We recently moved houses and that, of course, meant we got a new garden. One morning shortly after a rainfall, I explored the grounds and found a lot of colorful flowers I could not name. Maybe you can help me.
PS. I have added the scientific names below as they were identified with a little help from my blogger friends. Thank you! The names link to sites with more information and, when available, I've linked to a site that describes the plant's medicinal values.
PS. I have added the scientific names below as they were identified with a little help from my blogger friends. Thank you! The names link to sites with more information and, when available, I've linked to a site that describes the plant's medicinal values.
Ochna thomasiana (Mickey Mouse plant)
This next photo is added after many comments to show the fruit of this bilimbi plant. One of the English common names is cucumber tree. As you can read in the comments or the linked page, the fruit is sour and is used in sinigang (a very sour Filipino soup) and bagoong (shrimp paste). Also go visit fellow blogger Andrea, a Filipina horticultural expert, where her post today elucidates on the properties of this sour fruit. And no, I have not yet tasted this fruit from our tree.
Manila, 2011
I'm joining the blogging communities at Today's Flower, Weekend Flowers, Macro Flower Saturday, Flowers on Saturday, Macro Monday and Mosaic Monday. Do check out these meme for awesome flowers, macros and mosaics.
I'm no good at identifying anything here but what a feast for the eyes!
ReplyDeleteWow, Francisca, they're all beautiful! Is the second-last one some kind of bromeliad?
ReplyDeleteYou know what kinds of flowers I'm familiar with, so I'm not much help, but I certainly enjoyed looking at these. The second one, with the big green knob is amazing, and I love the blossoms growing out from the trunk in the next collage.
Kay, Alberta, Canada
An Unfittie’s Guide to Adventurous Travel
What amazing things you found in your garden! I love your layout with colored borders.
ReplyDeleteYou must be very pleased to find these gorgeous flowers blooming in your new gardens!
ReplyDeletewonderful flowers. some of them i have never seen! thanks for sharing with weekend flowers :)
ReplyDeleteHaven't a clue what these exotics are but they must brighten your garden. The one with the pea thing in the middle is very unusual, to my eyes.
ReplyDeleteWho could even guess at these masterpieces of the Universe? Beautiful..........
ReplyDeleteHi Francesca, I like to guess. The 1st collage is Santan, 2nd collage no idea, 3rd collage looks like a fruit/tree we call Iba or Eba, 4th collage on the left looks like birds of paradise and in the right side I forgot the name but this is gorgeous flower too. Beautiful flowers!
ReplyDeleteRed Mums
welcome to this meme, I love this.
ReplyDeleteYour first flower is IXORA. Common in South East Asia. We used to pull the flower and suck the sweet nectar.
Hi Francisca!
ReplyDeleteAre you back in Manila?
The first flower is Santan, the next is the Mickey Mouse plant (it has yellow flowers, I'm not sure about the next but the orange one is Birds of Paradise and the last is Adelfa!
Wow, you have quite a garden!
These simple flowers become majestically beautiful in your cam...I love them. I suddenly miss my sweet home Philippines.
ReplyDeleteHahaha, i didn't come here at once you should have told me to! I am amused at some comments to, you might end up having more problems.
ReplyDelete1. Santan or Ixora coccinea - check
2. Micky mouse,Ochna thomasiana-check
3. kamyas or kalamyas, Averrhoa bilimbi - used in sinigang as souring agent. I love your photos comp here
4. Heliconia (definitely not bird of paradize which is Strelitzia reginae), i don't know the species but i have it at home invading large area
5. Mussaenda 'Dona Aurora', we have lots of colors of that here named after the wife of presidents
@Andrea, LOL... I just knew you'd come to my rescue! There are a gazillion species of heliconia, but wading through the photos I can still not identify the right one! Now I'll find some reference sites and update my post. Thanks, expert pal!
ReplyDeletei love to walk in the garden after the rain...you would feel things growing.:p
ReplyDeletei love the Micky Mouse flower. they're strange and beautiful. and you have kamias! it's perfect with bagoong. LOL
Exploring a new garden is quite an adventure.
ReplyDeleteThese exotic flowers are all lovely.
They don't grow in our parts so I can't help with the names.
Beautiful photos and mosaics.
The mango is my favourite, when I say miserable, I mean the spike has about 50 flowers, and only one fruit.
ReplyDeleteAverrhoa bilimbi
ReplyDeletedoes it have a small finger size very sour fruit. Used to love eating them but now, it is too sour for me.
You know, Francisca, I don't think I've seen ANY of these gorgeous flowers! They must be very tropical. I loved learning about them :D
ReplyDelete@Ann... yes it does. They look like tiny cucumbers and one of the common English names is cucumber tree. I should have added a shot of them in my montage. And yes, as Andrea mentioned, it's sour and used in sinigang, a very sour Filipino soup.
ReplyDeleteHello Andrea..
ReplyDeleteI have enjoyed your very beautiful pictures.
You live in a wonderful country with rain forests and ocean coastlines. Home to a diverse range of birds, plants and animals I will never see in person.
But finding your blog will allow me a glimpse in this beautiful country.
Here is a link you may want to visit:
http://philippinefloraandfauna.org/
Cheers Gisela.
I like these details, thanks for the names. :)
ReplyDeleteOur blogging friends are always so generous with the help they give in identifying our flowers. My knowledge of such things has greatly improved thanks to them. Your flowers are beautiful!
ReplyDeleteNice entry, the first photo we called it Santan flower in the Phils. they come on different colors. I like the photo of Balimbi, it's really tastes very sour, your face will really frown if you try to eat it, you can preserve it and make pickles. Just put on a jar with water and some salt or sugar then preserve it. We use to have that tree on my grandparents house. We like to pick and eat or dip on salt.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy your photos here.
I like the kamias flower! Gorgeous series of flowers thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful blooms! Especially sweet are the plump petals of the Mickey Mouse plant :o)
ReplyDeleteBlessings & Aloha!
...catching up on some blog reading :o)
Just as beautiful but a little more interesting with the names, as you mentioned, Francisca. The cucumber tree is fascinating.
ReplyDeleteKay, Alberta, Canada
An Unfittie’s Guide to Adventurous Travel
Fantastic set of gorgeous flora shots!
ReplyDeleteI can't help with I.D's but they are beautiful flowers.
ReplyDeleteVery lovely flowers.
ReplyDeleteWhat beauties!
ReplyDeleteThey certainly are lovely!
ReplyDeleteWe call that "Iba" in Bicol term but it is commonly called Kamias in tagalog. Lovely shots Francesca.
ReplyDeleteChristmas Cactus, have a blessed Sunday!
Love this example of the blogging community at work! Wonderful pictures -- you sure made it easy for the experts to ID these lovely plants.
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful world we live in, that such exotic and fabulous plants need the same air and water as their more prosaic cousins!
ReplyDeleteI returned here to look for your reply to my comment, LOL. I also saw Gizela's comment and maybe thought it is my post, she also commented in my site. And I am further inspired by this post that I even made longer post on kamyas today, we call it kalamyas in Batangas and Quezon.
ReplyDelete@Andrea... I've added a link to your superb post in mine. :-)
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on having acquired a garden with so many beautiful and useful plants. Lovely photos of the different phases of the cucumber tree.
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful variety of flowers. Just lovely!
ReplyDeleteI'll e-mail you my thoughts on Red Bubble.
A gorgeous new garden!
ReplyDeleteYou're so funny. You said you couldn't name them but you got names for most of them. I call them pretty pink and red and green flowers.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, I had to put word verification back. I was swamped with spam!
Ohhhh these are all quite wonderful. Great shots.
ReplyDeleteVeronica
Tassels Twigs and Tastebuds
With mosaics of flowers like these, you are in the park with Bush Bernie and all of her fab shots. These are all gorgeous. Such beautiful reds. genie
ReplyDeleteI don't recognise any of these, but I love the Heliconia!
ReplyDeleteHow wonderful to have so many beautiful plants and flowers in your garden. Your photo's were lovely.
ReplyDeleteI'm terrible at plants. The Averrhoa Bilimbi looks like it might be some kind of fuchsia. Sorry, that's all I have!
ReplyDeleteSo beautiful! I love the tropical look to these plants. Today was beautiful here, but cold and snow flurries are expected. Soon the color will be gone and the natural sepia filter will be applied to my world. NOvember is NO fun! (0:
ReplyDeleteGorgeous photos and I love the collages you've created with them!
ReplyDeleteHappy MM
you might want to read this about the Philippine Mussaenda, just an additional reference:
ReplyDeletehttp://admin.uplb.edu.ph/photos.php?a=1&i=4&s= .