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.
Waterkanon, Watrakanu, Minnie Root, Iron root, Feverroot or Popping pod is a West Indian herb with curiously shaped blue flowers and fusiform tuberous roots. A tropical perennial growing up to a height of 6½" with a hairy stem. The simple leaves are opposite and elliptic; the plant only flowers after the start of the rainy season. It has thick finger-like roots. The big bisexual flowers are violet. The ripe fruits, in a pod with 7-8 seeds each, burst open, when they get wet and the black seeds are hurdled away. This photograph was taken on 29th April, 2012 in Mysore, from way side, where i stay presently.
White star sedge is also known as White-topped sedge and star rush whitetop, is a perennial sedge with white bracts, giving it the appearance of white petals with long, green points. It is native to southeastern North America, from Virginia west to New Mexico in the United States, and south into the Caribbean islands. The inflorescence is a dense cluster of small spikes, each containing several tiny flowers. It sits on top of 3–10 green and white bracts that grow to 10–15 cm long. They look much like leaves, but the real leaves arise from the base of the plant. This photograph was taken in my native place, in Parassala, Kerala while on a visit on 12th October, 2011.
Cape honeysuckle is a fast growing, scrambling shrub which may grow up to 2-3m high and spread more than 2.5m. Tecomaria capensis is an evergreen plant in warm climate areas but loses its leaves in colder areas. It has pinnately compound leaves that have oval leaflets with blunt teeth. Flowering time for this shrub is very erratic and often it flowers all year round. Flowers vary from red, deep orange, yellow to salmon. Flowers are tubular and bird pollinated, attracting nectar-feeding birds, especially sun birds. Tecomaria capensis is an ornamental garden plant commonly used for screening and decorative purposes. It can also be trimmed to form a hedge. It is often planted specifically to attract birds and butterflies. The powdered bark of this attractive garden plant is used as a traditional medicine to relieve pain and sleeplessness. I took this photo on 24th April, 2012 from my colleagues house in Mysore.
Barbados lily, Easter lily or amaryllis lily is a bulbous perennial native to tropical regions of South America although it has become naturalized elsewhere. Plants have 4–6 leaves, each of which is bright green, 30-60 cm long by 2.5-3 cm wide, strap-shaped (lorate) and tapers at the end to an acute apex. The leaves are not fully developed when the flowers appear (i.e. they are more or less hysteranthous). The flowers are borne in an umbel on a stem (scape) which is 40-60 cm tall. The umbel has lanceolate green bracts at its base. The petals, or more accurately tepals, are orange-red with paler bases. The lower two tepals are much narrower than the lateral ones. During Easter times this used to flower in abundance around the church in my childhood days, where it was planted in lines and rows. But of late, there are no lilies now in those places. As i am very fond of lilies, recently i got some bulbs from my friend and it is growing now. This flower was taken on 27th April, 2012 in Mysore on the wayside where i stay presently.
African fountain grass, tender fountain grass, fountain grass or purple fountain grass is a very showy ornamental grass with graceful, arching leaves, and erect or nodding rose-colored flower spikes up to 12 in long. Fountain grass grows in dense, symmetrical clumps that can get 3-4 ft tall and 2-3 ft across with a fountain of feathery plumes flowing out of the foliage. 'Cupreum' has reddish stems and leaves, and copper-colored plumes. These cultivar generally do not set seed. This was photographed on 24th November, 2011 in the Mysore-Ooty road, near Mysore.
Giant Pumpkin is an annual climber growing up to 5 m at a fast rate. The flowers are monoecious (individual flowers are either male or female, but both sexes can be found on the same plant) and are pollinated by Insects. The plant is self-fertile. Fruit is cooked and eaten. A delicious flavour when baked, rather like a sweet potato. The flesh can be dried, ground into a powder and used with cereals in making bread, cakes etc. Some varieties can be stored for up to 9 months. Seed - raw or cooked. The seed can also be ground into a powder and used with cereals in making breads etc. Young flowers are eaten raw or cooked. They are often dipped in batter and fried. Young leaves and stems are cooked and eaten. I took this photograph while on a trip to my native place on 19th December 2011.
