This summer I will be adding more notes on interesting and new plants. To start, I want to introduce clianthus puniceas.
It’s a perennial bush in the legume family that can grow up to 8 feet tall. It’s native to the tropics and found growing in New Zealand.
It’s is usually referred to by it’s common names such as Parrot’s Beak, Lobster’s Claw, Glory Pea and White Heron.
I especially admire the clusters of blooms that dangle like jewelry off the branches. Photo from Annie’s Annuals.
According to Annie’s it is a fast growing plant. The blooms are filled with sweet nectar to attract birds and other pollinators. It can tolerate a range of soil and temperature down to 13 degrees. But I would be cautious about growing this in colder climates.
There is also the red variety too. The leaves are also pretty, they remind me of tamarind leaves. Photo from New Zealand Plants.
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I thought the Kapok tree was a pretty interesting flowering tree until I came across the Flamboyant tree. Although there is no cotton to cultivate from the blooms (unlike the Kapok tree). The dried seeds of the Flamboyant flowers are used to make a musical instrument called the maracas.
I love this photo from Brazil, taken by Flávio Cruvinel Brandão via Flickr. The yellow variety is in the background and you can see more of the red Flamboyant tree’s flowering in front.
The tree is also called Peacock Flower, Flame of the Forest, and Royal Poinciana. The color of the flowers range in vibrant yellow, orange to red.
The Flamboyant tree (scientific name - Delonix regia) is a threaten native tree from Madagascar. Though vulnerable in the wild, the tree is successfully grown today in many tropical areas as ornamental trees. They are also commonly found growing in the Caribbean, Argentina and Brazil.
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A few years ago I saw this amazing flower growing in northern California (Target shopping center in Cupertino). I didn’t think it was a native tree since it looked like it belong somewhere in the tropics.
The large tree was one of the most amazing tree I’ve ever seen. Starting with the trunk, which was covered in spikes. And the flowers were what really caught my eye. The flowers looked just like big orchids or maybe lily flowers blooming all over the tree.
Photo of the Kapok flower and spike trunk from Martin LaBar via Flickr.
There are many different varieties of the flowers, from small white ones to these large bright pink. These delicate looking flowers are hardy enough to last on the tree for several weeks.
Well, I am now happy to say I’ve found out it’s called the Kapok tree. Other names include the Ceiba or Silk Cotton tree. Many thanks to the University of British Columbia’s botany department. The university has a great website fill with information on various plants.
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Hibiscus flowers usually remind me of tropical places such as Hawaii. They are popular ingredients in herbal tea as it gives off the nice red color. These interesting looking hibiscus flowers are not the typical hibiscus grown as ornamental plants.
They are named roselle or “Hibiscus sabdariffa” and are edible. Roselle are an annual woody shrub that grows to 2–2.5 m tall. This plant is mainly grown in Southeast Asia and Central America.
They may look strange to someone who has never seen them before. The calyx are left over after the petals have fallen off. What you see (pictured above) is these deep red bulb like blooms.
Germany uses it as natural food color and France likes it dipped in syrup. They are also popular made into sauces, syrups, and jams. They even have medicinal values and is also full of Vitamin C, Iron, Calcium and Niacin.
These dried Roselle I found at Trader Joe’s are also dipped in syrup. I have tried dried dragon fruit from Trader Joe’s and love them! So I just had to give these a try too. The texture is like dried fruit rolled up but more bland and chewy. It’s slightly tart and sweet (from the syrup). But I do think they taste better then dried cranberries.
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