Zingiberaceae/ABC Wednesday

Spiral Ginger, Costus

Z is for Zingiberaceae

The ginger family, also known as Zingiberaceae, are a family of flowering plants consisting of aromatic herbs with creeping horizontal or tuberous rhizomes, comprising of 52 genera and more than 1,300 species.  These aromatic herbs grow in moist areas of the tropics and subtropics, including regions that are seasonably dry.

Many species are important ornamental plants, spices or medicinal plants.  Spices include turmeric, ginger, galangal or Thai ginger, melegueta pepper and cardamom.  Ornamental genera include the shell gingers, torch ginger, ginger lily and summer tulip.

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Ginger is one of the ancient medicines in Asia and India, it's healing properties are popular in alternative medicine.  It is particularly useful in treating chronic inflammation.  Ginger does not cause stomach irritation, instead it helps protect and heal the gut.  It helps relieve nausea and destroys a host of viruses.

At home, we love using turmeric (Curcuma longa) in cooking.  I like its peppery flavor and  mild fragrance reminiscent of orange and ginger.  It is commonly used as food coloring and is one of the basic ingredients in curry powder.  It is also used to treat digestive disorders--it improves digestion, reduce gas and bloating.  Turmeric is said to shrink enlarged hepatic ducts, so it is useful to those with liver conditions such as hepatitis, cirrhosis and jaundice.  It also relieves menstrual cramps and arthritic pain.

Raw ginger is often used here as a throat lozenge.  Salabat, or ginger tea, is a favorite drink in the Philippines during cold season, especially around Christmastime.  This drink is made from boiling crushed fresh ginger.  A slice of lemon or a twist of calamansi (local lemon) and sugar or honey are usually added to Salabat.  It soothes sore throat, eases cold symptoms and stomach aches.  Powdered salabat is now available commercially.

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The ornamental gingers are beautiful and this Red Cone Ginger flower is one of my favorite.  I have known this flower since I was very young.  My grandmother had a bunch of Red Cone Gingers around her garden, especially near the well that was the neighborhood's water source since the 1930's. The moist area around the well was a perfect habitat for gingers.

Red Cone Ginger, Alpinia purpurata

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Red Hibiscus-double

It is courage, courage, courage, that raises the blood of life to crimson splendor.  

Live bravely and present a brave front to adversity.

~ Horace

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Pentas

I was captivated by this bright scarlet beauty.

"I've got nothing to do today but smile."

~ Paul Simon

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Flamingo Flower

Flamingo flower or Anthurium andraeanum---at a friend's garden in Tagaytay City.

Tagaytay City, about 55 kilometers south of Manila, has a cool and temperate weather because of its high altitude.  It's a perfect place for flowers to grow and bloom all-year round.

Anthurium is a large genus of about 600-800 species of flowering plants belonging to the arum family.  It was discovered in Colombia in 1876.

We picture love as heart-shaped because we do not know the shape of the soul. ~ Robert Brault

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Costus

 

These are Costus I spotted at my aunt's backyard.  Costus are easily distinguished from other commonly cultivated gingers because the leaves spiral around the main stem like a circular stairway, the reason why they are called "spiral gingers".  Costus spicatus is a species of herbaceous plant in the Costaceae family, although sometimes, they are listed with other gingers in the family Zingiberaceae.  A native to South America and the Caribbean, it grows in the sun if kept moist and reaches the height of 6 to 7 feet.  Leaves are about a foot long and about 4 inches wide.

It is known as Cana-de-Macaco, Spiked Spiralflag, Indian Head Ginger and French Kiss.

Costus spicatus produces a short cylindrical red cone with red-orange flowers emerging one at a time, long lasting and used as a cut flower. These plants often have close interactions with ants. The plant makes a sugary nectar which is attractive to many different kinds of ants. Ants protect the developing seeds which are under the bracts from insect enemies. Some plants have very specialized ants: they form an alliance only with one ant species, that not only get food from the plant but also get a place to nest.

“The saddest people I've ever met in life are the ones who don't care deeply about anything at all. Passion and satisfaction go hand in hand, and without them, any happiness is only temporary, because there's nothing to make it last.” ~ Nicholas Sparks, Dear John

 

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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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Petunias

I was buying fruits at the Market! Market! when these beautiful blooms caught my eye.  I wonder how these petunias can bloom here so vigorously when the petunias I bought from this same flower shop died soon after I brought it home.  Is it the heat, or my black thumb?

So I stood there, admiring them for a little while, took some photos and left the market with spring in my steps and a smile.  Flowers have that effect on me.:p

Joy is the simplest form of gratitude. ~ Karl Barth

 

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Red Crown of Thorns

Crown of Thorns, Euphorbia milii, Christ plant

Please know that I am aware of the hazards. I want to do it because I want to do it. Women must try to do things as men have tried. When they fail, their failure must be but a challenge to others. (--in a letter to her husband, before her last flight) ~ Amelia Earhart

Most of us look at our ideals, say how far we are from them, and get depressed. But it is heroic simply to say, "Here are my ideals," state them before the world, and then spend your life trying to live up to them. ~ Keshavan Nair

When you meet someone better than yourself, turn your thoughts to becoming his equal. When you meet someone not as good as you are, look within and examine your own self.

~ Confucious

Always dream and shoot higher than you know you can do. Don't bother just to be better than your contemporaries or predecessors. Try to be better than yourself. ~ William Faulkner

The Question: What would you attempt to do if you knew you could not fail? ~ Robert Schuller

 

 

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Desert Rose

Desert Rose, Adenium obesum

The Desert Rose (Adenium obesum) is a striking plant with swollen succulent stems and deep red flowers. The plant is deciduous in cooler winters, but it can be kept in leaf provided there is sufficient warmth and light water. There is no part of these plants that doesn't command interest, from the dramatically swollen stems on older plants to the bright flowers to the tight clusters of narrow, green leaves. Beware, though, the sap of the Desert Rose is poisonous and should never come into contact with children or pets. If you get sap on yourself while handling the plant, wash your hands immediately.

Adenium belongs to the genera Apocynaceae, which is native to Africa, the Middle East and Madagascar. The Desert Rose (A. obesum) is the only Adenium found in wide cultivation, although it has been hybridized extensively to obtain different flower colors, including orange, white, striped and the traditional red. 

 Risk-taking, trust, and serendipity are key ingredients of joy. Without risk, nothing new ever happens. Without trust, fear creeps in. Without serendipity, there are no surprises. ~ Rita Golden Gelman

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