variety of Orchids

Adiantum capillus-veneris

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Adiantum capillus-veneris, the black maidenhair fern, is a species of fern in the genus Adiantum with a subcosmopolitan distribution, native to western and southern Europe, Africa, Nort America, Central America. In the United States, it grows as far north as southern Missouri and southernmost Kentucky, where it will generally be found growing on sheltered, south-facing limestone.

It grows to 20-70 cm tall, with very delicate, light green fronds much subdivided into pinnae 5-10 mm long and broad; the frond rachis is black and wiry.

It is commonly grown as a houseplant.

Chlorophytum

Chlorophytum is native to the tropical and subtropical regions of Africa and Asia, a genus of about 200-220 species of evergreen perennial flowering plants in the Agavaceae.

They grow to 10-60 cm tall, with a rosette of long, slender leaves 15-75 cm long and 0.5-2 cm broad, growing from a thick, fleshy rhizome. The flowers are small, usually white, produced on sparse panicles up to 120 cm long; in some species the panicle also bears plantlets, which take root on touching the ground.

Chlorophytum comosum, the Spider Plant, a native of South Africa, is a very popular houseplant in its variegated form.

I just read also that Chlorophytum borivilianum is eaten as a leaf vegetable in some parts of India, and its roots are used medicinally as a sex tonic under the name safed moosli. The medicinal value is thought to derive from its saponin content, up to 17 percent by dry weight. It has also recently been suggested that it may produce an aphrodisiac agent. It is a herb with lanceolate leaves, from tropical wet forests. As medicinal demand has increased, the plant has been brought under cultivation. The saponins and alkaloids present in the plant are the source of its alleged aphrodisiac properties.

Safed Moosli was originally grown in thick forest in natural form, and is a traditional medicinal plant. Mainly its tuberous roots are used in ayurvedic medicines. Roots are used for the preparation of nutritive tonic used in general sexual weakness. Now-a-days, there is a very vast demand all over the world (Specially gulf countries and cold countries). Due to its vast demand it is very costly. Safed Musli is a herb with sub-erect leaves and tuberous root system. It can grow up to a maximum height of 1.5 ft. Tubers can grow up to a depth of 10". Safed Musli is a tiny annual herb that grows well in tropical and sub-tropical climates with altitudes up to 1500 meters. Safed Musli has its origin in the India Subcontinent.

For you, all the function of Chlorophytum, it is need to research more.

Sesbania grandiflora

Sesbania grandiflora or in Indonesia called kembang turi

Sesbania grandiflora or hummingbird tree/scarlet wisteria is a small tree in the genus Sesbania. It is believed to have originated either in India or Southeast Asia and grows primarily in hot and humid tropical areas of the world.

It is a tree growing between 3 and 5 m i height. The leaves are regular and rounded and the flowers white and large, very characteristic. The fruits look like flat, long and thin green beans.
In cultivation it grows rapidly. It likes exposure to sunshine and it is extremely frost sensitive.

The flowers of S. grandiflora are eaten as a vegetable in Southeast Asia, like Laos, Thailand, Java in Indonesia, Vietnam, and the Ilocos Region of the Philippines.

In the Thai language the flowers are called (dok khae) and are used in the Thai cuisine both cooked in curries and raw. In the Khmer language they are called pka angkea dey and in Vietnamese they are called so đũa. In the Philippines it is known as katuray and in the Indonesian language they are called bunga turi or kembang turi.

The young pods are also eaten, along with the leaves. In Sri Lanka, agati leaves, known as Katura murunga, are sometimes added to sodhi, a widely eaten, thin coconut gravy. In India this plant is known as agati (Hindi), agastya (Kannada), agise (Telugu), and both the leaves and the flowers have culinary uses.

Tibouchina urvilleana

Tibouchina urvilleana is a evergreen vigorous grower that forms majestic mounds of handsome foliage that is covered during the warm months with big beautiful bluish purple flowers.

Tibouchina urvilleana is native to Brazil. Princess flower is a very popular landscape plant in frost free areas around the world.



Princess flower prefers rich fertile soil but it is able to adapt to other soils as well if mulched, fed and periodically watered. Fertilize after each bloom cycle for optimum flowering.


This flower prefers sunny situations but the princess appreciates afternoon shade in areas with high summer temperatures.

Tibouchina urvilleana likes moisture but not soggy conditions. Will survive short periods of drought.



Propagation:

Softwood cuttings and division of clumps.

Usage

The princess flower steals the show wherever it is used. Plant near outdoor living areas where its flowers can be enjoyed at close range. The handsome foliage adds texture and interest to shrub borders and foundation plantings and delivers splashes of color that grab the attention of all who come near.

This fast growing shrub is quick to recover from frost and freeze die-back. It's very attractive bright purple flowers are especially enjoyable and good for cutting. Princess flower is seldom bothered by pest or disease. It's easy to grow and requires little maintenance once established.




Sources: many

Asteraceae

The family Asteraceae or Compositae (known as the aster, daisy, or sunflower family) is the largest family of flowering plants, in terms of number of species.

The name 'Asteraceae' is derived from the type genus Aster, while 'Compositae', an older but still valid name, means composite and refers to the characteristic inflorescence, a special type of pseudanthium found in only a few other angiosperm families. The study of this family is known as synantherology.

Asteraceae are cosmopolitan, but most common in the temperate regions and tropical mountains.

Asteraceae are most usually herbs, but some shrubs, trees and climbers do exist. They are generally easy to distinguish, mainly because of their characteristic inflorescence and many shared apomorphies.

Leaves and stems

The leaves and the stems very often contain secretory canals with resin or latex (particularly common among the Cichorioideae). The leaves can be alternate, opposite, or whorled. They may be simple, but are often deeply lobed or otherwise incised, often conduplicate or revolute. The margins can be entire or dentate.

Flowers
The most evident characteristic of Asteraceae is perhaps their inflorescence; a specialised capitulum, technically called a calathid or calathidium, but generally referred to as flower head or, alternatively, simply capitulum. The capitulum is a contracted raceme composed of numerous individual sessile flowers, called the florets, all sharing the same receptacle.

The capitulum of the Asteraceae has evolved many characteristics that make it look superficially like a big single flower. This kind of flower-like inflorescences are quite widespread amongst plants and have been given the name of pseudanthia.

Many bracts form an involucre under the basis of the capitulum; these are called "phyllaries", or "involucral bracts". They may simulate the sepals of the pseudanthium. These are mostly herbaceous but can also be brightly coloured (e.g. Helichrysum) or have a scarious texture. The bracts can be free or fused, and arranged in one to many rows, overlapping like the tiles of a roof (imbricate) or not (this variation is important in identification of tribes and genera).

Each floret may itself be subtended by a bract, called a "palea" or "receptacular bract". These bracts as a group are often called "chaff". The presence or absence of these bracts, their distribution on the receptacle, and their size and shape are all important diagnostic characteristics for genera and tribes.

The florets have five petals fused at the base to form a corolla tube and they may be either actinomorphic or zygomorphic. Disc florets are usually actinomorphic, with five petal lips on the rim of the corolla tube. The petal lips may be either very short, or long, in which case they form deeply lobed petals. The latter is the only kind of floret in the Carduoideae, while the first kind is more widespread. Ray florets are always highly zygomorphic and are characterised by the presence of a ligule, a strap-shaped structure on the edge of the corolla tube consisting of fused petals. In the Asteroideae and other minor subfamilies these are usually borne only on florets at the circumference of the capitulum and have a 3+2 scheme – above the fused corolla tube, three very long fused petals form the ligule, with the other two petals being inconspicuously small. The Cichorioidea has only ray florets, with a 5+0 scheme – all five petals form the ligule. A 4+1 scheme is found in the Barnadesioideae. The tip of the ligule is often divided into teeth, each one representing a petal. Some marginal florets may have no petals at all (filiform floret).

The calyx of the florets may be absent, but when present it is always modified into a pappus of two or more teeth, scales or bristles and this is often involved in the dispersion of the seeds. As with the bracts, the nature of the pappus is an important diagnostic feature.

There are usually five stamens. The filaments are fused to the corolla, while the anthers are generally connate (syngenesious anthers), thus forming a sort of tube around the style (theca). They commonly have basal and/or apical appendages. Pollen is released inside the tube and is collected around the growing style, expelled with a sort of pump mechanism (nüdelspritze) or a brush.

The pistil is made of two connate carpels. The style has two lobes; stigmatic tissue may be located in the interior surface or form two lateral lines. The ovary is inferior and has only one ovule, with basal placentation.

Fruits and seeds

The fruit of the Asteraceae is a specialised type of achene, sometimes called cypsela (plural cypselae). One seed per fruit is formed. It may sometimes be flat, winged or spiny and it adheres to the persistent pappus. Its morphology is often used to help determine plant relationships at the genus and species level. The seeds usually have little or lack endosperm.

Begonia

Begonia is a genus in the flowering plant family Begoniaceae. The only other member of the family Begoniaceae is Hillebrandia, a genus with a single species in the Hawaiian Islands. The genus Symbegonia is now included in Begonia. "Begonia" is the common name as well as the generic name for all members of the genus.

With ca. 1500+ species, Begonia is one of the ten largest angiosperm genera. The species are terrestrial (sometimes epiphytic) herbs or undershrubs and occur in subtropical and tropical moist climates, in South and Central America, Africa and Southern Asia. Terrestrial species in the wild are commonly upright-stemmed, rhizomatous or tuberous. The plants are monoecious, with unisexual male and female flowers occurring separately on the same plant, the male containing numerous stamens, the female having a large inferior ovary and two to four branched or twisted stigmas. In most species the fruit is a winged capsule containing numerous minute seeds, although baccate fruits are also known. The leaves, which are often large and variously marked or variegated, are usually asymmetric (unequal-sided).

Because of their sometimes showy flowers of white, pink, scarlet or yellow color and often attractively marked leaves, many species and innumerable hybrids and cultivars are cultivated.




The genus is unusual in that species throughout the genus, even those coming from different continents, can frequently be hybridized with each other, and this has led to an enormous number of cultivars. The American Begonia Society classifies begonias into several major groups: cane-like, shrub-like, tuberous, rhizomatous, semperflorens, rex, trailing-scandent, or thick-stemmed. For the most part these groups do not correspond to any formal taxonomic groupings or phylogeny and many species and hybrids have characteristics of more than one group, or fit well into none of them.


The genus name honors Michel Bégon, a French patron of botany.




Cultivation

The different groups of begonias have different cultural requirements but most species come from tropical regions and therefore they and their hybrids require warm temperatures. Most are forest understory plants and require bright shade; few will tolerate full sun, especially in warmer climates. In general, begonias require a well-drained growing medium that is neither constantly wet nor allowed to dry out completely. Many begonias will grow and flower year-round but tuberous begonias usually have a dormant period, during which the tubers can be stored in a cool and dry place.


Begonias of the semperflorens group are frequently grown as bedding plants outdoors. A recent group of hybrids derived from this group is marketed as "Dragonwing Begonias"; they are much larger both in leaf and in flower. Tuberous begonias are frequently used as container plants.



Although most Begonia species are tropical or subtropical in origin, the Chinese species B. grandis is hardy to USDA hardiness zone 6 and is commonly known as the "hardy begonia". Most begonias can be grown outdoors year-round in subtropical or tropical climates, but in temperate climates begonias are grown outdoors as annuals, or as house or greenhouse plants.


Most begonias are easily propagated by division or from stem cuttings. In addition, many can be propagated from leaf cuttings or even sections of leaves, particularly the members of the rhizomatous and rex groups.

Tagetes erecta

Tagetes erecta, the Mexican marigold, is a species of the genus Tagetes native to Mexico and Central America. In Mexico, this plant is found in the wild in the states of San Luis Potosí , Chiapas, State of Mexico, Puebla, Sinaloa, Tlaxcala and Veracruz. This plant reaches heights of between 50 and 100 cm. The Aztecs gathered the wild plant as well as cultivating it for medicinal, ceremonial and decorative purposes.

Its flower, the cempasúchil is also called the Flower of the Dead in Mexico ("Flor de Muertos") and is used in the Dia de los Muertos celebration every November 2d. The word cempasúchil (also spelled cempazúchil) comes from the Nahuatl term for the flower zempoalxochitl, literally translated as "twenty flower".

Since prehispanic times, this plant has been used for medicinal purposes. It has been used to treat stmach ache, parasites, diarrhea, liver, illnesses, vomiting, indigestion and toothache among other illnesses. Scientific study shows that thiophenes, natural phytochemicals that are include sulfur-containing rings, may be the active ingredients. They have been shown to kill gram negative and gram positive bacteria gram in vitro.

Heliconia

Heliconia is a genus of about 100 to 200 species of flowering plants native to the tropical Americas and the Pacific Ocean islands west to Indonesia. It is the sole genus of family Heliconiaceae, but was formerly included in the family Musaceae. Common names for the genus include lobster-claw, wild plantain and false bird-of-paradise. The last term refers to their close similarity to the bird-of-paradise flowers (Strelitzia).

The leaves are 15-300 cm long , oblong, growing opposite one another on non-woody petioles often longer than the leaf, often forming large clumps with age. Their flowers are produced on long, erect or drooping panicles, and consist of brightly colored waxy bracts, with small true flowers peeping out from the bracts. The growth habit of heliconias is similar to Canna, Strelitzia and bananas, to which they are related.

Heliconias are an important food source for forest hummingbirds, especially the hermits some of which, such as the Rufous-breasted Hermit, also use the plant for nesting. The Honduran white bat also lives in tents it makes from the plant's leaves.

Magnolia

Magnolia wieseneri

Magnolia is a large genus of about 210 flowering plant species in the subfamily Magnolioideae of the family Magnoliaceae.


The natural range of Magnolia species is a disjunct distribution, with a main center in east and southeast Asia and a secondary center in eastern North America, Central America, the West Indies, and some species in South America. Today many species of Magnolia and an ever-increasing number of hybrids can also be found as ornamentals in large parts of North America, Europe, Australia and New Zealand. The genus is named after French botanist Pierre Magnol.


Magnolia is an ancient genus. Having evolved before bees appeared, the flowers developed to encourage pollination by beetles. As a result, the carpels of Magnolia flowers are tough, to avoid damage by eating and crawling beetles. Another primitive aspect of Magnolias is their lack of distinct sepals or petals.



Selected species of Magnolia

Magnolia subgenus Magnolia: Anthers open by splitting at the front facing the centre of the flower. Deciduous or evergreen. Flowers produced after the leaves.

• Magnolia delavayi - Chinese evergreen


• Magnolia fraseri - FraMagnolia ser magnolia


• Magnolia globosa - Globe magnolia


• Magnolia grandiflora - Southern magnolia or bull bay


• Magnolia guatemalensis - Guatemalan magnolia


• Magnolia macrophylla - Bigleaf magnolia


• Magnolia macrophylla subsp. ashei - Ashe magnolia


• Magnolia macrophylla subsp. dealbata - Mexican bigleaf magnolia


• Magnolia nitida -


• Magnolia obovata - Japanese bigleaf magnolia


• Magnolia officinalis - Houpu magnolia


• Magnolia sieboldii - Siebold's magnolia


• Magnolia tripetala - Umbrella magnolia


• Magnolia virginiana - Sweetbay magnolia Magnolia wilsonii - Wilson's magnoli

Magnolia subgenus Yulania: Anthers open by splitting at the sides. Deciduous. Flowers mostly produced before leaves (except M. acuminata).

• Magnolia acuminata - Cucumber tree


• Magnolia amoena


• Magnolia biondii


• Magnolia campbellii - Campbell's magnolia


• Magnolia cylindrica


• Magnolia dawsoniana - Dawson's magnolia


• Magnolia denudata - Yulan magnolia


• Magnolia hypoleuca - Whitebark Magnolia


• Magnolia kobus - Kobushi magnolia


• Magnolia liliiflora - Mulan magnolia


• Magnolia salicifolia - Willow-leafed magnolia


• Magnolia sargentiana - Sargent's magnolia


• Magnolia sprengeri - Sprenger's magnolia


• Magnolia stellata - Star magnolia


• Magnolia zenii

Other

• Magnolia hodgsonii


• Magnolia sirindhorniae - Princess Sirindhorn's magnolia


• Magnolia splendens Shining Magnolia, Laurel Magnolia

Uses

In general, Magnolia is a genus which has attracted a lot of horticultural interest. Hybridisation has been immensely successful in combining the best aspects of different species to give plants which flower at an earlier age than the species themselves, as well as having more impressive flowers. One of the most popular garden magnolias is a hybrid, M. x soulangeana (Saucer magnolia; hybrid M. liliiflora x M. denudata).


Medicinal uses


The bark from M. officinalis has long been used in traditional Chinese medicine, where it is known as hou po. In Japan, kōboku, M. obovata has been used in a similar manner. The aromatic bark contains magnolol and honokiol, two polyphenolic compounds that have demonstrated anti-anxiety and anti-angiogenic properties. Magnolia bark also has been shown to reduce allergic and asthmatic reactions.


Magnolia has attracted the interest of the dental research community because magnolia bark extract inhibits many of the bacteria responsible for caries and periodontal disease. In addition, the constituent magnolol interferes with the action of glucosyltransferase, an enzyme needed for the formation of bacterial plaque.

Tibouchina sp

Tibouchina semidecandra

Tibouchina is a genus of about 350 species of neotropical plants in the family Melastomataceae. They are trees, shrubs or subshrubs growing 0.5-25 m tall, and are known as “glory bushes” or sometimes “glory trees”. They are native to rainforests of Mexico, the West Indies and South America, especially Brazil. The name comes from an adaptation of the native Guiana term for these shrubs.


Tibouchina grows a little rampant and tends to sprawl in habit. However, with some good pruning, Tibouchina can be the best plant on your block.


Tibouchina has large velvety evergreen leaves with a coarse appearance and a fine dark green color. Leaves are covered with soft white hairs.


Plant in most soils with good drainage and a slightly acid mix is even better. Nematodes can affect Tibouchina and over watering can contribute to mushroom root-rot.


Tibouchina grandifolia has purple flowers with white inside, turning red-orange with age. Tibouchina granulosa is a tropical tree native to Brazil and Bolivia and grows 16 to 40 feet tall. Tibouchina heteromalla is a small shrub about 3 feet high. Tibouchina semidecandra is pictured above and rated to about 15 feet.


Recent introductions of hybrid Tibouchina means you can have smaller plants. These and traditional Tibouchina varieties include:

• Tibouchina 'Athens Blue' (hybrid)


• Tibouchina 'Compacta' (hybrid)


• Tibouchina grandifolia


• Tibouchina granulosa


• Tibouchina heteromalla (rare)


• Tibouchina semidecandra


• Tibouchina urvilleana

After planting, they may seem to lack the will to grow for a season or two, but then suddenly take off. After that, Tibouchina is easy.


Be sure to fertilize for best flowering and growth. Mixing more than one variety will provide strong purple color at different levels.

Gardenia

Gardenia jasminoides

Gardenia is a lovely shrub from South China growing as tall as 8 feet, but usually smaller. Gardenias are evergreens with compact stems and dark green leaves when properly planted and properly fertilized

As you can see, the pure white flowers are gorgeous, rose-like at their peak of appearance. Flowers continue to open, getting flatter, but still very nice to see. Blooms appear in spring in South Florida, usually April and May. They have been traditional corsage flowers for many years. Floridians like to pick flowers and float them in shallow bowls indoors.

Of course, the flower fragrance of the gardenia is also a major attraction. They have a very sweet smell like some jasmine flowers, hence the Latin name jasminoides.

Gardenia is happy in southern zone 8, all of zone 9 as well as South Florida's zone 10. Some species are dwarf and grown as houseplants as well. Various varieties can do different work for your landscape, especially 'Miami Supreme' which has the largest flowers of all.

Gardenia brighamii

The primary key to gardenias is to start with a highly acid soil. We like to mix 40% Canadian peat moss with our native sandy soil plus some quality nursery mix with manure. This seems excessive but it always gets results with excellent foliage and fewer pests. Nematodes are a common problem so fresh soil helps a lot.

Provide high shifting shade (like tall pine trees) to near full sun for best performance. Provide reasonable drainage, water regularly but not excessively so as not to strain your gardenia. Critical is to use acid forming fertilizer. Locally, most gardenias have poor foliage for reasons of soil, or fertilizer, or both.

Gardenia radicans

Gardenias must taste good to bugs as they can get white-flies, sooty-mold, cottony cushion scale, mealy bugs and nematodes.

If you want a fine gardenia, make soil #1 your priority before you plant. Use an acid fertilizer in early spring and throughout the warm months.

Gardenia taitensis

Named Gardenia varieties locally available include:

• Gardenia augusta - Common Gardenia
• Gardenia augusta - 'Aimee' First Love
• Gardenia augusta - 'August Beauty'
• Gardenia augusta - 'Miami Supreme'
• Gardenia augusta - 'Mystery'
• Gardenia augusta - 'Radicans' Dwarf
• Gardenia taitensis - Tahitian or Jamaican Gardenia
• Gardenia thunbergia
• Gardenia tubifera - Gold Gardenia
• Gardenia Veitchii

Other gardenias include the Tahitian Gardenia (not from Tahiti), Gardenia taitensis, and Gardenia 'nitida', Tabernaemontana holsterii (not a true gardenia, related to jasmine, very powerful scent). This one is from Vietnam.

The Yesterday-Today-and-Tomorrow

The Yesterday-Today-and-Tomorrow shrub from Brazil likes to show off 3 different colors of flowers during mid-winter in South Florida

First blooms are deep lilac which turn to light lavender and finish with a fade to white. Hence the names yesterday = deep lilac, today = lavender and tomorrow = white. The flowers are fragrant too

The Yesterday-Today-and-Tomorrow shrub is small at about 4-6 feet. It tends to get leggy and should be pruned back heavily twice a year to maximize tips and hence quantity of blooms
Make your first pruning in spring after blooms are spent and your second pruning about September.

The mussaenda

The mussaenda is a shrub related to coffee trees and native to Asia, such as Thailand, the West Indies and parts of tropical West Africa, such as Zaire.

Mussaenda may be a rather small shrub, or large to 30 feet, like a small tree. As in the photo, commercial nurseries often train mussaenda to be tree-like in form for landscape use. Their natural habit is to produce many stems and it is quite a rambler. It has silky, hairy, soft medium-green leaves.

Said to be evergreen, but unless planted in very warm zone 10 or higher, mussaenda loses most or all leaves with cooler/cold weather until spring.

Plant mussaenda in full sun for best show of color which starts in spring in South Florida and lasts through summer and into the fall warm months. We rather like using the white dwarf in many landscape applications.

The plant's color comes from bracts and not the small, often yellow, white or orange, flowers at the center of each bract.

This is the same color-producing system used by tropicals such heliconia and bougainvillea.
Mussaenda bracts may be seen in several colors including rose, white, red, pale pink and some mixtures.

Except for the white, mussaenda wants full sun, decent soil but sandy is fine, reasonable water and reasonable fertilizer.

It is good to prune mussaenda heavily in late fall to late winter. This will contribute to shape as well as produce many more branch tips where flowers form thus producing color bracts as well.

Named mussaenda varieties available in spring include:

• Mussaenda philippica 'Aurorae' - white bracts
• Mussaenda erythropylla 'Dona Luz' - rose bracts
• Mussaenda erythropylla 'Queen Sirikit' - pale pink & red
• Mussaenda erythropylla 'Rosea' - carmine pink bracts
• Mussaenda frondosa – pure white

Source:

http://mgonline.com

Nelumbo (Lotus)

Nelumbo nucifera

Nelumbo is a genus of aquatic plants with large, showy, water lily-like flowers commonly known as lotus or sacred lotus. The generic name is derived from the Sinhalese word Nelum. There are two species in the genus, one of which is the well-known National Flower of India.


There is residual disagreement over which family the genus should be placed in. Traditional classification systems recognized Nelumbo as part of the Nymphaeaceae (water lily) family, but traditional taxonomists were likely misled by evolutionary convergences associated with an evolutionary shift from a terrestrial to an aquatic life style. In the older classification systems it was recognized under the orde Nymphaeales or Nelumbonales. Nelumbo is currently recognized as its own family, Nelumbonaceae, as one of several distinctive families in the eudicot order Proteales. Its closest living relatives are shrubs or trees (Proteaceae and Platanaceae).


The bird's-foot trefoils and deer-vetches in the genus Lotus (= formal scientific name) are not closely related to the sacred lotus (= common English name).

Species

• Nelumbo nucifera, the blue or Indian lotus, also known as the bean of India and the sacred water lily of Hinduism and Buddhism. It is the national flower of India. Its roots are also used widely in Asian cooking.
• Nelumbo lutea, the American lotus
  

Source:
Wikipedia

Jasmine

Jasminum polyanthum

Jasmine or Jessamine (Jasminum) is a genus of shrubs and vines in the olive family (Oleaceae),with about 200 species, native to tropical and warm temperate regions of the Old World. The majority of species grow as climbers on other plants or on structures. The leaves can be either evergreen or deciduous, and are opposite in most species; leaf shape is simple, trifoliate or pinnate with up to nine leaflets. Jasmine tea is also very efficient against coughs, sore throats or other problems to do with the bronchites.

Jasmine flowers are generally white, although some species have yellow flowers. Unlike most genera in the Oleaceae which have four corolla lobes ("petals"), jasmines often have five or six lobes. They are often strongly and sweetly scented. Flowering is in spring or summer in most species, but in a few species, notably J. nudiflorum, in winter on the bare branches of this deciduous species.

A double-flowered cultivar of Jasminum sambac in flower

with an unopened bud.

The flower smells exactly like the tea as it opens.

Jasmine is widely cultivated for their flowers, enjoyed in the garden, as house plants, and as cut flowers. The flowers are worn by women in their hair in southern and southeast Asia. Some claim that the daily consumption of Jasmine tea is effective in preventing certain cancers. Many species also yield an absolute which is used in the production of perfumes and incense.

Jasmine tisane is consumed in China, where it is called Jasmine flower tea. Jasminum sambac flowers are also used to make tea, which often has a base of green tea, but sometimes an Oolong base is used. The delicate Jasmine flower opens only at night and is plucked in the morning when the tiny petals are tightly closed. They are then stored in a cool place until night. Between six and eight in the evening, as the temperature cools, the petals begin to open. Flowers and tea are "mated" in machines that control temperature and humidity. It takes four hours or so for the tea to absorb the fragrance and flavour of the Jasmine blossoms, and for the highest grades, this process may be repeated as many as seven times. Because the tea has absorbed moisture from the flowers, it must be refired to prevent spoilage. The spent flowers may or may not be removed from the final product, as the flowers are completely dry and contain no aroma. Giant fans are used to blow away and remove the petals from the denser tea leaves. If present, they simply add visual appeal and are no indication of the quality of the tea.

Cultural importance and other information

The Jasmine is the national Flower of the following countries:

• The Philippines, where it is known as "Sampaquita”, and is usually strung on garlands which are then used to adorn religious images.
• Indonesia, where the variety Jasminum sambac is the "puspa bangsa" (National Flower), and goes by the name "Melati", In the country, especially the island of Java, it is the most important flower in wedding ceremonies for ethnic Indonesians.
• Pakistan, where Jasminum officinale is known as the "Chambeli" or "Yasmine".
• In Sanskrit it is called "Mallika". Jasmine is cultivated at Pangala, in Karnataka, India, and exported to Middle Eastern countries. J. fluminense is an invasive species in Hawaii, where it is sometimes known by the inaccurate name "Brazilian Jasmine". J. dichotomum is also invasive in Florida.
• In Thailand, jasmine flowers are used as a symbol of the mother.

Source:

Wikipedia

Anthurium

Anthurium (Schott, 1829), is a large genus of about 600- 800 (possibly 1,000) species, belonging to the arum family (Araceae ). It is the largest and probably the most complex genus of this family. Many species are undoubtedly not described yet and new ones are being found every year.

They grow in the most diverse habitats, mostly in wet tropical mountain forest of Central America and South America, but some in semi-arid environments. Most species occur in Panama, Colombia, Brazil, the Guiana Shield and Ecuador. According to the work of noted aroid botanist Dr. Tom Croat of the Missouri Botanical Garden, this genus is not found in Asia. It is solely a neotropical genus found in Mexico, Central America and the West Indies. http://www.aroid.org/genera/anthurium/abstrap1.htm Some species have been introduced into Asian rain forests, but are not endemic.

Anthurium grows in many forms, mostly evergreen, bushy or climbing epiphytes with roots that often hang from the canopy all the way to the floor of the rain forest. There are also many terrestrial forms as well as hemiepiphytic forms. A hemiepiphyte is a plant capable of beginning life as a seed and sending roots to the soil, or beginning as a terrestrial plant that climbs a tree and then sends roots back to the soil. They occur also as lithophytes. Some are only found in association with arboreal ant colonies or growing on rocks in midstream (such as A. amnicola).

The stems are short to elongate with a length between 15 and 30 cm. The simple leaves come in many shapes. Most leaves are to be found at the end of the stem. They can be spatulate, rounded, or obtuse at the apex. They may be erect or spreading in a rosette, with a length up to 40 cm. The upper surface is matted or semiglossy. The leaves are petiolate. In drier environments, the leaves can take a bird's-nest-shape rosette that enables the plant to collect falling debris, thus water and natural fertilizer. Terrestrials or epiphytes often have cordate leaves. Some grow as vines with rosettes of lanceolate leaves. Some species have many-lobed leaves.

The flowers are small (about 3 mm) and develop crowded in a spike on a fleshy axis and called a spadix, a characteristic of the arums. The flowers on the spadix are often divided sexually with a sterile band separating male from female flowers. This spadix can take on many forms (club-shaped, tapered, spiraled, and globe-shaped) and colors (white, green, purple, red, pink, or a combination).

The spadix is part of an inflorescence. The outer portion of the inflorescence is known as the spathe. Some people like to call the spathe a "flower", however it is simply a modified leaf. The spathe may be a single color (yellow, green, or white) or possibly multicolored including burgundy and red. That sometimes colorful, solitary spathe: a showy modified bract that can be somewhat leathery in texture. There are no flowers on the spathe as is sometimes thought. The flowers are found solely on the spadix. The spathe can vary in color from pale green to white, rose, orange or shiny red (such as A. andrenaum). The color changes between the bud stage and the anthesis, (the time the flower expands). Thus the color might change from pale green to reddish purple to reddish brown.

The flowers are hermaphrodite, containing male and female flowers. The fruits are usually berries with one to multiple seeds on an infructescence that may be pendant or erect depending on species.

The flowers of Anthurium give off a variety of fragrances, each attracting a variety of specific pollinators.

Several species are popular in the florist trade as pot plants or cut flowers and for interior decoration. They include forms such as A. crystallinum f peltifolium with its large, velvety, darkgreen leaves and silvery white venation. Most hybrids are based on A. andreanum or A. scherzerianum because of their colorful spathes.

Source:

wikipedia

Hibiscus

Hibiscus is perhaps the best known tropical shrub and flower in the world. The form of the flower is known everywhere and there are hundreds of hybrids to enjoy in every color imaginable

Source:

http://mgonline.com

Bougainvillea

The bougainvillea, originating from Brazil, adorns and decorates the finest residences as well as the more modest huts and cottages. At times, its bouquet of corollas, which are gifted with soft petals similar to thin crispy paper, harmoniously blends pink and fuchsia or violet and indigo, combines orange and red, or adopts a slight yellow color with spotless white strokes here and there.

Source:

http://www.mysterra.org