Flora

Candle Bush (Cassia alata)

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Cassia alata is an erect tropical, annual herb with leathery compounded leaves found in the Western Ghats of India. The plant grows quickly to a height of 6-12 ft and can live for many years. It has waxy yellow spikes on the tip of each branch for which reason they are also known by the name candle bush and seven golden candle sticks. The spikes elongates as the period of blossom progresses. Flowers are pollinated by carpenter bees and caterpillars of migrating butterflies feed on this plant. Continue reading →

Lime

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The lime tree is a spiny evergreen shrub found in plenty in the Western Ghats of India. Limes are typically round, green, with leathery leaves and fragrant white flowers. They are rich in vitamin C and often used to add more taste to the flavors of Indian food and beverages like lime water, lime juice, etc. Continue reading →

Milk Weed (Asclepias syrica)

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Milk weed is a herbaceous, perennial, nectar-rich plant growing up to 3-5 m tall. These can be found in old fields, roadsides, meadows and thorn forests. The oval leaves are velvety on their upper surface and downy underneath. Continue reading →

Coffee Flowers

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Coffee plantations are found in the Western Ghats of Southern India on hills and misty mountains ranging from an elevation of 800m – 1500m above sea level. The coffee flowering season is a spectacle to be experienced. It looks like a pale jewel glittering in the crown of the coffee plant. The white blossoms have a beautiful scent which attracts honeybees, butterflies and other pollinators.

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Red Star Glory (Ipomoea hederifolia)

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Red Star Glory is an annual twining plant with bright scarlet flowers found in the Western Ghats of India that appears as the monsoon trails off. Its scientific name is Ipomoea hederifolia but it is also known by the names Scarlet creeper, Scarlet Morning Glory and Star Ipomea. The plant grows vigorously to a height of 10 ft. with elongated heart shaped leaves with pointed tips. Continue reading →

Ixora coccinea

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Ixora coccinea is an ornamental, multi-branched, evergreen shrub found in the Western ghats of India which grows 4-5 ft tall and can reach the height of 12 ft. It is also known by the names Flame of the woods and Jungle flame. The plant has oblong glossy leaves and small bright orange to scarlet flowers that grow in dense rounded clusters 2-5 in in size. Continue reading →

Orange fruit (Citrus sinensis)

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Oranges are one of the most popular of the world’s fruit. It flourishes in warm climates across the globe and the many varieties of oranges vary from sweet to sour. The tree is a sub-tropical evergreen that can reach up to 30-40 ft tall with thorny shoots and waxy 2-4 inch long leaves .  Continue reading →

Salvia scarlet sage (Salvia splendens)

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Salvia scarlet sage is a shrubby, ornamental plant with scarlet red flowers and symmetrical leaves growing commonly in India’s Western Ghats. It is widely cultivated as a bedding plant in many countries. Continue reading →

Malabar Plum (syzygium jambos)

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This flower is the white variety of the Malabar Plum (Rose Apple) which is medium sized, tropical flowering tree that grows up to 15 meters high. This is the flowering season (March to May) for this tropical plant which yields white colored rose apple fruit.

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Queen Flower (Lagerstroemia speciosa)

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The Queen flower is a small to medium sized tropical flowering tree growing to a height of 20mts, native to southern India and the Philippines. It has smooth rounded leaves and beautiful lavender flowers which will add beauty to any landscape.

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Flower Show – Thekkady

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Thousands of people in and around Thekkady including locals, foreign tourists, students and nature lovers enjoyed the decorated show which included nearly 150 varieties of flowering plants such as Marigold, Dalia, Rose, Hibiscus, and Portulaca. The Agri-horticultural Society of Thekkady has been organizing the Flower Show for the past 5 years. This is the sixth edition of the 10 day event, which ended yesterday.

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Passion Fruit (Passiflora edulis)

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The Passion fruit is a sub-tropical, shallow rooted perennial climber that grows up to 15 to 20 ft tall. It flowers with a flamboyant fragrant blossom, 2 – 3 inches wide which is greenish white on the top and a rich purple color at the base.

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Feelings on Ficus

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Ficus. The word brings to mind many things – the juicy sweetness of a ripe, freshly picked fig; the summer heat of any tropical or Mediterranean setting; fertility. But recently, Ficus means one thing to me: strangler figs. This may sound morbid, and in a branchy way, it is. Many species of ficus begin their lives epiphytically –  generally after a seed is dropped by a bird or arboreal mammal onto the upper branches of what will become a host tree. Over time, the seeds will germinate and sprout aerial roots, which make their way to the ground by either hanging freely or by crawling down the host tree’s trunk. It is not at all uncommon in Indian forests to see roots hanging from the canopy.

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Night Blooming Jasmine (Cestrum nocturnum)

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Night blooming Jasmine is an ornamental, evergreen shrub with a woody base that grows up to 13 ft tall. Frequently found in the Western Ghats of India, this nocturnal plant is also known as Lady of the Night or Queen of the Night due its heavily perfumed flowers that can be smelled from the distance of 10 to 15 yards.

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Hill Turmeric (Curcuma pseudomontana)

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Hill Turmeric (Curcuma pseudomontana) is a tall 60 to 70cm perennial native to the Western Ghats which is commonly found in forested slopes. The attractive bright yellow flowers are borne among mauve-purple bracts.

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Castor plant – Ricinus Communis

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The Castor plant is a very strong, sturdy plant growing throughout tropical regions, common along stream banks, riverbeds, bottomlands and any hot area where the soil is well drained. This fast growing plant grows to a height of 6-15 feet in one season and can reach the height of 39 feet. It can live for many years in mild climates, and can become quite woody, like trees.

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Common Sunflower (Helianthus annuus)

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Native to North and South America from the genus of Helianthus, the Sunflower is an annual herbaceous plant which grows 1- 4.5 meters high. The immensely popular flat, platelike flower can grow up to 6 inches wide and is actually made up of a tight series of compound flowers that will mature into edible seeds. The Sunflower is named for both its obvious sun shape and for the way the buds and leaves exhibit heliotropism,  following the sun from east to west throughout the day. (The mature flowers remain facing east.)

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“Audrey” Redux

/ Amie Inman / 1 Comment

Robert Barker/University Photography

Last month I excitedly wrote about the soon-to-bloom Titan arum at Cornell University in a series of posts: here, here and here. I think I even made the promise not to subject our readers to more on the theme. But bear with me. One last post. Really… Continue reading →

Blue Water Lily (Nymphaea nouchali)

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The Blue water lily is an iconic fresh water plant which is also known as Blue Lotus of India. It is widely seen in Kerala mostly growing in the fresh water ponds and brackish backwaters. The leaves of the water lily are oval shaped with a notch in the leaf stem. The solitary flower blooms in the dawn and withers in the dusk.

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