FFF486 - FATSIA

Fatsia japonica, also glossy-leaf paper plant, fatsi, paperplant, false castor oil plant, or Japanese aralia, is a species of flowering plant in the family Araliaceae, native to southern Japan and southern Korea.

It is an evergreen shrub growing to  1–5 m tall, with stout, sparsely branched stems. The leaves are spirally-arranged, large, 20–40 cm in width and on a petiole up to 50 cm long, leathery, palmately lobed, with 7–9 broad lobes, divided to half or two-thirds of the way to the base of the leaf; the lobes are edged with coarse, blunt teeth. The flowers are small, white, borne in dense terminal compound umbels in late autumn or early winter, followed by small black fruit in spring.

It is commonly grown as an ornamental plant in warm temperate regions where winters do not fall below about −15 °C. F. japonica thrives in semi-shade to full-shade and is winter hardy in USDA Zones 8–10.  It can be grown as an indoor plant and has been shown to effectively remove gaseous formaldehyde from indoor air. This plant and its cultivar F. japonica 'Variegata' have gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.

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FFF485 - BOLIVIAN FUCHSIA

Fuchsia boliviana is a species of Fuchsia in the family Onagraceae, native to southern Peru, Bolivia and northern Argentina.

It is a medium evergreen shrub, growing to 2–4 m tall, rarely to 6 m, with a spreading, open habit. It has large, hairy mid-green leaves and red petioles. It has large drooping corymbs up to 20 cm long borne in late summer and autumn of scarlet red flowers with the individual flowers 3–7 cm long. A white-flowering form exists named 'Alba', with a white tube and scarlet petals. After flowering it bears small red-purple, edible fruit 10–26 mm long.

Fuchsia boliviana is widely grown in shade or part-shade in cooler, subtropical climates. Plants require protection from direct sun and temperatures exceeding 40°C. The plants are hardy to about -4°C for short periods. Propagation is by seed or cuttings.

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FFF484 - NERINE

Nerine sarniensis, commonly known as Guernsey lily or Jersey lily, is a species of flowering plant in the family Amaryllidaceae. It is the type species of the Nerine genus. It is widely cultivated in the temperate world and is particularly associated with the island of Guernsey, as reflected in both its Latin and common names (sarniensis means "from Guernsey"), though it does not originate there, nor is it a true lily (it is more closely related to Amaryllis and Sternbergia).

It is native to the Northern and Western Cape Provinces of South Africa, though it is now naturalised in France, Madeira and the Azores. Nerine sarniensis is a bulbous perennial growing to 45 cm (18 in) tall by 8 cm (3 in) wide, with strap-shaped leaves and umbels of scarlet, lily-like flowers with conspicuous stamens tipped with purple anthers, in late summer and early autumn. In cultivation N. sarniensis requires winter protection in colder areas. Nerine lily is known among florists as one of the longest lasting cut flowers.

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FFF483 - POMPON DAHLIA

Dahlia is a genus of bushy, tuberous, herbaceous perennial plants native to Mexico and Central America. A member of the  Asteraceae family of dicotyledonous plants, its garden relatives thus include the sunflower, daisy, chrysanthemum, and zinnia. There are 42 species of dahlia, with hybrids commonly grown as garden plants. Flower forms are variable, with one head per stem; these can be as small as 5 cm (2 in) diameter or up to 30 cm (1 ft) ("dinner plate"). This great variety results from dahlias being octaploids—that is, they have eight sets of homologous chromosomes, whereas most plants have only two. In addition, dahlias also contain many transposons—genetic pieces that move from place to place upon an allele—which contributes to their manifesting such great diversity.

The stems are leafy, ranging in height from as low as 30 cm (12 in) to more than 1.8–2.4 m (6–8 ft). The majority of species do not produce scented flowers. Like most plants that do not attract pollinating insects through scent, they are brightly coloured, displaying most hues, with the exception of blue. The dahlia was declared the national flower of Mexico in 1963. The tubers were grown as a food crop by the Aztecs, but this use largely died out after the Spanish Conquest. Attempts to introduce the tubers as a food crop in Europe were unsuccessful.

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