macroflower: Flat Succulent

I am the proud owner of this unusual succulent. It has red edges and is bigger than the size of my palm. It has fleshy, paddle-like leaves that resemble the shape of a clamshell as though I am closing my palms together.

Sorry I can't tell you the name, Do you know? I googled the images, but can't see any like this, It might be a flapjack but it is definitely not a rosette.

*****Thanks very much Drought Smart Plants said...http://www.drought-smart-plants.com/

That is Kalanchoe thyrsiflora - I have it on my wish list for sure. What a great plant in mixed planters with Echeveria and other succulents.

If any of my friends go to Canada, and when I can propagate them and get lots of babies, I will get them to take them to you.*****



I have joined this meme for a while now, and I am loving it. First I love flowers. Second, the badge for this meme is the North Borneo Orchid. My Dad's favourite flower. It gives me warm fuzzy feeling every time I see this flower.

Join Macro Flowers Saturday, a photo meme for macro photos and close-ups of flowers, garden flowers, wildflowers, blossoms, flowers with insects and butterflies (no insects without flowers), flowers with raindrops and whatever beautiful plants, plant seeds or berries you have, in close-up.

First time visitors, please read the rules. They are simple but I do ask that you, please, use a MFS badge or link back to MFS in some way. Thank you.

Macro Flower Saturday

Pitcher plants and world's small frog

Pitcher plants where they found the small frogs. Some pitcher plants are illegal to take out from Sarawak, and people have been caught to smuggle them out. The natives call them monkey cups. These pitcher plants are found in the Winter Gardens of Auckland Domain.




courtesy: NZ Herald
I am excited, in the land of my birth, they found one of the world's smallest frogs. I was born and grew up in Borneo. I lived there until I was twenty when i went to Canada. I still have strong affinity with Borneo, and I visited last July.

One of the world's tiniest frogs - barely larger than a pea - has been found living in and around carnivorous plants on Borneo island, one of the scientists who made the accidental discovery said today.

Indraneil Das, a scientist at University Malaysia Sarawak, said he and another scientist from Germany were doing field research on frogs in Malaysia's Sarawak state on Borneo island when they chanced on the tiny species on the edge of a road leading to the summit of a mountain in the Kubah National Park in 2006.

"For biologists, this is a curiosity," Das told The Associated Press.

The frogs were named Microhyla nepenthicola after the pitcher plant species where they live, Das said. A Malaysian museum had listed the species but misidentified it as juveniles of another frog species, he said.

The tubular plants are carnivorous, killing insects such as ants, but do not harm the frogs. Tadpoles grow in the liquid inside the plants.

Adult males of the amphibians range in size between 10.6 millimetres to 12.8 millimetres, Das said.

Ruby Red Plant :Sessile Joyweed

This red plant I saw at the Auckland Domain looks like the medicinal plant HUNG TIEN WOO. This herb is grown in Singapore and Malaysia. Because off its burgundy red color which looks like blood, the Chinese practitioners believe that it is good to detoxify our body, cleanse our blood, relieve high blood sugar and cholesterol.

My friend told me and recommended that I try it. As I am open to anything that could be good, I went to the local wet market and bought a couple of bundles and brewed it with Chinese sugar dates. I was the only one in the family daring enough to drink it.

I asked my Sister Rose, and my sis in law. They both plant them this herb in their garden.
The native Malaysians call it DAUN KURMA MERAH and they eat them as a vegetable as well as using it as a herb.

***Please note: I said It LOOKS like, I am not 100 % sure this plant I photographed in New Zealand is the same plant I bought in Singapore.****

http://workofthepoet.blogspot.com

Asparagus

My Sister Rose and Brother Joseph grow asparagus. They are delicious and packed with nutrients.

I love it sauteed by itself. But you do anything with it.

It is a good plant to grow, after the initial two years wait, you are good for many years provided you feed with with compost. You harvest the spears until early summer. Try to resist the temptation of harvesting the rest. You let them grow leaves or next year's crop will be poor.

Saga seeds,

Adenanthera pavonina Family : Leguminosae Common name : Coral Tree, Red Sandalwood, These little red seeds have heart shapes, so here they are for you, Cheryl.

We call them love seeds, and in Chinese, it is Hsaing Si Dou or lovesick bean. Children collect them and they look very pretty in a glass jar.

Among teenagers, if a boy gives you a saga seed, it means he loves you. If you don't want to reciprocate, you better not accept it. Alas for me, nobody had ever given me any, so I make my kids help me pick them.

If you are wondering where I found them, they were at Sentosa Islands, and also near to the hippos area of the Singapore Zoo.

They grow in pods, and disperse the seeds and leave behind this dry pod.

If you still can't find them, head to Terminal three of the Changi airport. They have a giant seed there. When I was in Singapore, the Singapore Science centre was asking visitors to donate seeds. I think they were aiming to collect one million seeds.

The Singapore Science Centre has probably the largest collection of saga seed in the world. It is displayed as an exhibit in the MATHEMAGIC Exhibition. The aim of this particular exhibit is to illustrate the magnitude of "one million" to the visitors. To date, some 300,000 saga seeds had been collected. More seeds are needed to fill the container. Help from the public is required to complete the collection of 1,00,000 saga seeds. Please sent your collection of saga seeds (irrespective of large or small number) to:

Officer-in-Charge
Saga Seeds Collection
Singapore Science Centre
Science Centre Road
Singapore 609081

cacti flower

My daughter's little cacti plant has a lovely flower. The cacti is the size of a hen's egg, and the flower is less than 1/3 inch in diameter.

Tulip you don't normally see

I like tulips when they are in their buds. That's how posters, and photos depict tulips to be. But sadly, they expire and lose their youth and beauty.

That is why a person must not have beauty that is skin deep. I taught my students, that a person can be beautiful inside though they don't look beautiful outside. My kids assured me that I am both. LOL

Yucca

I was in the Gold Coast of Australia in my sister Helen's house when I saw these majestic plants. On the way to Sam's Karate class, I see this yucca tree in some one's front yard. I see it's progression from a tall rod to eventually flowers. It was about ten feet tall as it was higher than the house.

I was in awe because it was strong and didn't need anything wire or stake to hold it up. I couldn't photograph the whole plant as I was sneaking around and stopping my car at a no parking zone.

Spring flowers in New Zealand

What I like Auckland is there are always flowers no matter what season it is. I capture this in Western Springs park.

Bauhinia kockiana

Doesn't this flower look like a wreath that you like to hang on your door at Christmas time?

My parents grew this tropical vine like you would grow the wisteria. They had the vine from the downstairs garden, and trained it to climb upstairs and twirl on the balustrade. Besides having beautiful orangy-red flowers, the luscious leaves made the balcony very cool for us.

It is also called the Red Trailing Bauhinia and is often also called the "Orchid Tree". They bloom through out the year. It loves full sun, moderate watering and the occasional fertilizing.

Feijoas

http://annkschin.blogspot.com/2008/11/feijoa.html

This is the season of the feijoas in New Zealand. On the outer side, it looks like the guava, but is an oval shape like an egg. If the grower fertilizes the plant, the feijoa can be 4 inches long.

You can make jam, wine and pickle. I just like it as a fresh fruit.

The feijoa tree makes a good hedge. Some people don't eat them and let them drop and rot to the ground. My friend picks them up and shares it with his friends and me. Paki Paki for not wasting.

Organic Vegetables: Choko tendrils and leaves.

I have a choko vine in my garden. My sister Rose came and harvested the young tendrils and leaves. A quick stir fry in garlic oil, and you have a plate of organic vegetable.

http://ann-mythoughtsandphotos.blogspot.com/2009/12/photo-hunt-curve.html

http://annkschin.blogspot.com/2008/11/memories-of-mum-and-gardening.html

For more interesting stories of the choko, click this link:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chayote

You will be able to buy them in Thai markets. Choko plants grow by them self, there is no need for fertilizer or pesticides. You can harvest the fruit. This is indeed the dream plant for people who are conscious about the sprays that farmers use.

Water guava: Jambu Madu: Thai Rose apple

In Borneo, we called this kind of guava, water guava or Jambu Madu. It is very sweet and juicy. My parents had a couple of trees and we used to have buckets of the fruits. Some times we dipped it in salt or the sour plum powder.

These two photos were taken in my Uncle Albert's garden in Miri. If you see carefully at the green guava photo, you can see the red ants. I was stung badly while I was photographing the fruits. Apparently the ants had a function, they pollinate the flowers. Without them, there will be no fruits.

About ten years ago, Singapore started to import the Thai rose apple (chompoo). There are several varieties of rose apples, with the most common in Thailand having a light green green skin. They were very expensive and grace the fruit baskets in hotels.

I lamented the times when I didn't appreciate the buckets and buckets of fruits we had from our trees. To be honest, I had so much of them as a kid that I don't really fancy them. I bought some Thai ones for nostalgic reasons. Just as well my kids and the water engineer didn't like them.