~ World Of Flowers ~

[MysteRy]

Common name: Pineapple Orchid
Botanical name: Dendrobium densiflorum
Family: Orchidaceae (Orchid family)
Synonyms: Callista densiflora, Callista clavata, Dendrobium clavatum

Pineapple Orchid is a spectacular orchid which is easily identified by the densely packed clusters of flowers hanging down, looking like pineapples. Flowers are yellow with a rich orange lip which is funnel shaped below and expands outwards into a rounded hairy and toothed top. Flowers are 3.5-4 cm across, densely packed into large dense hanging clusters. When in bud, the clusters looks like cones. Leathery leaves, borne towards the tip of the pseudo-bulb, are oblong-elliptic, 10-15 cm long. Pseudo-bulbs are club-shaped, 1-1.5 ft long, with prominent internodes. Pineapple Orchid is native to C. Nepal to NE India and Burma. Flowering: April-May

[MysteRy]

Common name: Cathcart's Esmeralda
Botanical name: [Esmeralda cathcartii (Lindl.) Rchb.f.] Esmeralda cathcartii
Family: Orchidaceae (Orchid family)
Synonyms: Arachnanthe cathcartii, Arachnis cathcartii, Vanda cathcartii

Cathcart's Esmeralda is a giant sized, warm to cool growing, vanda-like epiphytic orchid with an elongate stem. Alternately arranged leaves are oblong, leathery. The plant blooms in the spring and summer on a stout, axillary, 18 cm long, pendulous or horizontal, 3-6 flowered inflorescence. Flowers are waxy, very fragrant, long-lived flowers. For cultivation, the plant needs a wood slat basket and cultural conditions similar to Vanda. Cathcart's Esmeralda is found in the NE India, eastern Himalayas, Nepal, Bhutan and Sikkim in tropical broadleaf forests near streams in cool shade at elevations of 600-2000 m.

[MysteRy]

Common name: Low Growing Pleione, Ground Growing Pleione
Botanical name: [Pleione humilis (Sm.) D.Don] Pleione humilis
Family: Orchidaceae (Orchid family)
Synonyms: Epidendrum humile, Dendrobium humile, Coelogyne humilis

Low Growing Pleione is an orchid found from Nepal to Sikkim at elevations of 1100-3500 m, growing on moss or the smooth trunks of rhododendron trees. It is a small sized terrestrial or epiphyte orchid with ovoid-conical pseudobulbs, carrying a single, apical, deciduous, inverted-lanceshaped, somewhat pointed leaf. The plant blooms on a basal, 3-5 inches long, single flowered inflorescence enveloped by a green sheath, with a slightly fragrant, color variable flower. Flowers are generally pure white, with the lip strongly marked in blood red.

[MysteRy]

Common name: Lady's Slipper Orchid
Botanical name: Paphiopedilum hirsutissimum
Family: Orchidaceae (orchid family)

The genus name Paphiopedilum is derived from the Greek Paphos, a city on the island of Cyprus, and pedilon, slipper. commonly referred to as the Lady’s or Venus’ Slipper Orchids, so named from the unusual shape of the pouch (labellum) of the flower, which was said to resemble a lady’s slipper. The pouch functions by trapping insects so that they are forced to climb up past the staminode, behind which they collect or deposit pollinia. These sympodial orchids lack pseudobulbs. Instead they grow robust shoots, each with several leaves. These can be short and rounded or long and narrow, and typically have a mottled pattern. When older shoots die, newer ones take over. Each new shoot only blooms once when it is fully grown, producing a raceme between the fleshy, succulent leaves. The roots are thick and fleshy. Potted plants form a tight lump of roots that, when untangled, can be up to l m long. The Paphiopedilums are among the most widely cultivated and hybridized of orchid genera.

[MysteRy]

Common name: Chinese Lady's-Tresses
Botanical name: [Spiranthes sinensis (Pers.) Ames] Spiranthes sinensis
Family: Orchidaceae (Orchid family)
Synonyms: Spiranthes lancea, Spiranthes pudica, Spiranthes australis

The genus name Spiranthes comes from the Greek words "speira" meaning spiral and "anthos" meaning flower, and refers to the spiral arrangement of flowers. Chinese Lady's-Tresses is an orchid found in the Himalayas and in many countries from Asia to Australia. It is a medium sized, cool to hot growing terrestrial orchid found on roadsides, grassy areas, open forests, at elevations of 100-2000 m. The plant has cylindrical, velvety roots, and a basal rosette of a few oblong-elliptic to linear-lanceshaped, pointed glossy dark green leaves. Flowers are borne on an erect, slender, up to 25 cm long many flowered spike. The spreading flowers twist around in a spiral with 2 to 3 distant, glandular-hairy sheaths and lanceshaped, long-pointed, glandular-hairy floral bracts. Flowers are rose to rose-purple, rarely whitish, fragrant. Sepals are lanceshaped, up to 5 mm long, the dorsal forming a tube with the narrower petals and lip. Flowering: May-September.

[MysteRy]

Common name: Mokara Orchid
Botanical name: Mokara spp.
Family: Orchidaceae (orchid family)

Mokara is an artificial hybrid generic name. It derives from the combination of ArachnisX Ascocentrum X Vanda. The first Mokara Hybrid was Mokara Wai Liang ( " Arachnis Isable X Ascocenda Red Gem) It is namd after C.Y.Mok of Singapore, who registered the first such hybrid in 1969.The plant form is a combination of those in hte three parent genera. In general it seems very similar to that of Aranda. Mokara Hybrids are now the more popular cutflowers when considering the non- dendrobium type flowers. Cultivation and propogation are very similar to those for the arandas.

[MysteRy]

Common name: Dog flower, Snapdragon
Botanical name: Antirrhinum majus
Family: Scrophulariaceae (dog flower family)

The flower which goes by the name of dog-flower in India, is known as snapdragon in other places. Dog flowers, like many garden flowers, have a long history of enjoyment. Children love opening the jaw of the flower and watching it snap shut. Opening the dog's jaw in just the right place is a skill passed down from parent to child just like the love of gardening. Dog flowers are available in every color but blue. They are, in botanical terminology, zygomorphic, with assymetrical petals, and stamens and stigma enclosed between the two petal lips comprising fused petals. Dog flowers have upright stems dressed with two-lipped tubular flowers. The gradual opening of the buds provides color for an extended period of time. Although technically short-lived perennials, snapdragons are usually grown as annuals. Most cultivars come true from seed. Native originally to North Africa, Spain and along the Mediterranean to Italy, snapdragons have become naturalized in India.

[MysteRy]

Common name: Dog flower, Snapdragon
Botanical name: Antirrhinum majus
Family: Scrophulariaceae (dog flower family)

The flower which goes by the name of dog-flower in India, is known as snapdragon in other places. Dog flowers, like many garden flowers, have a long history of enjoyment. Children love opening the jaw of the flower and watching it snap shut. Opening the dog's jaw in just the right place is a skill passed down from parent to child just like the love of gardening. Dog flowers are available in every color but blue. They are, in botanical terminology, zygomorphic, with assymetrical petals, and stamens and stigma enclosed between the two petal lips comprising fused petals. Dog flowers have upright stems dressed with two-lipped tubular flowers. The gradual opening of the buds provides color for an extended period of time. Although technically short-lived perennials, snapdragons are usually grown as annuals. Most cultivars come true from seed. Native originally to North Africa, Spain and along the Mediterranean to Italy, snapdragons have become naturalized in India.

[MysteRy]

Common name: Coral Jasmine, Tree of Sorrow, Queen of the night
Botanical name: [Nyctanthes arbor-tristis L.] Nyctanthes arbor-tristis
Family: Oleaceae (Jasmine family)

Coral Jasmine should not be confused with the West Indian shrub Cestrum nocturnum, also called queen of the night. Nyctanthes arbortristis literally means, night-blooming sad tree. Grows as large shrub or small tree depending on how it is trained. The large attractive leaves are rough and hairy. The sweet scented flowers are small, attractive with white petals and an orange-red tube in center and bloom profusely, opening at night and drop off in the morning, thus making a carpet of flowers in the morning. Used for worship. Needs warmth during winter months. Use well drained soil and fertilize once a month.

[MysteRy]

Common name: Night-blooming cestrum, Night blooming jasmine
Botanical name: Cestrum nocturnum
Family: Solanaceae (potato family)

This sprawling shrub has glossy, smooth, simple leaves 4"-8" long. Vine-like stems reach up to 12' in its native habitat, but it seldom reaches more than a 4' mound in a single season. It blooms in cycles throughout warm weather. Greenish-creamy white tubular flowers rise from above leaves along the stem, followed by shiny white, fleshy berries. Although the flowers are not showy to the eye, their sweet scent can overpower. The perfume is distinctly powerful at night - this feature has had its influence on its common name in all languages. The Hindi name translates to queen of the night, while the Manipuri name means moon flower. No fragrant garden should be without this nocturnal beauty. While night blooming jasmine is a gorgeous plant with charming blooms, the scent also produces severe allergic reactions in some individuals.

[MysteRy]

Common name: Roundleaf Rock Jasmine
Botanical name: Androsace rotundifolia
Family: Primulaceae (Primrose family)

Roundleaf rock jasmine is a lovely species growing to 15 cm tall. Leaves are rounded as the name suggests, quite a deep green with paler mottling along the veins. The round leaves are also shallowly to deeply lobed. Each plant is quite tidy in form, the leaves held on long petioles and forming a rosette from the centre of which rise the long flower stems. The flowers are held in terminal heads with numerous flowers per head. Colour is pale pink with a fine yellow eye. The petals are notched. Leafy elliptic sepals are often longer than the petals, and are visible from the top. The beautiful plant is found at altitudes of 1500-3600 m. Flowering: June-July.

[MysteRy]

Common name: Primrose Rock Jasmine
Botanical name: Androsace studiosorum
Family: Primulaceae (Primrose family)
Synonyms: Androsace primuloides, Androsace sarmentosa var. primuloides

Primrose Rock Jasmine is quite similar to Common Rock Jasmine, but has more tightly packed umbels of flowers carried on a slender hairy stems, 10-15 cm tall. Flowers are about 8 mm across, in dense hairy umbels up to 2-3 cm across. Leaves form a rosette at the base. They are obovate or spoon- shaped, numerous, ovelapping. Primrose Rock Jasmine is found in the Himalayas, at altitudes of 3000-4000 m. Flowering: June-August.

[MysteRy]

Common name: Pink jasmine, Winter jasmine
Botanical name: Jasminum polyanthum
Family: Oleaceae (Jasmine family)

Fast growing twining vine with glossy, compound leaves and very fragrant white flowers. Though called "Pink" it is only the buds that are pale pink. When opened the star-shaped flowers are pure white. Flowering is usually prolific, and growth is rampant. Vines reach a height of about 20 ft. Native to southeastern China, pink jasmine is a popular landscape and greenhouse plant. In warmer climates, pink jasmine can be used freely to cover walls and high fences, to grow on arbors, or train up any surface where a verdant cover is desirable. This is especially nice grown around windows, where it can provide a visual frame and where its heavenly scent can waft inside.

[MysteRy]

Common name: Tulip Tree, American tulip tree
Botanical name: [Liriodendron tulipifera L.] Liriodendron tulipifera
Family: Magnoliaceae (Magnolia family)

Tulip Tree is a deciduous tree native to North America, that can grow to heights of over 30 m with trunk diameters of 4-6 ft. It sometimes takes a conical form, but when grown in the open tends to assume a broad columnar shape that is its signature form. The distinctive cup-shaped flowers are 1.5 in across and about 2-2.5 in length and look like tulips growing on a tree. The handsome flowers are greenish-yellow with orange markings, borne at the branch tips. Stamens are long, and are arranged in many ranks - when the petals fall off, a cup of these stamens still remains on the tree. Alternately arranged leaves are 5-6 inches long, as much broad, four-lobed, heart-shaped or truncate or slightly wedge-shaped at base, entire, and the tip cut across at a shallow angle, making the upper part of the leaf look square. Flowers are followed by brown scaly cone-shaped fruit. Flowering: March-April.

[MysteRy]

Common name: Prickly Paperbark, Prickly-leaf Teatree
Botanical name: [Melaleuca styphelioides Sm.] Melaleuca styphelioides
Family: Myristicaceae (Nutmeg family)

Prickly Paperbark is a small to medium sized tree up to 20 m tall, with a dense, rounded canopy and drooping branchlets. The spongy bark is white or light brown and peels of in large strips. The stalkless leaves are 7-15 mm long and 2.5-6 mm wide, ovate to broad-ovate. These are slightly twisted, have sharply-pointed tips, and are arranged alternately on the branchlets. Flowers appear in summer in cream or white cylindrical bottlebrush-like spikes which are 2-5 cm long and 1-2 cm in diameter. Often new growth appears at the end of the spikes. Following flowering, grey-brown, woody capsules appear in clusters along the branchlets. These are ovoid, stalkless and 3-4 mm in diameter. Prickly Paperbark is native to eastern Australia.