Thursday, November 5, 2009

Unknown plant found in Malaysia

This post is especially for the very special flowering plant i found in Malaysia. I specifically post it here so AutumnBelle or Jacq might be able to identify it. They are plant hobbyists from that country and if i am lucky enough, they might also have some friends who might help us identify it. According to my friend and generous host, Aminah, it is called 7 needles (Pereskia corrugata/bleo). It is obvious because of the 7 thick thorns arising from the same spot. She said it is a known medicinal plant there.

I've known Aminah since our CSIRO days in North Ryde, NSW, Australia. We stayed also in one flat during our last month in Chatswood.

We have lost touch for a while but after thorough internet search i was able to contact her. She gladly invited me and my travel buddy to stay in their big house for the whole duration of our KL vacation. They were so very busy in their academic works, but also very generous and accomodating that we were advised to feel at home, and we just cook and eat whenever we are left in the house. Their only daughter drove us around KL, Putrajaya and Genting Highlands. I was also asked to give a seminar on Intellectual Property Management at the University Kebangsaan Malaysia. It was attended by the university faculty, staff and graduate students.



This is the whole plant, already a bush

Flowers change color from yellowish orange
to orange-red during maturation

The unusual fruits are waxy and
seemingly cut into halves
a legume tree (Erythrina fusca/glauca) at the Petronas grounds


a different view of the Petronas
P.S.....
thank you very much Autum Belle for the flower IDs and classification (shown in the comments).

6 comments:

  1. For Autumn Belle and Jacq, the plant awaiting your help in identification. The other tree i found at the Petronas grounds also needs a name! Thank you very much.

    ReplyDelete
  2. My dear Andrea, I am very sorry for the late comment. First my son had an operation, then my computer antivirus expired and this morning, my broad band access went dead. What a terrible time for me!

    Andrea,
    The 1st flower is:
    Malay language - Bunga Jarum Tujuh Bilah (7 needles)
    Botanical name: Pereskia sacharosa
    Common name: rose cactus

    The 2nd flower is:
    Botanical name: Erythrina fusca, Erythrina glauca
    Family: Faboideae / Leguminosae / Papilionaceae
    Common name: Cape Kaffirboom, Gallito, Coral bean, Bois Immortelle
    Malay language: bunga dedap merah

    Actually you have a good picture of this tree at the Petronas Twin Towers. You were so lucky it was blooming when you were there. I went there last month but there were hardly any flowers on the tree. I will be posting about this tree very soon.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thank you very much Autumn Belle for the classification of the flowers i saw in Malaysia. I have been looking for 7 needles in the net but i only found a photo of the trunk with the 7 spines. I thought i am at the dead end, and i will be if not for your generosity.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hi Andrea! I'm glad to have chanced upon your blog link at Autumn Belle garden blog and am able to visit you here. Glad too that she was able to help ID your plants. The 7 needles also bears the name 'Pereskia bleo, and Pereskia corrugata' (unsure whether these are synonyms) as seen at this site: http://toptropicals.com/catalog/uid/perescia_bleo.htm
    Cheers and have a great day!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Thank you also Jacqueline for your ID. I earlier put the name given by Autumn Belle without checking, then after having more time studied the photos and descriptions of the Genus Pereskia. Finally, i settled with P. corrugata/bleo as suggested by Jacqueline. Maybe it might also be wrong but what we are very sure is that it is a Pereskia species. hehe. Thank you both for directing me to the genus Pereskia, otherwise i am really at the dead end. I wont have the idea that it is a cactus, looks so different from the succulents.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hi Andrea...I'm so glad Autumn Belle told me about your blog. I actually wanted to check out on your blue blooms (I have the same double-petalled Butterfly Pea) but I saw this orange flower, the rose cactus.

    I had recently bought a tiny plant from a nursery. When I asked about the ID the person told me it was called Chinese Rose. I didn't think that was the right name and had been meaning to google...Wow, I'm so happy I visited. I'm from India. I'll surely be back. There's a great deal to learn here and your photos are gorgeous!

    Have a great day!!

    ReplyDelete

Your comments inspire me to post more, and our conversations make life and gardening more meaningful.

However, Anonymous comments and personal back links give me problems, so i don't publish them. Anonymous + back links = SPAM = DELETE

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