Little tree with showy accessories

Compiled by Ruk Rakaganno

Bowitiya: This fairly small shrub grows upto three metres and can be seen in the under storey of forests, becoming widespread there. The leaves are lance-shaped with rounded bases, the margins slightly scalloped.

The veins on the leaves are clearly marked with five veins running along the leaf from the base. This helps in the identification of the shrub. Both sides of the leaf are hairy. The twigs of the Bowitiya are quadrangular and crimson.

Making identification still easier are the large showy flowers of this shrub. They range from mauve to brilliant crimson and have large yellow anthers. The shrub is in bloom throughout the year which makes it a good ornamental species too. The fruits of the Bowitiya are truncate and have the appearance of a prickly capsule.

The Bowitiya is native to Sri Lanka and grows in forest under storeys and in secondary scrub. It is common along the banks of rivers and waterways and thrives on rocky poor soil. The Bowitiya is so called in both Sinhalese and English. Its scientific name is Osbeckia aspera.