The rules for posting are simple!

1. Every Friday post a photo that includes one or more flowers.
2. Please only post photos you have authority to use.
3. Include a link to this blog in your post - http://floralfridayfoto.blogspot.com/
4. Leave the link to your FloralFridayFoto post below on inlinkz.
5. Visit other blogs listed ... comment & enjoy!

When to Post:
inlinkz will be available every Thursday and will remain open until the next Wednesday.

Wednesday 1 February 2012

FFF11 - MARVEL OF PERU

Mirabilis jalapa (the four o'clock flower or marvel of Peru) is the most commonly grown ornamental species of Mirabilis, and is available in a range of colours. Mirabilis in Latin means wonderful and Jalapa is a town in Mexico. Mirabilis jalapa is said to have been exported from the Peruvian Andes in 1540. The flowers usually open from late afternoon onwards, then producing a strong, sweet-smelling fragrance, hence the first of its common names.


A curious aspect of this plant is that flowers of different colours can be found simultaneously on the same plant. Different colour variation in the flower and different colour flowers in same plant. Additionally, an individual flower can be splashed with different colours. Another interesting point is a colour-changing phenomenon. For example, in the yellow variety, as the plant matures, it can display flowers that gradually change to a dark pink color. Similarly white flowers can change to light violet. 


Please join me for Floral Friday Fotos by linking your flower photos below, and leave a comment once you have done so!






22 comments:

  1. Beautiful. Its winter in Norway - but I`ll look trough my pictures when I'm home again :0)

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  2. ...irgendwer muss ja Erste sein, diesmal ich *freu* und deine Blüte sieht ja auch toll aus, bei dem Wetter braucht es die Seele...

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  3. Very unique and interesting! I hope to see different colors on the same plant some day, Nick.

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    1. You can see a photo of the multicoloured flowers here, Annie:

      http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/55/Mirabilis-jalapa-In-Different-Colors.jpg

      Our plant just has the single coloured magenta flowers this year, but other years plants have had multicoloured flowers.

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  4. wow, lovely shot! love it!

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  5. Great shot of the beautiful flower. Interesting to hear about the color.
    Thanks for sharing.
    Have a great day :O)
    Mette

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  6. I would like to see the different color variations on one plant! Great shot!

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  7. I've been wanting to grow one of these for ages now! I'll just have to get more enthusiastic in my search I think. That's a lovely shot!

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  8. The light in this photo is amazing! I love how the sunlight seems to suffuse the flower and leaves with life!

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  9. There is a flower here also called 4 0'clock because of its habit of opening at that time, and maybe it is of the same genus. Many flowers change colors during dehiscence because of the activity of carotenoids, most often it is changed to purple at the later stages. Anthocyanins are purple, they are unmasked when other colors fade.

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  10. What gorgeous color this flower has...stunning. I also love how the sun is shinning just on the flower to show-off all it's beauty!

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  11. beautiful color so vibrant!

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  12. Beautiful flower! I also like that shade of pink!

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  13. Vibrant ~ I love the water droplets...

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  14. Gorgeous! Both flower and light are fantastic! Thank you for the tip on this meme, love it.

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  15. Your flower is from Peru, mine is from Brazil. I want to thank you for this post because I have this flower, but not posted because I don't know the name. I will join your meme.

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  16. Lovely flower and great light. I have linked up now :)

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  17. Beautiful light and colours in this photo! The dewdrops inside the flower are amazing!

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  18. Leycesteria formosa (Himalayan Honeysuckle, Flowering Nutmeg,

    Nixblog, you are spot on, I check with flicker, it looks as though some one went to the same spot as me amd photographed the flowers.

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