1-22-2014
Ixora is a genus of flowering plants in the Rubiaceae family. It consists of tropical evergreen
trees and shrubs and holds around 500 species. Though
native to the tropical and subtropical areas throughout the world, its centre
of diversity is in Tropical Asia. Ixora also grows commonly in subtropical
climates in the United States, such as Florida. It is commonly known as West Indian Jasmine. Other
common names include: rangan, kheme, ponna, chann tanea, techi, pan, santan, jarum-jarum, Jungle flame, Jungle geranium, and many more.
The plants possess leathery leaves, ranging from 3 to 6 inches in length,
and produce large clusters of tiny flowers in
the summer. Members of Ixora prefer acidic soil, and are suitable choices for bonsai. It is also a popular choice for hedges in parts of
South East Asia, like in Thailand. In tropical climates they flower year round.
Red
ixora flowers are commonly used in Hindu worship, as well as in Indian folk medicine.
-- Excerpt taken from Wikipedia
In
Trinidad the Ixora or Xzora, as we like to say, comes in an assortment of
colors. The most popular color however,
is red. This flower brings back
childhood memories for me as my mother had several rounded shrubs that she up
kept in front of our home in Clifton hill.
As an inquisitive child, I can attest to the sweetness of the nectar as
I am guilty of pulling the middle and smaller stem like pieces out and blowing
and sucking on it. My current next door
neighbor here in San Fernando has a shrub which has grown out of proportion and
some of the flowers hang over on my side of the fence. I profess that as an adult I have absolutely
no inclination to place these flowers or any part thereof in my mouth. I wanted to experiment with a couple of
things today, so I picked a small bunch of the flowers. My poor husband was holding diffused lights
and submerged flowers, but he was a very good assistant. When he took the day off from work to go to
the doctor, little did he know that his rest time would be spent assisting his
wife in her experiments. These flowers are tiny, approximately half the size of a shortly cut finger nail of a pinky finger. Here is
one said flower, up close and personal.
©
2013, Odette M. Lawrence and NorDean Canvas. All rights reserved. The use
and/or duplication of this material without the express and written permission
of this blog’s author and/or owner are unauthorized and strictly
prohibited.
No comments:
Post a Comment