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Cactus
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These huge cacti sprouted several buds on one
occasion and I watched them bloom day by day. They grew in front of a house
in the neighbourhood. One morning, I saw the owner coming out of the house
and asked permission to photograph these flowers. I relished every moment
of that opportunity to record the flowers at the peak of their freshness.
They may live only a few days but what a life.
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Calliandra
emarginata
(Powderpuff)
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Family: Leguminosae/Mimosaceae
Origin: Tropical America
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The fruits of these flowers remind me of raspberries
that were plucked off the bush next to a golf course in England. Never tasted anything
like that because it was free from pesticides and was simply yummy. The
powderpuff reference in the name is obvious and needs no explanation.
Reminds me of my kids when they were babies because I used to powder them
with Johnson Baby Powder each time after I bathe them. I can still recall
that feeling of babies smelling fresh and clean. Hmmmmm :-)
Place: West Coast Park
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Carphalea kirondron
(Flaming Beauty)
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Family: Rubiaceae
Origin: Madagascar
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I came across this flower in the Singapore Botanical Gardens and was
attracted to it because it is rather unique in that it has a single white flower
amongst the red ones in every individual cluster.
Place: Singapore Botanic Garden 2006
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Cocoloba uvifera
(Sea Grape)
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Family: Polygonaceae
Origin: Tropical and sub-tropical America
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One Sunday, we went to a park with the kids to
enjoy the sea breeze and the sun setting on the horizon There were several
Sea Grape trees in the later part of the flowering stage. The flowers were
tiny and really pretty to look at.
When the sea grapes form, they look like this.
Place: Labrador Park
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Coffea Liberica
(Liberian Coffee)
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Family: Rubiaceae (Madder Family).
Origin: Tropical Africa
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This is the first time I have seen a coffee plant and the flowers are
certainly a refreshing sight.
Place: Singapore
Botanical Garden
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Cordyline fruticosa
(Firebrand)
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Family: Agavaceae
Origin:Papua
New Guinea
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This is a decorative shrub that provides colour to parks and gardens
with its unusual red leaves. When I first saw this plant, I never thought
that it was a flowering plant. I was pleasantly surprised when I came
across these flowers.
Place: Small park in my neighbourhood.
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Couroupita
guianensis
(Cannon ball tree)
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Family: Lecythidaceae
Origin: South America
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The first time I set eyes on this tree was in the Singapore Botanic
Gardens many years ago. At that time the single row of about 4 - 5 trees
were already very tall with the potential to reach 35 meters. What caught
my attention then were the strange looking flowers and the fruits that were
like cannonballs waiting to be plucked for a battle. The flowers to some
extent resemble sea anemones and have a kind of fragrance that made me
wonder if one day we might have a perfume made from its crushed petals. The
fruits take a year to ripen and it must be really hard for the tree to carry
such weighty fruits for such a long duration. This tree can be found also
in our parks and I have seen them in West Coast
Park, East Coast Park,
as well as lining one part of the Pan Island Expressway. I've always been
fascinated by the flowers and have taken many pictures of them. This tree
is a native of South America and is common
in the tropics.
More on this website:
http://www.flowersinsingapore.com/cannon1.htm
Place: Singapore
Botanical Garden
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Curcuma Longa
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Family Name: Zingiberacceae
Common Name: Tumeric, Indian saffron
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This flower belongs to a plant of the
ginger family. We refer to it as yellow ginger that is used for spicing up our
dishes. It is a herb and in powder form, it is used as an ingredient in
Thai cooking and provides the colouring for curry and satay. The extract
from crushed rhizomes are used for various treatments of injury and some
kinds of illness.
More photos>>>
Place: Singapore
Botanical Garden
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