King's Mantle

 King's Mantle, Bush Clockvine, Thunbergia erecta

A West African native, King's Mantle is a herbaceous perennial climber that grows as dense shrubs.  It can grow up to 6 feet, prefers moist soil but can tolerate some drought, and it does better at partial shade.  This is one of the flowers at my aunt's garden in Antique.

The voice of beauty speaks softly; it creeps only into the most awakened souls. ~ Friedrich Nietzsche

Linking to Floral Friday Fotos

Today's Flowers

Cimarron Dwarf Sage

 Leucophyllum zygophyllum, Blue Ranger, Cimarron Dwarf Sage, Silverleaf

This shrub grows across the street from my apartment, and it's my dog's favorite hangout.  Fritz loves the patch of grass beside this shrub, he comes back here everyday to pee.:p   I have been asking my neighbors what this shrub is called but no one seems to know.  The couple living in the apartment unit where this shrub is, told me it's been there since they moved in almost 10 years ago, and they never paid attention to the plant.  Since my dog pees here regularly, it's my mom who waters the shrub and the surrounding area.   I love the tiny lavender buds and violet flowers, and the silvery/gray, fuzzy foliage looks like it's frosted with snow.  I searched on line and found the name---Cimarron Dwarf Sage.

Leucophyllum is a genus of evergreen shrubs in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae, native to the Sonoran and Chihuahuan Deserts of Arizona and northern Mexico. It is sometimes placed in the family Myoparaceae.   The dozen-odd species are often called "sages", although they have no relationship to the genus Salvia.  The solitary axillary flowers are bell- or funnel-shaped, with five lobes and two lips, and colors ranging from white to magenta to purple. The generic name is derived from the Greek words λευκός (leukos), meaning "white," and φυλλον (phyllos), meaning "leaf", referring to the trichome-covered foliage. These shrubs are found in sandy soils and have a high salt tolerance.  They have become popular for edge and area plantings in warmer areas and in xeriscaping;  they require minimal water, are easily shaped into hedges, and bloom over their entire surface. (Source:  Wiki)

Leucophyllum shrubs are legendary for their ability to "forecast" rain, usually blooming several days prior to a rainstorm, apparently in response to humidity. They are sometimes called "barometer bush" for this reason. It is believed to be a survival trait in the plants' semi-desert habitats.  They bloom intermittently throughout the summer.

Took these photos in a span of 3 days--from buds until the flowers bloomed.  The flowers are not fragrant but bees love them---bees were all over  I almost got stung.  The shrub is quite a looker when the flowers are in full bloom.  From the tip of every branch, a cluster of tiny vibrant violet flowers dance with the cool February breezes.

Love is, above all, the gift of oneself. ~ Jean Anouilh

Only in love are unity and duality not in conflict.  

~ Rabindranath Tagore

If grass can grow through cement, love can find you at every time in your life. ~ Cher

We don't believe in rheumatism and true love until after the first attack. ~ Marie Ebner Von Eschenbach

An old man [woman] in love is like a flower in winter.

Linking to Floral Friday Fotos and Today's Flowers

Sweet Basil

 Sweet Basil, Balanoy/Solasi, Kalu-ui, Ocimum basilicum, Albahaca, Hung que

I have this habit of pinching leaves and smelling them when I pass by a plant.  I was walking my dog on Christmas weekend and I pinched a leaf of this flower---and was delighted at the familiar aroma.  It brought back memories of my grandmother, of childhood.  I presented a leaf to my brother and asked him if he remembers the scent.  Of course, he said, this is kalu-ui!   Our grandmother called this plant "kalu-ui" and she made us drink a decoction of this herb when we had a cough.  I didn't know kalu-ui was the same sweet basil I buy from the supermarket for my pesto sauce and a relative of the Thai basil I love in Vietnamese pho.  

Ocimum belongs to the family Lamiaceae with about 60-150 species of aromatic annual and perennial herbs and shrubs.  It ranks high in herbs with medicinal use.  These plants, as well as oils from them, have received lots of attention for their potential medicinal properties. Bolanoy and Solasi are shared common names of the two common varieties of Ocimum in the Philippines---Ocimum basilicum and Ocimum sanctum.  Of these plants, O. basilicum is the most widely used.   It is used in food, cosmetics, liqueurs, medicines, and perfumes.  O. sanctum is not used in cooking.

More about sweet basil here.

Basil is a native of Africa and Asia. Tradition has it that basil was found growing around Christ's tomb after the Resurrection, and consequently, some Greek Orthodox churches use it to prepare holy water and pots of basil are set below church altars. In India, basil was believed to be imbued with a divine essence, and oaths were sworn upon it in courts. A number of varieties exist today, ranging from a tiny-leafed Greek basil to robust 2-foot-high plants with large succulent leaves. Some varieties have deep purple leaves. While flowers are typically small and whitish, some can be pink to brilliant magenta. Leaves can be dried for later use. Basil is extremely frost sensitive.  Source

The sense of smell can be extraordinarily evocative, bringing back pictures as sharp as photographs of scenes that had left the conscious mind.

 

Linking to Floral Friday Fotos and Today's Flowers

Purple Aster

Aster (Diplopappus Cass.) is a genus of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae.  The name Aster comes from the ancient Greek word "aster", meaning "star", referring to the shape of the flower head.  Found these flowers in the shady part of my aunt's garden.

Live simply.  Deepest joy is like a flower...beautiful in essence.

~ Tony Samara

Linking to Floral Friday Foto and Today's Flowers

@ mirandablue

Purple Kamantigue

Kamantigue, Impatiens balsamina, Balsam

Clusters of purple Kamantigue after the rain.

Impatiens is a genus of about 850-1,000 species of flowering plants of the Balsaminaceae family; a native of India and now cultivated in all warm countries.  It is propagated through seeds.  Roots, stems, flowers and seeds are used in folk medicine.

• In the Philippines, pounded leaves used as poultice to dissolve whitlow
• In Malaysia, leaves used for poulticing broken and torn nails
• In China, powdered seeds are prescribed for difficult labor
• Flowers used for snake bites, lumbago and intercostal neuralgia
• For contusion, painful inflammation, joint paints, carbuncles, dysmenorrhea: use dried flowers, or boil the entire plant and drink
• Seed is an expectorant, used for cancer treatments
• For external use on any bruise or painful area, crush fresh plant and poultice the affected parts of the body
• Leaf juice used for treatment of warts
• Root and leaves used for various foreign bodies---coins or other metals inadvertently swallowed, as well as thorns or fish splinters
• In the US, the most common use of jewelweed is to treat poison ivy rashes

Our bodies are our gardens---our wills are our gardeners. ~ William Shakespeare

Linking to Floral Friday Fotos and Today's Flowers

Morning Glory

Morning Glory, Bindweed, Ipomoea, Calystegia, Argyreia nervosa

Morning Glory is a common name for over 1,000 species of flowering plants in the family Convolvulaceae.   Found this perennial climbing vine growing wildly at the beaches of Batangas.  Most Morning Glory flowers unravel into full bloom in the early morning.  The flowers usually start to fade a few hours before the petals start showing visible curling.  They prefer full sun exposure  throughout the day in an environment with well-balanced supply of  moisture.

Morning Glory was first known in China for its medicinal uses, due to the laxative properties of its seeds.  Ancient Mesoamerican civilizations used the morning glory species Ipomoea alba to convert the latex from the Castilla elastica tree  and also the guayule plant to produce bouncing rubber balls.  The sulfur in morning glory's juice served to vulcanize the rubber, a process predating Charles Goodyear's discovery by at least 3,000 years.  Aztec priests in Mexico were also known to use the plants hallucinogenic properties.  The seeds of morning glory can produce a similar effect to LSD when taken in large doses.

 

Linking to Floral Friday Fotos and Today's Flower

Asystasia

@ mirandablue

Asystasia intrusa, Asystasia gangetica Linn., Purple Primrose, Zamboangenita

Found this small, branching herb at a village in Laguna.  We considered this as a weed when I was growing up but now it is cultivated as an ornamental plant.  This plant is used in folk medicine---leaves and flowers are used as intestinal astringent; in Africa, infusion of Asystasia is used to ease the pain during childbirth, asthma is treated with leaves and sap is applied to swellings and rheumatism.  It is also edible is some countries.  Source

@ mirandablue

Oh, the powers of nature!  She knows what we need, and the doctors know nothing. ~ Benvenuto Cellini

Linking to Macro Flower Saturday and Today's Flowers

Duranta repens

Golden Dewdrop, Pigeon berry, Duranta repens

A large erect shrub growing to a height of 1-3 meters, with straggling and drooping branches.  Flowers have a mild sweet vanilla-like scent, fruit is a cluster of  bright orange-yellow berries, fleshy, and slightly poisonous.  Cultivated as an ornamental, usually as hedge or fence screen.

The flowers take the tears of weeping night, and give them to the sun for the day's delight.

~ Joseph Cotter

Flowers from around the world at Macro Flower Saturday and Today's Flowers

Athens Blue Princess Flower

For what is to die but to stand naked in the wind and to melt into the sun?  And what it is to cease breathing, but to free the breath from its restless tides, that it may rise and expand and seek God unencumbered?

~ Kahlil Gibran, On Death

Remembering my father on his 32nd death anniversary.

Tibouchina urvilleana, also called Athens Blue Princess Flower, Glory flower, a South American native, was blooming generously at The Ruins.

Join us at Macro Flower Saturday and Today's Flowers

Water Hyacinth

@ mirandablue
Eichhornia crassipes, Water hyacinth

Water Hyacinth is an aquatic plant and is often considered a highly problematic invasive species.  Flooding in parts of Mindanao has been attributed to the piling up of huge volumes of water hyacinths at a portion of the Rio Grande de Mindanao, blocking the flow of the river.  Water hyacinth threatens the survival of other aquatic species because it blocks the sunlight's penetration into the water.  They clog water-ways, making boating, fishing and almost all other water activities impossible. 

But innovators have discovered the economic possibilities of this free-floating perennial.  Small-scale cottage industries are utilizing water hyacinth in paper-making, the fiber from the stem can be made into rope, dried stalks are also woven into baskets, placemats, area rugs, furniture, even shoes and handbags.  It can be used to aid the process of water purification because the roots naturally absorb pollutants; can also be used as an animal fodder and feed for fish, and it is ideal for composting.  The stalks, according to DOST's Textile Research Institute, are a viable natural source of alternative textile material.  I have seen cushions and home textiles made from water hyacinth fiber.  It is also an excellent source of biomass.

It looks like this serious pest turns out to be a profitable crop after all.

@ mirandablue

My contribution to Macro Flowers Saturday and Today's Flowers