Pride of Mysore ...

Scientific name: Thunbergia mysorensis

Mysore clock vine, dolls shoes or brick and butter vine is one of the most beautiful vines. It flowers every day of the year, a mature vine bears hundreds of 3" yellow and rust red flowers in spectacularly long hanging chains. Mysore clock vine, is a woody-stemmed, evergreen climbing flowering plant, native to India. The name, mysorensis is derived from the city of Mysore. The vine often reaches 20 feet (6 metres). Oppositely arranged ovate-lancelike leaves are 5-6 inches long, and handsome dark glossy green. Flowers are large, in long pendulous interrupted racemes. This vine is shy of seeding and has to be propagated by layering. Flowers in the cold season. The plant is a popular garden item because of its attractiveness to hummingbirds. While i was around this vine to photograph the flowers, i could see so many honey bees, buzzing around the flowers, enjoying the honey. I took this photograph on 3rd February 2012 from the Horticulture park campus adjacent to the Mysore Palace. Many many thanks to the horticulturists, who nurture this plant and i dedicate to all flower lovers, for which Mysoreans can be proud of!