nature lover, always seeing some degree of beauty in any natural creation and wished the preservation of the environment at all times.

As we identify in our language, “Nidikumba” bearing the meaning of “Plant Fond of Sleeping” was a small bush of weed, growing just few inches above ground and always being subject to uprooted and thrown away. Its leave contracts and slacks down like fell in sleep, as soon as it is slightly touched even. They bear flowers of sphere shape of the size of a marble, light pink in colour, composed of lot of upright short strings.

In my childhood, I used to sit on the floor at the edge of the veranda and to keep my eye on this plant for hours and hours.


“Pinna” was another plant hate by most but won my love. It had number of varities bearing white, blue and red colour flowers.

“Nalabatu” was a creeper and “Eraminiya” was a large thorny bush which provided green colour fruits, we were fond of fluck and eat. Another bush in our world was “Himbutu”, with orange colour fruits of sweet taste.

Non of these are existing today. There are lot more destroyed by us.The development of the country has grabbed them out of the nature.

I am preserving “Kokirilla”, “Kaduru” and some other plants in my garden which are in the verge of diminishing forever. They will live with me happilly but after my death, they may have to come in search of me if possible.