FFF399 - ERYTHRINA

Erythrina is a genus of flowering plants in the pea family, Fabaceae. It contains about 130 species, which are distributed in tropical and subtropical regions worldwide. They are trees, growing up to 30 m in height. The generic name is derived from the Greek word ερυθρóς (erythros), meaning "red," referring to the flower colour of certain species. Particularly in horticulture, the name coral tree is used as a collective term for these plants. "Flame trees" is another vernacular name, but may refer to a number of unrelated plants as well.

Many species of Erythrina have bright red flowers, and this may be the origin of the common name. However, the growth of the branches can resemble the shape of sea coral rather than the colour of Corallium rubrum specifically, and this is an alternative source for the name. Other popular names, usually local and particular to distinct species, liken the flowers' red hues to those of a male chicken's wattles, and/or the flower shape to its leg spurs. Commonly seen Spanish names for any local species are bucaré, frejolillo or porotillo, and in Afrikaans some are called kaffirboom. Mullumurikku is a widespread name in Kerala.

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

If you link your post here, please show a link back to this site on your blog post...

Add your own link to the Linky list below and say hello in a comment. Please visit other participants in the meme. Thank you for your loyalty and perseverance in linking up, it is appreciated!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

FFF398 - CRASSULA

Crassula perfoliata, also known as Crassula falcata, is given the common names 'airplane plant' and 'propeller plant' (because of the fanciful resemblance of the leaves to propellers). It is a succulent plant endemic to South Africa, from the Cape of Good Hope. The foliage is gray-green with striking texture, on plants that grow to 0.61 m tall. The flowers are tiny and scarlet red, that rise in dense clusters above the foliage for a month in summer.

This is a choice plant for use in drought tolerant and succulent gardens, and in container gardens. This plant flowers during summer (November to February in the Southern Hemisphere). Plants are pollinated by butterflies and the seeds are dispersed by the wind. The plants grow on outcrops and ledges in full sun. Plants are initially solitary but may sometimes have up to three heads later. During wet conditions the leaves become very turgid and during dry spells they become flattened and tinged reddish.

This plant grows easily and is best planted on rockeries in full sunlight. It would be excellent for dry thicket gardens. In regions where frost is experienced, it is best grown in containers in a greenhouse, or on windowsills under controlled conditions. Propagation is easily effected by division, leaf cuttings or seed. Seed germinates within 3 weeks and plants should flower in the fourth year. Leaf cuttings can be made during spring or summer and rooted in clean sand. They must be kept moist. Sulphur should be applied as a fungicide to wounds.

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

If you link your post here, please show a link back to this site on your blog post...

Add your own link to the Linky list below and say hello in a comment. Please visit other participants in the meme. Thank you for your loyalty and perseverance in linking up, it is appreciated!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

FFF397 - FRIAR'S COWL

Arisarum vulgare, common name Cobra Plant, Friar's Cowl or Larus, is a herbaceous, perennial, with an underground rhizome plant in the genus Arisarum belonging to the family Araceae. Arisarum vulgare reaches on average 10–30 cm high. The leaves of this geophyte plant are basal only, wide, ovate to arrow-shaped, with a petiole 12–15 cm long. The stems are erect and unbranched, usually mottled and grow directly from the underground rhizome. 

A single leaflike bract (spathe) forms a purplish-brown or olive green striped tube about 15 cm long, with an open upper part helmet or hood-shaped curved forward. It encloses a fleshy greenish club-like spike (spadix) bent forward, protruding from the tube and bearing at the bottom minute purple violet flowers. The 20 male flowers are located above the four to six female, with sterile flowers completely missing.

The flowering period extends from Autumn to Spring. The sexes are united in the same individual plant. Pollination is granted by insects (entomophily). The fruits are greenish berries of about 1 centimetre long. This plant native to Mediterranean region of southern Europe and northern Africa, east to the Caucasus, and west to the Canary Islands, the Azores and Madeira.

Arisarum vulgare prefers grassy fields and rocky scrubland, forests and wasteland, mainly in shady and cool places and in moist soils, at an altitude of 0–800 metres above sea level. Grow this cautiously in the garden as it can become quite invasive.

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

If you link your post here, please show a link back to this site on your blog post...

Add your own link to the Linky list below and say hello in a comment. Please visit other participants in the meme. Thank you for your loyalty and perseverance in linking up, it is appreciated!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

FFF396 - MAGNOLIA

Magnolia stellata, sometimes called the star magnolia, is a slow-growing shrub or small tree native to Japan. It bears large, showy white or pink flowers in early spring, before its leaves open. This species is closely related to the Kobushi magnolia (Magnolia kobus), and is treated by many botanists as a variety or even a cultivar of that. However, Magnolia stellata was accepted as a distinct species in the 1998 monograph by D. Hunt.

We have been having a relatively mild Winter so far in Melbourne and some of the Spring flowers have tentatively appeared. If we have more cold and frosts ahead of us, no doubt the early bloomers will get a nasty shock!

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

If you link your post here, please show a link back to this site on your blog post...

Add your own link to the Linky list below and say hello in a comment. Please visit other participants in the meme. Thank you for your loyalty and perseverance in linking up, it is appreciated!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter