While most of you, my dear blogger friends, are still experiencing the colds of winter or remnants of winter, we here in the hot tropics are at the transition for the coming dry season. That means we are already savoring the lingering slight cold winds, because in 2-3 weeks it will be hot, hot and hot till we get to the upper 30°C. We will then be soaked in sweat or suffer heat stroke if we linger outside the buildings under the blazing sun!
To alleviate your cold, i will inject a warm color, or actually a hot color. I will show you one of our red flowers, the reds being our common color in the tropics. This is the
Plumbago rosea synonymous with P. indica. It has a habit different from the common blue
Plumbago auriculata. It has long stems that produce the flowers at the end.
Look at the base of the flower, it has some protrusions that i don't know the purpose for! If those are the anthers containing the pollens, the distance explains the reason i haven't seen any pod yet.
Or probably they protect the most important part of the reproductive system, the developing embryo, which is inside that portion of the flower. An insect will have difficult time in trying to penetrate those barriers.
These show the unruly, entangled stems with the flowers. The stems are so long tending to bend and mix with all other stems near it.
If the stem can only be held straight, they are so beautiful in these arrangements. Unfortunately, the vaselife is only for 1-2 days, the old flowers dehisce and new ones open, giving way to a very colorful succession.
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Great shots Andrea! Loving those Plumbagos!
ReplyDeleteGreat photos and it does make you wonder with some blooms how they are able to be pollinated but apparently they manage to do so.
ReplyDeleteCher Sunray Gardens
Wow, I have never seen a red species of Plumbago. It is really beautiful. I have often wondered the purpose of the sticky protusions at the base of the flowers. I hadn't thought about protection from insects. They just seem to make the old flowers stick to my clothing when I am looking for butterflies!! Thanks for brightening up our winter. I hope the dry season isn't too unbearable.
ReplyDeleteOh my gosh, I too have never seen a red plumbago. What a wonderful addition to a garden they would be. I do have the blue and 'love' it.
ReplyDeleteHappy Gardening ~ FlowerLady
Beautiful! I have never seen the red plumbago either, but the blue which I grow in my garden is a real winner and a favorite of mine.
ReplyDeleteI've never seen a red plumbago before. Nice!
ReplyDeleteBeautiflul! I have never seen this flower!
ReplyDeleteHave a nice day!
Very pretty! Great close ups.
ReplyDeletenicely done with the macro shots.
ReplyDeleteVery pretty. Only plumbago i have grown in capensis the blue one and its alba form. Great photos too.
ReplyDeleteIt is fabulous. I've never seen the red Plumbago before and now it just has to go on my wish list. Dry season is approaching here too, but our Autumn has only just begun. I'm so looking forward to cooler temps and lower humidity.
ReplyDeleteNever seen a red plumbago before. gorgeous :)
ReplyDeleteThank you for these beautiful hot red flowers...still cold and snowy here.
ReplyDelete