18 August 2010

CLAPPERTONIA FICIFOLIA

I posted about this plant recently too. I think I ended it with saying that there are 2 overlapping whorls of 4 petals where one set is narrow and long and another set is rounded.

Don't the purple flowers and yellow stamens remotely resemble another familiar plant?

When the flower is pollinated, it develops into this red spiky capsule which dries up into a brown colour and which eventually splits into 4 parts to release the ripe seeds. The spikes on the capsule may not be very sharp but it still feels slightly prickly to the hands.