~ World Of Flowers ~

[MysteRy]

Common name: Pansy, Pansy Violet
Botanical name: Viola x wittrockiana
Family: Violaceae (violet family)

The Pansy is a plant cultivated as a garden flower. Lovely grown in pots, troughs, or as mass plantings, pansies have never gone out of fashion. These lightly scented flowers are available in a huge range of colors. The name pansy is from the French word pensée, meaning thought or remembrance. The dark centers in some flowers are thought to resemble little faces. They grow only six to ten inches high and can spread up to ten to twelve inches across. Pansies can be distinguished from Violets in that while the petals of Violets may have dark lines on them, Pansy flowers have big blotches that make them strongly resemble faces. However, with more and more new cultivars of both being created, the distinction has somewhat blurred. They grow well in sun or semi-shade, and can tolerate cool weather. The modern Garden Pansy (V. × wittrockiana) is a plant of complex hybrid origin involving at least three species, V. tricolor (Wild Pansy or Heartsease), V. altaica and V. lutea.

[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: Daylily 'Frans Hals'
Botanical name: Hemerocallis hybrids
Family: Liliaceae (lily family)

A striking flower with alternating yellow and yellow-striped red petals. Daylilies are clump forming perennials with arching, grasslike or straplike leaves 10-40 in long, depending on the cultivar. All the leaves arise from the base of the plant in two opposing ranks, resulting in a fanlike appearance which becomes obscured as the clump enlarges. A leafless stalk, called a scape, extends above the leaves and bears the flowers. Most scapes have two or more branches, each with several flower buds. In most varieties the flowers open one at a time, and last only one day, but the blooming period may extend for weeks, even months. There are hundreds of societies dedicated to the cultivation of daylilies and the propagation of new cultivars.

[MysteRy]

Common name: Gladiolus, Natal lily
Botanical name: Gladiolus dalenii/natalensis
Family: Iridaceae (Iris family)

The name "Gladiolus" is derived from the Latin word "gladius", meaning "sword", for the shape of its leaves. An ancient name for the gladiolus was "xiphium," from the Greek word "xiphos", also meaning sword. The gladiolus flower is the birth flower for August; it also represented the Roman gladiators. Gladiolus are native to the mountains of South America. They are widely grown in India. Gladiolus are easy to grow, and are the favourite flowers in India for bouquets, hence their popularity. Blossoms come in a wide range of colors and bicolors, including blue. The blossoms will open from the bottom first. Harvest spikes of Gladiolus just before the top blossoms open. The top blossoms will open indoors.

[MysteRy]

Common name: Lobster claw, Hanging heliconia
Botanical name: Heliconia rostrata
Family: Heliconiaceae (heliconia family)

Of all the Heliconias around you will probably be most familiar with this one. Heliconia rostrata is one of the most recognized and widely grown species, but that doesn't take away from the fact that it is still considered one of the most beautiful. Heliconia rostrata has a pendent inflorescence, the bracts are red with greenish yellow edges. Each bract resembles a lobster's claw, hence the common name. It is a very popular species, and one of the more common in cultivation. Heliconia rostrata is one of the most recognized and widely grown species, but that doesn't take away from the fact that it is still considered one of the most beautiful. The inflorescence it produces is one of the most colorful one will ever encounter. The mature plant normally starts to flower in the summer. The flowers last a long time and make an excellent cut flower. It is an easy grower in tropical areas but some room is required because the stalks can reach 7 feet in height.

[MysteRy]

Common name: Orange Tephrosia, Orange Hoary Pea
Botanical name: Tephrosia tinctoria
Family: Fabaceae (Pea family)
Synonyms: Galega tinctoria, Cracca tinctoria, Tephrosia pulcherrima

Orange Tephrosia is a perennial undershrub, found growing among bushes in rocky place. The branches are angular, with yellow-brown hairs. Alternate arranged leaves are compound, ovate-lance-like or ovate-triangular. Leaflets are 3-5 or sometimes, solitary, each 3-9 x 11.2-2.5 cm, terminal leaflet larger, oblong or obovate, apex rounded, mucronate, base rounded. Orange flowers occur in racemes of few flowers, in leaf axil or at the end of branches. The peduncle carrying the raceme is to 6 cm long, longer than leaflets, yellow-hairy. Sepals are united united below in a tube, and are separated into 5 linear sepals, longer than tube. Petals 5, free, 1-1.2 cm long ; standard petal hairy without. Flowering: October.

[MysteRy]

Common name: Red Nerine Lily, Guernsey Lily, Berglelie
Botanical name: Nerine sarniensis
Family: Amaryllidaceae (Nargis family )

Red Nerine Lily is a beautiful plant from South Africa. It is named for Nerine, a water nymph in Greek mythology. According to a story, a ship carrying these beautiful Red Nerine Lilies sank near the island of Guernsey near UK, and took root there - hence they are named sarniensis, Sarnia being the Roman name for Guernsey. The bulbs begin active growth in early autumn with the emergence of flower-buds, followed shortly afterwards by leaves. The spectacular, glittering blooms are quite unmistakable - the relatively broad petals radiate outwards in all directions and are strongly recurved and wavy along their margins. The inflorescence carries 7-15 flowers and the stamens stand erect and are prominent due to the recurved petals. Flower color ranges from crimson to scarlet and from pale pink to deep rose-pink, and there is also a most attractive, pure white form. The glittering 'gold dust' seen in bright light on the petals of the red forms of this species is caused by the reflection of light by the red pigment present in the epidermal cell layer, which overlays several layers of yellow pigment beneath it. The spreading, strap-shaped leaves of Nerine sarniensis vary markedly in color, from pale to dark green or gray. This species is easily cultivated in a free-draining medium such as equal parts of river sand, loam, and sifted, acid compost. The bulbs are best planted with their necks fully exposed above soil level. It is an ideal subject for shallow containers.

[MysteRy]

Common name: Daylily 'Frans Hals'
Botanical name: Hemerocallis hybrids
Family: Liliaceae (lily family)

A striking flower with alternating yellow and yellow-striped red petals. Daylilies are clump forming perennials with arching, grasslike or straplike leaves 10-40 in long, depending on the cultivar. All the leaves arise from the base of the plant in two opposing ranks, resulting in a fanlike appearance which becomes obscured as the clump enlarges. A leafless stalk, called a scape, extends above the leaves and bears the flowers. Most scapes have two or more branches, each with several flower buds. In most varieties the flowers open one at a time, and last only one day, but the blooming period may extend for weeks, even months. There are hundreds of societies dedicated to the cultivation of daylilies and the propagation of new cultivars.

[MysteRy]

Common name: Amaryllis Lily
Botanical name: Hippeastrum hybrid
Family: Amaryllidaceae (Nargis family)

Hippeastrum is a genus of about 70-75 species and 600+ hybrids and cultivars of bulbous plants in the family Amaryllidaceae, native to tropical and subtropical regions of the Americas from Argentina north to Mexico and the Caribbean. Some species are grown for their large showy flowers. These plants are popularly but erroneously known as Amaryllis, which is an African genus, in the same family. "Hippeastrum" is Latin for "horseman's star" (also known today as "knight's star") and was chosen in 1837 by the Honorable Reverend William Herbert, Dean of Manchester. No one is entirely sure why he picked this name although buds on the verge of opening do look something like a horse's ear and clearly the blossoms do resemble six-pointed stars. Colors include red, rose, pink, white, orange, yellow and pale green with variations on these including different colored stripes and edges on the petals. Some flowers have uniform colors or patterns on all six petals while others have more pronounced colors on the upper petals than on the lower ones.

[MysteRy]

Common name: African tulip tree, Fountaintree
Botanical name: Spathodea campanulata
Family: Bignoniaceae (Jacaranda family)

One of the world's most spectacular flowering trees, African tulip tree is a large upright tree with glossy deep green pinnate leaves and glorious orange scarlet flowers. It may grow to 80 ft on an ideal site, but most specimens are much smaller. The tree has a stout, tapering, somewhat buttressed trunk covered in warty light gray bark. The lateral branches are short and thick. The 1-2 ft long opposite leaves, which emerge a bronzy color, are massed at the ends of the branches. They are composed of 5-19 deeply veined oval leaflets. The horn shaped velvety olive buds appear in upturned whorls at the branch tips. A few at a time, the buds of the lowest tier bend outward and open into big crinkled red orange tuliplike bells with red streaked gold throats, frilly yellow edges, and four brown-anthered stamens in the center. They are followed by 5-10 in green brown fingerlike pods pointing upwards and outwards above the foliage. Each of these pods contains about 500 tissue papery seeds. The tree flowers in spurts all through the growing season, but peak bloom is usually in the spring.

[MysteRy]

Common name: Cathcart's Esmeralda
Botanical name: [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: Balsam, Garden balsam, Rose balsam, Spotted snapweed
Botanical name: [Impatiens balsamina. L
Family: Balsaminaceae (Balsam family)

Native to Southeast Asia, this erect, sparsely-branched, tender annual plant is a species of impatiens. These plants which grows upto 18 inches tall have thick-juicy stems and medium spiky edged light green leaves. Flowers can be single or double around 2 inches diameter, bloom singly or in small clusters from the leaf axils, close to the stem and the colour ranges from white, pink, rose, red, violet, bicolour etc. Each blossom has a columbine-like spur on the back. Sometimes called Touch-Me-Not as seeds explode from ripe pods when touched.

[MysteRy]

Common name: Delta-shaped Aloe
Botanical name: Aloe deltoideodonta
Family: Asphodelaceae (Aloe family)

Delta-shaped Aloe is considered a small clumping Aloe. When the plant becomes too large, it forms large clusters of new shoots or "pups" around its base. It has dark-green leaves with tiny white streaks and some spots. The short, triangular shaped leaves are lined with very small soft teeth. Flowers are pinkish-red.

[MysteRy]

Common name: Chameleon Plant
Botanical name: Houttuynia cordata
Family: Saururaceae (lizard-tail family)

Chameleon Plant is a perennial ground cover plant. It is been marketed as a creeping ornamental garden plant, which has heart shaped leaves up to 75 mm long and almost as wide. The leaves are comprised of a mixture of colors from green through yellow to red, the brighter colors being more prominent when grown in full sunlight. The leaves are opposite along thin erect stems which arise from slender rhizomes. The minute flowers are densely clustered on short spikes. At the base of each spike are four white petal-like parts. The leaves of Chameleon Plant are heart-shaped, usually green, but take on various colors like variegated cream, bronze, scarlet, and have a peppery scent when crushed. The leaves make a marvelous flavoring in salads. In Manipur, people love it and consume it in various ways, as salad, also in pakodas.
Medicinal uses: [Warning: Unverified information] Leaf-extract is used in dysentry, rhizome is used i stomach ulcers. Boiled extract of rhizomes is taken for muscular pains due to overstrain.

[MysteRy]

Common Name: Pelargonium zonale
Family: Geraniaceae.

Pelargonium is a genus of flowering plants which includes about 200 species of perennials, succulents, and shrubs, commonly known as geraniums (in the United States also storksbills). Confusingly, Geranium is the correct botanical name of a separate genus of related plants often called cranesbills or hardy geraniums. Both genera belong to the family Geraniaceae. Linnaeus originally included all the species in one genus, Geranium, but they were later separated into two genera by Charles L’Héritier in 1789.

Pelargonium species are evergreen perennials indigenous to Southern Africa, and are drought and heat tolerant, but can tolerate only minor frosts. They are extremely popular garden plants, grown as bedding plants in temperate regions.

Pelargonium leaves are usually alternate, and palmately lobed or pinnate, often on long stalks, and sometimes with light or dark patterns. The erect stems bear five-petaled flowers in umbel-like clusters called pseudoumbels. The flower has a single symmetry plane (zygomorphic), which distinguishes it from the Geranium flower, which has radial symmetry (actinomorphic).

Pelargonium species are native to southern Africa and Australia, and the north of New Zealand. Others are native to southern Madagascar, eastern Africa, Yemen, Asia Minor and two very isolated islands in the south Atlantic Ocean (Saint Helena and Tristan da Cunha). Most of the Pelargonium plants cultivated in Europe and North America have their origins in South Africa.