Showy Medinilla

 Medinilla magnifica, Rose Grape, Malaysian Orchid, Chandelier Tree

A native to the Philippines, blooming Medinillas are very pretty.  Medinilla thrives in shaded conditions and moist soil, growing lush tropical foliage and cluster after cluster of orchid-like pink blooms.  The buds are baby pink, the flowers turn to a deeper pink, then magenta and finally dark red like sweet ripe cherries.

No one wants flowers to blush unseen or waste their sweetness.  

~ Barbara Cheney

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Today's Flowers

Pink Morning Glory

The pink morning glory, Ipomoea carnea or canudo-de-pita in Brazil,  is the genus in the flowering plant family Convolvulaceae, with over 500 species.  Ipomoea carnea is a shrub, and the stem can be used in making paper.  The plant contains a component used in sedatives and anticonvulsant, it also has anticarconogenic and  oxytoxic properties.  Attractive to bees, butterflies and birds but the seeds are hazardous to cattle.  The genus grows throughout the tropical and sub-tropical regions of the world.  

It is only goodness which gives extras, and so I say again that we have much to hope from the flowers. ~ Arthur Conan Doyle

Took these photos around noon---the flowers were beginning to wilt.

Behind the 30-foot statue of the Risen Christ at the Monasterio de Tarlac.

 

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Today's Flowers

Pink Crown of Thorns

A neglected Euphorbia on the sidewalk.  

Euphorbia milii is technically a succulent and a tough plant that can take just about anything but I guess it needs some water, too.  I believe once upon a time, somebody took care of this plant because it was planted  in a nice pot.  I'd like to think this flower is being heroic, blooming for passers-by.

Happy Easter!

 

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Today's Flower

Euphorbia

E is for Euphorbia

Consisting of 2008 species, Euphorbia is one of the largest and the most diverse genera in the plant kingdom, commonly referred to as spurges.  Eurphorbias are mostly found in tropical and sub-tropical regions of Africa and the Americas, and in temperate zones worldwide.  The botanical name Euphorbia derives from Euphorbus, the Greek physician of King Juba II of  Numidia (50-52 BC - 23 AD), who married the daughter of Anthony and Cleopatra.  He wrote that one of the cactus-like Euphorbia was a powerful laxative.  "Spurge" derives from the Middle English/Old French espurge ("to purge") due to the use of the plant's sap as a purgative.

These are  Eurphorbia milii also known as Crown of Thorns, Christ plant, a species of flowering plant in the spurge family Euphorbiaciae.   Various colors and cultivars grow all over the Philippines but it is endemic to Madagascar.  It's a succulent climbing shrub with dense spiny stems and straight slender spines of about 3 cm long with poisonous milky sap.  Legend associates it with the crown of thorns worn by Christ before his crucifixion.

Euphorbia milii

Another species of Euphorbia, locally known as tawa-tawa and gatas-gatas, (Euphorbia hirta) is believed to contain significant anti-thrombocytopenic properties that may increase platelet count of patients suffering from hemorrhagic fever like dengue.  This herb grows in grasslands and road sides all over the Philippines.  When I was a kid, we treated sore eyes with the milky sap of this plant.

A study about Euphorbia hirta conducted by Pharmacy students of  the University of Santo Tomas (UST) in Manila won the 1st prize in the 2012 Philippine National Health Research System Week.

In the study, Euphorbia hirta was found to promote cell production, and prevents platelet destruction.  Further research on  the efficacy of this plant against dengue is now being fast-tracked by the government.  Dengue is a mosquito-borne viral infection that is killing hundreds of people, mostly children, every year.  There are no specific anti-viral drugs for dengue.

The popular Poinsettia, or Euphorbia pulcherrima, belongs to the diverse spurge family of Euphorbiaciae.

Euphorbias are tough plants and can take just about anything---both salt and drought-tolerant.  They're easy to grow, according to my aunt who used to cultivate all colors of Euphorbia milii.  I have been attracted to succulents and wanted to grow reds and two-tone Euphorbia milii but since I have a dog, I abandoned the idea. The thorns could be dangerous to pets and small children.

"A love that you withhold is the pain that you carry." 
~ Alex Collier

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 ABC Wednesday

Pink Turk's Cap

Malvaviscus arboreus penduliflorus Rosea, Pink Turk's Cap

I thought this was another species of Hibiscus, turned out it's not.  Turk's Cap blooms pale pink, coral and apricot twisted flowers that don't open.  This plant has bright green foliage great for lighting up shady areas.

"It is interesting that we call something good a "dream", but being called a "dreamer" is somewhat of a putdown.  Without dreamers, no dream would ever be given reality, and we would live in a very small and shallow world. 

If you are a dreamer, it's your time to announce yourself."

~ Vera Nazarian

 

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Today's Flowers 

Pink-striped Trumpet Lily

 Lirio, Pink-striped Trumpet Lily, Crinum Latifolium L.

I have posted this flower before but I left that pot to my old neighbor when I moved to this townhouse last year.  This is a new pot of Lirio given by my new neighbor who suddenly got sick and had to move in with his married son.  She left a few of her flowers with me, and these flowers remind me of her cheerful smiles.

These are the first buds of the pink-striped Lirio.

Friendship marks a life even more deeply than love.  Love risks degenerating into obsession, friendship is never anything but sharing.  ~ Elie Wiesel

It is more fun to talk with someone who doesn't use long, difficult words but rather short, easy words like "What about lunch?" ~ A.A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh

 

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Today's Flowers 

Wrinkled Pink Flowers

 A shrub with wrinkled pale pink flowers---I hope somebody can identify this plant.

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Balimbing blossoms

Balimbing blossoms

Balimbing is the local name for Star Fruit or Carambola.

In Philippine politics, Balimbing, a fruit with many sides,  is often mentioned in the same breath as a turncoat---politicians who change political alliances every election season.

To know and not to know, to be conscious of complete truthfulne­ss while telling carefully constructe­d lies, to hold simultaneo­usly two opinions which cancelled out, knowing them to be contradict­ory and believing in both of them, to use logic against logic, to repudiate morality while laying claim to it, to believe that democracy was impossible and that the Party was the guardian of democracy …. – 1984 by George Orwell

Don't tell me what you're not, or what you're against! Tell me who you are and what you stand for. ~ Mario Cortes

It is said that every people has the Government it deserves. It is more to the point that every Government has the electorate it deserves; for the orator of the front bench can edify or debauch an ignorant electorate at will. ~ George Bernard Shaw

 

 

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Flower Art Friday

Today's Flowers

Pink Dwarf Poinciana

Caesalpinia pulcherrima (thanks, Andrea, for identifying this flower), 
Dwarf Poinciana, Flame Tree

I have posted the red-orange Flame Tree here, and was delighted to see the pink variety at the park last weekend.  Red-orange, yellow and pink flowers adorned the hedges and were swaying gently with the breeze.  These vibrant blooms brightened my day!

" Everything you need is already within you.  The beauty of life is that your destiny lies always in your hands.  The time has come for you to step up and be great!" ~ Pablo Valle

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Euphorbia Milii

@ mirandablue

Euphorbia Milii, also known as Crown of Thorns, is a woody, spiny, climbing succulent shrub with shoots reaching the height of 6 feet.  The common name alludes to the legend that the Euphorbia Milii worn by Christ at the time of his crucifixion was made from the stems of this plant.  Interestingly, the stems of this plant are pliable and can be intertwined into a circle.  There exists substantial evidence that the species, native to Madagascar, had been brought to the Middle East before the time of Christ.

The Euphorbia Milii is a member of the family Euphorbiaceae (Spurge Family).  It is a large family, including such plants as Poinsettia, Castor Bean, Cassava.  Most members of the Spurge family exude a sticky white sap (latex) from any cut surface.  The sap can cause painful and itchy rash if it comes in contact with the skin, and is poisonous if ingested.

This plant loves sunshine.

@mirandablue

Some old wounds never truly heal, and bleed again at the slightest word. 

~ George R.R. Martin

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