~ World Of Flowers ~

[MysteRy]

Common name: Himalayan Lantern, Creeping Agapetes
Botanical name: Agapetes serpens
Family: Ericaceae (Rhododendron family)
Synonyms: Pentapterygium serpens, Vaccinium serpens,Thibaudia myrtifolia

Himalayan Lantern is a beautiful shrub, 40–60 cm tall, with arching stems and tiny hanging lantern-like flowers. Rootstock is tuberous. Twigs are cylindrical, 1–2 mm in diameter. Leaves are crowded, on short stalks 1 mm. Leaf blade is dark green above and pale green on the underside, narrowly ovate or ovate-oblong, 1.2–2 cm long, 5–8 mm wide, leathery. Base is rounded, margin slightly recurved, toothed above middle, tip sharp or blunt. Flowers hang down in fascicles of 1–3. Stalks are 0.7–2.5 cm, slightly thicker at apex. Sepal cup is 3.5–4 mm, 5-winged. Sepals are ovate-triangular, 3.5–4.5 mm long. Flowers are bright red, orange, or pinkish white, with dark red zig-zag bands, tubular, 1.2–2.8 cm, 5-angled. Tiny petals are curved back, triangular, 2–3 mm. Berry is obovoid, 5-winged, about 6 mm in diameter. Persistent sepals are enlarged. Himalayan Lantern is found in the Himalayas at altitudes of 1200-3000 m, in Nepal and NE India, particularly Darjeeling. Flowering: May–June.

[MysteRy]

Common name: Gazania
Botanical name: Gazania rigens
Family: Asteraceae (Sunflower family)

A typical daisy like flower up to about 10cm across, they are commonly banded with a dark zone around the central disc. Some types may have linear petal strips also. Colours vary from white, cream, yellow, gold, orange to the very dark reds, pale to dark lilac variations are possible also. Flowers are produced on stems up to 25cm in length, these close in the evening or on dark overcast days. Leaves turn upwards at night. Plants require high light for the flowers to open.

[MysteRy]

Common name: Scarlet Pimpernel, shepherd's clock
Botanical name: Anagallis arvensis ssp. arvensis
Family: Myrsinaceae (Myrsine family)

Scarlet pimpernel has weak sprawling stems growing to about 50 cm long, sometimes rooting at the nodes. Leaves are opposite, entire, stalkless, ovate, up to 2 cm long, 1.3 cm broad, stem-clasping or not, with brown speckles below, variously pubescent. The small orange or red flowers are produced in the leaf axils from spring till autumn. The petal margins are somewhat crenate and have small glandular hairs. Blue Pimpernel is a closely related subspecies. The Blue Pimpernel and the Scarlet Pimpernel both are often called shepherd's weather glass or shepherd's clock because the flowers close before sunset or if it is about to rain. These brightly colored flowers appear as bright dots in the field, which dramatically "disappear" when the flowers close, if the sky is overcast or the sun is about to set. Closed flowers are quite hard to notice because of their dull color.

[MysteRy]

Common name: Gloxinia
Botanical name: Sinningia speciosa
Family: Gesneriaceae (Gloxinia family)
Synonyms: Gloxinia speciosa

These widely loved perennials, commonly known as Gloxinia, are natives of Brazil. They grow up to a foot high and have basal rosettes of large, oval, bluish green leaves. The large, fleshy, tubular, flowers, red inside, white outside, are produced on short stems, in the summer. Numerous hybrids have been produced to give wide variety of bloom colors. The plants should be set in a sunny location with a humid atmosphere and be given plenty of water. These plants may be divided, or stem cuttings may be taken in late spring or summer. Mature leaves may also be used to increase your plants in the summer. They are taken off the plant and notches are cut just below the junction of the main veins on the undersides. They are then laid on peat moss and sand or leaf mold and anchored with pebbles. — with Badar Syed, Navajyothi Rama Reddy, Malar Madeshwaran and 46 others.

[MysteRy]

Common name: Pink Ball, Dombeya
Botanical name: Dombeya wallichii
Family: Malvaceae (Mallow family)
Synonyms: Astrapaea wallichii

The Pink-Ball Dombeya is a small tree with large heart-shaped, toothed leaves and dense heads of little pink flowers which hang from foot long stalks. When in bloom, the tree looks spectacular, with large, pendant, pink hanging flower balls. The tree, native to Madagascar, can grow up to 20 feet tall, but is widely grown as a large garden shrub. Leaves are heart-shaped, 4-8 inches long, 2-4 inches wide. It is cultivated for its beautiful pendulous deep pink flower-balls. The name is in honor of Joseph Dombay, a French medical man and botanist who made extensive plant collections in Peru and Chile. D. wallichii is a broad-headed tree growing up to 30 feet. It has heart shaped toothed leaves up to 12 inches long with pointed tips. Leaves have fine hairs on the underside. The blooms of this plant have a pleasant fragrance, almost like caramel corn. Flowering: March-May.

[MysteRy]

Common name: Rose Campion
Botanical name: [Silene coronaria (Desr.) Clairv. ex Rchb.] Silene coronaria
Family: Caryophyllaceae (Carnation family)
Synonyms: Agrostemma coronaria, Lychnis coronaria

Rose Campion is a perennial herb, grayish white-tomentose, native to West Asia, till Pakistan. It is also found in Kashmir, most likely naturalized. Stems are several, erect, branched distally, stout, 40-100 cm. Basal leaves are inverted-lanceshaped, spoon-shaped, 5-10 cm × 1-2.5 cm, margins entire, tip pointed, with tuft of white hairs. Stem leaves are in 5-10 pairs, stalkless, blade with both surfaces obscured by dense, silky, grayish-white velvety hairs. Flowers are borne in several-flowered, clusters. Bracts are leaflike, 1-2 cm. Flower-stalks are straight, stout, up to 10 cm. Flowers are about 3.5 cm across. Sepals cup is thickly 10-veined, obovate, about 1.5 × 1 cm in fruit, margins toothed with 5 narrowly lanceshaped petals, about 1/ 4 length of tube, tomentose. Flowers are rich magenta-pink, sometimes white, clawed, claw equaling calyx, opening into a flat flowers. Petals are broadly obovate, shallowly 2-lobed. Stamens equal claw; stigmas 5, equaling claw. Rose Campion is cultivated as a garden plant. — with Sugu Bala, Malar Madeshwaran, Shiva Priya and 46 others.

[MysteRy]

Common name: Sweet Sultan
Botanical name: Amberboa amberboi
Family: Asteraceae (Sunflower family)
Synonyms: Centaurea moschata var. amberboi, Amberboa suaveolens

Sweet Sultan is a biennial herb 30-50 cm tall. It is closely similar to Sweet Sultan, which has white, pink or purple flowers. It differs in its bright yellow flowers. Stem is solitary, branched or unbranched. Flowers rest on an almost spherical involucre, 1.2-2 cm in diameter. Sweet Sultan is native to Turkmenia and Iran, grown as a garden plant in India.

[MysteRy]

Common name: Peruvian lily, Lily-of-the-Incas, Parrot lily, Parrot flower
Botanical name: Alstroemeria spp.
Family: Amaryllidaceae (Nargis family)

Alstroemeria, commonly called the Peruvian Lily or Lily of the Incas, is a South American genus of about 50 species of flowering plants, mainly from cool, mountainous regions in the Andes. It was named after the Swedish baron Clas Alströmer (Claus von Alstroemer) by his close friend Carolus Linnaeus. People often think they are orchids (which they are not) They grow from clusters of white peanut-sized tubers arranged like the spokes of a wagon wheel. In the spring, they send up 8-12 in stalks that have the general character of an upright Solomon's seal with the foliage clustered in a little umbrella at the top of the stem. Although the stem is arrow-straight and the foliage is held in a horizontal position, the glistening parallel-veined pale green leaves tend to curl under at the edges and droop at the ends and always look a bit limp. As the season progresses, the stem elongates to 18-30 in and the leaves (now looking more twisted than limp) appear to spread out along its length in a stretched out spiral arrangement. Early in the summer, clusters of red flowers appear at the stem tips. The tubular 1-2 in flowers look like distorted azalea blossoms that are struggling to open. The ragged uneven petal edges curl slightly inward instead of flaring outward.

[MysteRy]

White Alstroemeria

A fresh white flower, Alstromeria flowers have semi heart-shaped blooms. A single stem has an average of 3 to 5 blooms with bright white petals that are often two-toned, with creamy inner petals and freckled. Also known as Peruvian Lilies, this striking white Alstromeria would provide a stunning backdrop for any wedding bouquet, table centerpiece or flower arrangement.

[MysteRy]

PrimaDonaa Alstroemeria

A fresh pink flower, Alstromeria flowers have semi heart-shaped blooms. A single stem has an average of 3 to 5 blooms with bright white petals that are often two-toned, with creamy inner petals and freckled. Also known as Peruvian Lilies, this striking white Alstromeria would provide a stunning backdrop for any wedding bouquet, table centerpiece or flower arrangement.

[MysteRy]

Common name: Fox Brush Orchid, Cat's-tail Orchid
Botanical name: Aerides maculosa
Family: Orchidaceae (Orchid family)
Synonyms: Saccolabium speciosum, Aerides schroederi, Aerides illustris

Fox Brush Orchid is a dwarf orchid species with crystalline pink, spotted magenta, fragrant flowers to 2cm. The spikes are arching to pendulous, to about 25cm long with many flowers. They occur mainly in Asia : the Indian subcontinent, Nepal, Southern China, SE Asia, the Philippines, New Guinea. They form pendulous racemes with many fragrant, long-lasting, waxy flowers, in white, (rarely) yellow, purple or pink colors, with a forward facing spur, growing on stout many-leaved stems from the leaf axils. The leaves grow distichously (in two vertical rows) The leaf margins are bilobed, while the apex is emarginate.

[MysteRy]

Common name: Small Warty Acampe
Botanical name: Acampe papillosa
Family: Orchidaceae (Orchid family)
Synonyms: Acampe carinata

Small Warty Acampe is a clump-forming orchid found in the Eastern Himalayas, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Myanamar, up to an altitude of 200 m. It is a large sized, single-stemmed, warm growing epiphyte. It looks very much like a Vanda. It has a stout erect to curved stem carrying narrowly oblong, strap-shaped, leathery leaves. Leaves are slightly notched into 2 unequal lobes. Flowers arise in the fall on a short, 1 inch long, many (10-12) flowered umbel with miniature, Vanda-like flowers which are fragrant, held close in to the leaf axils.

[MysteRy]

Common name: Curled Aerides
Botanical name: Aerides crispa
Family: Orchidaceae (Orchid family)
Synonyms: Aerides crispum

Curled Aerides is an epiphytic orchid found in SW India at elevations of 800-1200 m. It has a thick dull violet purple stem carrying spreading, thick, leathery, pale green leaves, dull-violet -purple basally. Leaves are strap-shaped, unequally bilobed at the tip with a small tip between the lobes. Inflorescens is a 40-50 cm long, erect to arching, branched, 20 to 25 flowered cluster, carrying fragrant flowers.

[MysteRy]

Common name: Umbrella Bulbophyllum
Botanical name: Bulbophyllum umbellatum
Family: Orchidaceae (Orchid family)
Synonyms: Bulbophyllum annamicum

Umbrella Bulbophyllum is found in the Himalayas, Nepal to SE Asia, in humid, mossy, mixed and coniferous forests. The plant lives on mossy branches in old, dwarf, gnarled trees at elevations up to 2000 m as a miniature sized, hot to warm growing epiphyte. Pseudobulbs are enveloped basally by a fibrous sheath and carry a single, leathery, narrowly elliptic, stalked leaf. The plant blooms on a slender, 20 cm long, basal, 5-8 flowered inflorescence that is just shorter than the leaf and has an umbel of foul smelling flowers.

[MysteRy]

Common name: Forest Calanthe
Botanical name: Calanthe sylvatica
Family: Orchidaceae (Orchid family)
Synonyms: Calanthe masuca

Found in India, Nepal, Sikkim, China, Thailand, Malaysia and the Ryukyus Islands, Forest Calanthe is a terrestrial, medium sized orchid with small pseudobulbs and several, plicate leaves. Its blooms in the summmer on an erect, successively several to 10-15 flowered inflorescence.