A large, scandent, glabrous shrub, found wild in the sub-tropical North-West Himalaya, often cultivated throughout India. The fragrant flowers are used in India for preparing scented oil, which is considered cooling and is much prized by the richer classes of natives. In certain localities it is also employed for making perfumed waters. Owing to the delicacy and sweetness of its odour, and to the fact that it is impossible to imitate it by artifical combinations, it is used as 'Perfume'.

Seaweed

   The seaweed have long been used by man as a source of food and various minerals since the time immemorial. They are rich in vitamins. When properly cooked they may either be eaten alone or mixed with other foods. They have an agreeable taste though without much flavour. They may be used in making sandwich, salad, vadais (a Tamil dish) etc. Seaweed have also been used for treating conditions like dropsy, menstrual problems and also other difficulties like gastro-intestinal disorders, abscesses, antibiotic activity, bronchial ailments and even cancer. The important pharmaceutical products obtained from seaweed are alginates, polysaccharides, alginic acid, carrageenan and agar-agar. Some of the seaweeds like Gracilaria, Gelidium, Rhodymenia, Laminaria, Turbinaria, Chondrus crispus etc., are kept on display.

    This is a marine algae belonging to the division 'Phaeophyceae' (Brown Algae). The plant body is branched and differentiated, complicated in both external and internal construction. The photosynthetic pigment is chlorophyll a, b and fucoxanthin so that it appears brown in colour. The photosynthetic reserve foods are 'laminarin and mannitol'. It reproduces both sexually and asexually; the motile reproductive bodies are produced in their life cycle. This plant is exhibited in the seaweed show-case.

   An alga eaten raw or in the form of pickle. It is a source of 'laminarian' (A Polysaccharide Storage Product). Sodium laminarian sulphate is used as an anticoagulant for blood.