EUPHORBIA COTINIFOLIA

Known by the Common Name Red Spurge, Mexican Shrubby Spurge, Carribean Copper Plant, this is one interesting small tree with maroon leaves and small cream flowers.

copper leaves and cream flowers

the flowers look petal-less

CALABASH & AXONOPUS

Crescentia cujete

There are two species of Crescentia in the Supertree Grove - the C. cujete (Common Name: Calabash Tree) and the unusual C. alata (Common Name: Mexican Calabash Tree) with strikingly shaped and coloured flowers typical of the Bignoniaceae Family.

the variegated Axonopus that is spreading

floor littered with beautiful blooms from C. alata

close-up of the C. alata flowers

PSEUDOGYNOXYS CHENOPODIOIDES

One of my favourite climbers in recent years, this Mexican Flame Vine is suffering from the hot and dry effects of the recent weather. But as long as it manages to survive this, I'm sure it would flourish even better with time. This is one climber I would love to highlight to my colleagues. 

PSEUDOGYNOXYS CHENOPODIODES

Since my HortPark days, I have not seen this vibrant Mexican Flame Vine that remains to be one of my favourite climbers. I am definitely very glad that I now have them growing on the trellises at a prominent place of the garden. In time to come, I am certain they would be stunning to greet the visitors of the garden.

TITHONIA DIVERSIFOLIA

This is the closer view of the flowers of the Tithonia diversifolia. The Giant Mexican Sunflower is a perennial, and not an annual, so it would continue to grow and flower without dying within a matter of months.

PSEUDOGYNOXYS CHENOPODIOIDES

I cannot remember when I first saw this plant but its unusual but striking orange-red flowers never fail to grab my attention. However, the current botanical name is really a mouthful and always stumps the layman. It was previously known as Senecio confusus, which was a much simpler name by comparison.

But the easiest name may be its common name Mexican Flame Vine, which I suppose gives an idea of its origin.

The newly bloom inflorescence starts out orange but turns red as it ages. The small true flowers or florets (both sterile and fertile) surrounded by a ring of elongated petals are typical of the daisy-like flowers from the Asteraceae family (formerly Compositae). The toothed leaves are dark purple-red when young and turn green when mature.

I have a cutting of this at home that grew to about 1.5 m but it has yet to flower for me after almost a year! It just kept sprouting more and more leaves which I have to keep pruning back. I am thinking of how to stress it to flower. Hopefully I succeed soon. Otherwise, I would have to give it up for something else.