This is an unusual Jacaranda obtusifolia ssp. rhombifolia with purple flowers. Now I have it planted at the Fruits and Flowers garden too. Hopefully, this hot weather would always trigger the onset of its flowering.
The second is a plant I have never seen before. It qualifies as a first for me. Known as Samyda pubescens (Family: Flacourtiaceace), it has interesting pink flowers that bloom along the topside of the branches. The leaves are velvety giving it the specific epithet "pubescens".
The final two species are the dwarf Arundina graminifolia and the Clerodendron calamitosum which were flowering so prettily recently. What a wonderful day!
Unlike the Melastomataceae plants, these are plants from the Bignoniaceae Family. They are Thunbergia erecta, Radermachera "Kunming" and Jacaranda obtusifolia and some of the typical characteristics are:
- opposite leaves
- trumpet-shaped flower with a fused corolla
- zygomorphic (bilateral symmetry) flower 2+3
- 2 or 4 stamens
- winged seed
- estipulate
These are plants in the Colonial Garden.
The first is the 2 m tall variegated Pachira glabra planted near a walkway. It is not a tree to be missed.
Amongst the numerous fragrant Jasminium shrubs from the same family as the olive plant, this J. nitidum (Common Name: Angel Wing Jasmine, Star Jasmine; Family: Oleaceae) is one of my favourites although I hardly plant them because of its infrequent flowering. But when it does flower, the pinkish-purple floral buds of this night blooming plant open up to reveal white flowers that emit a strong fragrance into the air.
Finally, there is also the very rare white-flower Jacaranda mimosifolia which I hope will grow into an impressive tree for this part of the garden.
It was National Day and the first plant that excited me that afternoon was the Jacaranda cultivar. Then I found the Posoqueria longiflora was sending out its arrows of white flowers.
At 6:45 pm, it was the air force's copters' and fighter planes' fly pass with the Singapore flag.
Over at the bund, the Lantana montevidensis was making a wave with its abundant purple flowers and it complemented excellently with the purple flower Leucophyllum frutescens.
The brilliantly coloured bracket fungus was still growing on the tree trunk and I wondered how it would taste like when fried.
