Kharam Leishok - Holmskioldia Sanguinea Retz

Kharam Leishok Angangba – This beautiful red flower was once plucked from the abandon Kharam village gate  and given to Sunurembi by King Pakhangba as a token of his love during his expedition. The flower is at times referred to as Sunurembi Toukhamlei meaning, the forbidden flower of Sunurembi after a decree was announced prohibiting any commoner from wearing it.

Kharam Leishok Angangba : Picture Curtesy-Yaisana Huidrom 

Holmskioldia Sanguineai - Pronounced as: holm-skee-OLD-dee-uh san-GWIN-ee-uhs , is a genus of flowering plants in the mint family, Lamiaceae. It is native to the subtropical Himalayan region but widely grown as an ornamental in warm climates and often naturalized. Kharam Leishok, commonly Known as Chinese Hat Plant, Cup and Saucer Plant, Mandarin Hat, Tahitian Hat Plant is an erect shrub that loves to climb. This shrub produces spectacular narrow, trumpet shaped flowers with crimson petals and red to orange or yellow-green calyces. Other colors we find are those of scarlet red, coral red to bronze, yellow citrine to green copper, copper red, purple, green edged, pale pink, green etc. We commonly see the scarlet red variety in Manipur. This plant blooms from summer to fall. It grows up to 10 feet in height and can get up to 6 feet wide. 

Kingdom                 :   Plantae  – plantes, Planta, Vegetal, plants

Taxonomic Rank   :    Species  

Subkingdom           :   Viridaeplantae  – green plants  

Infrakingdom         :   Streptophyta  – land plants

Division                   :   Tracheophyta  – vascular plants, tracheophytes  

Subdivision             :   Spermatophytina  – spermatophytes, seed plants, phanérogames  

Infradivision           :   Angiospermae  – flowering plants, angiosperms, plantas com flor,                                                          angiosperma, plantes à fleurs, angiospermes, plantes à fruits  

Class                        :   Magnoliopsida  

Superorder             :   Asteranae  

Order                      :   Lamiales  

Family                     :   Belongs to Lamiaceae (formerly placed in Verbenaceae) 

Duration:                :   Perennial

Growth Habit:        :  Shrub/Vine  

Genus                       :   Holmskioldia Retz.  

Species                      :  Holmskioldia sanguinea Retz. – Chinese hatplant

Citation                    :  HOLMSKIOLDIA SANGUINEA  Retzius, Observ. Bot. 6: 31. 1791.

Subfamily                : V. Subfam. Scutellarioideae (Dumort.) Caruel (1884).

The genus name commemorates Johan Theodor Holmskiold (1731-1793), a Danish botanist who wrote Beata ruris otia fungis Danicis, published in two volumes in 1790 and 1799

Distribution : Himalayas (India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Myanmar) which have been introduced to South Tropical Africa, Western Indian Ocean, China, Malaysia, Southwestern Pacific, North-Central Pacific, Mexico, Central America, Caribbean, Northern South America, Western South America, Brazil which is now widely cultivated as an ornamental and naturalized in many places like Southeast Asia, New Caledonia, Hawaii, Mexico, West Indies, Venezuela, etc.

Description : Acandent tall evergreen shrub with long arching branches; leaves opposite, petiolate, ovate-elliptic, finely toothed; inflorescence of lax cymes, grading into a terminal thyrse; bracts much reduced; bracteoles usually present in pairs; calyx actinomorphic, strongly accrescent, 5-lobed, lobes broadly rounded, tube patelliform, subtruncate; corolla bright red, zygomorphic, 5-lobed, lobes with margins recurved, posterior pair smallest, anterior lobe largest, tube curved; stamens slightly exserted, thecae parallel; ovary lobed on sides only, glandular-verrucose; disc poorly developed; nutlets slightly fleshy, tuberculate, glabrous, conspicuously glandular, attachment-scar lateral, 0.5-0.6x as long as nutlet; endosperm present; embryo spatulate.  2n = 32, 36.  One sp.

Uses : Generally grown as a specimen plant or as boarders, it can be grown ornamentally  as a mixed-shrub borders or against a vertical structure such as a wall for added support. It attracts butterflies, bees and hummingbirds and is often seen in conservatory plant collections, as it's uncommon in temperate climates. The curious flowers of the Chinese hat plant adding color and interest in the northern section of the Franklin Park Conservatory is a beautiful example . In India it is also used in magic or in vashikaran rituals by tantrics.

Medicinal Uses : An Anti-inflammatory agent it is. Crushed fresh leaves and shoots applied in rheumatism, rheumatoid arthritis. Extracts of leaves and stem bark taken in dysentery, headache, high blood pressure, leaves of Holmskioldia Sanguinea, Albizia myriophylla and Nymphaea nouchali boiled and taken as blood purifier. In Manipur older generation people grew these otherwise wild flower of Manipur with a double purpose. One as a border fence and the other for medicinal purpose. The leaves and flowers are boiled in Chinghi (rice water) and by soaking a muslin cloth in the lukewarm concoction applies it on the crown of the person who is feeling giddy. The giddiness is said to vanish soon.  

Management : This plant has a less than symmetrical growth habit and a tendency toward thinning

at the bottom of the plant.  With age, the plant also becomes woody and leggy with frequent dropping of its lower foliage, so rejuvenation pruning is required to maintain the shape. It can be rejuvenated simply by cutting back close to the ground every few years. Chinese Hat Plant can be used best toward the back of a shrub border.  Let it grow to its natural height, but hide the bottom of the plant with shorter shrubs planted about 5 feet in front.  This will allow the most unusual flowers to display at the top of the border.  The other technique that will make it more attractive is to grow the plant in an open location receiving all day sun.  Place it far enough away from structures and other plants so that it will not have to be clipped.  Provide regular irrigation when soil becomes dry. Water rarely, about once every 2-3 weeks with 1-2 buckets of water , keeping the soil dry for a few days before watering again; when wetting, do so by avoiding surpluses. If we want to grow these plants in a vase, we should water them a bit more often, compared to plants cultivated in the ground; Every 2-3 years we should renew the substratum in the vase, or enrich with organic amender. As for treatments for Chinese hat plant, a pre-emptive treatment with wide range insecticide and with a systemic fungicide is required to prevent the attack of aphids and the development of fungus diseases, often favoured by a mild and damp climate. Finally for these  shrubs it’s necessary to choose a rich and deep substratum which presents an excellent drainage.

Pests and Diseases : Whiteflies, spider mites, and mealybugs, aphids. 

Soil borne nematodes present the biggest challenge to growing this plant. 

Some images of Kharam Leishok collected from the web.

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