Saluting every life with a flower each day! Flowers are soul of the planet, blooming to play music with silent notes. Smile at them as they are sweet hearted!! Only the photographs taken by me are uplinked. I lean heavily to http://www.flowersofindia for flower identification and descriptions. Looking forward to valuable comments and suggestions.
Spider lily or beach spider lily is a truly amazing plant that can tolerate the broadest possible range of growing conditions. It can grow in water, in wet boggy areas, as well as dry areas. The lovely white flowers have long narrow reflexed petals behind a central cup. Several flowers are carried on each sturdy 70-90 cm stem. Stamen filaments are green and narrow petals have a thin membrane between them, which probably explains the origin of its scientific name. I took this photograph on 1st May 2012 near a street adjacent to my present stay at Mysore. My daughter was my companion in this expedition to shoot this flower. Thanks to her.
May flower, Flame tree, royal poinciana or Gulmohar (Hindi) was discovered in the early 19th century in its native Madagascar by botanist Wensel Bojer. Gulmohar is a flamboyant tree in flower - some say the world's most colorful tree. For several weeks in spring and summer it is covered with exuberant clusters of flame-red flowers, 4-5 in across. Even up close the individual flowers are striking: they have four spoon shaped spreading scarlet or orange-red petals about 3 in long, and one upright slightly larger petal (the standard) which is marked with yellow and white. The delicate, fern-like leaves are composed of small individual leaflets, which fold up at the onset of dusk. Gulmohar gets 30-40 ft tall, but its elegant wide-spreading umbrella-like canopy can be wider than its height. Gumohar is naturalized in India and is widely cultivated as a street tree. This photograph was taken from the CSRTI, Mysore campus on 13th April, 2012.
The presence of giant spider lily cannot be ignored in any garden. Dark green strap-like leaves may be more than 3 feet long by 4 inches wide. Flowers are shaped like tubes that flair open into a crown of narrow petals. The petals are white with a pink longitudinal stripe on the underside. Red and pink fragrant flowers sit atop a succulent, cylindrical flower stalk that is 1 to 3 feet tall. A 6-inch-long floral tube bears 6 petals and sepals, and rosy stamens from the throat of this tube. These striking, fragrant flowers appear most abundantly in the spring,summer and fall seasons of the year. This flower was taken on 24th January, 2012 from Lalbagh, Bangalore.
Red Spiderling is a prostrate herb with very diffuse inflorescences. It is a weed found throughout India. Inflorescences occur at the end of branches, are forked about 3-6 times, occasionally with sticky internodal bands. Branches are divergent, terminating in compact subumbellate or capitate, 2-5-flowered clusters. Flowers have stalk shorter than 0.5 mm. Bract at base of the flower tube quickly deciduous, lance like, 0.8-1 mm. Flowers are purplish red to reddish pink or nearly white, bell-shaped beyond the constriction, 1-1.5 mm. Stamens 2-3, are inside the flower or barely protruding out. Tender young leaves and shoots are cooked and used as a vegetable. This photographs was taken on 27th April, 2012 near the lab, where i work.
Beautiful blossoms of fragrant flowers in bunches, at the tip of branchlets rendering an eye-catching sight that is 'Oleander'. A native of India and the Mediterranean, it is now widely grown in tropical and subtropical gardens, parks, avenues and is popular for its hue and fragrance. It rises up to 3 meters erect with its short branches and dark dusty green leathery narrow leaves, which grow in whorls. The are narrow lance like, 5-21 cm long and 1-3.5 cm broad, and with an entire margin. The flowers grow in clusters at the end of each branch; they are white, pink or yellow, 2.5-5 cm diameter, with 5 petals fringed at the base. They are often, but not always, sweetly scented. The fruit is a long narrow capsule 5-23 cm long, which splits open at maturity to release numerous downy seeds. The plants are almost free from pests and diseases and untouched by cattle and goats, due to their toxicity. In India they are thus the most favoured plants for the road dividers, where a plant has to withstand heat and dust, and little water. There are single and double forms in white, pink and red. This photographs was taken on 27th April, 2012 at Mysore near the street where i presently reside.
Colocasia esculenta is a tropical plant grown primarily for its edible corms, the root vegetables whose many names include Taro and Eddoe. It is believed to be one of the earliest cultivated plants. They are very striking tropical plants with deep purple/black leaves. These contrast well with other green leaved plants. They can be grown in up to 80% shade and require plenty of water to ensure good growth. They thrive next to ponds, in a bog garden or even grown in a pot if kept well watered. It reaches a height of between 4-6 feet and can clump to 6 feet looking stunning in any garden. They can be easily propagated by dividing the plants and it is recommended to dig them up to bring inside for the winter which is very easy to do. Will produce lots of small plants ready to divide in year 1 or 2. Can be grown indoors all year round in a pot if preferred. I was observing this plant almost every day on my way to work. In the evening of 4th April, 2012, it struck my attention while returning from lab and i took the snap immediately.
Plumeria are a tropical flowering tree, sometimes called frangipani, in the plant family Apocynaceae. Though tropical by nature, when protected from frost, they are well suited to subtropical climates in the United States in states bordered by the Gulf of Mexico, and in Southern California. They are prolific in Hawaii.Plumeria are valued as landscape plants, ornamentals, and for their flowers. Singapore plumeria has larger flowers compared to plumeria rubra, and the longish petals are almost not overlapping. Leaves do not have pointed ends like plumeria rubra, and are rather blunt. This photograph was taken on 22nd April, 2012 in the CSRTI, Mysore campus, where i presently work.
