Anyone recognize this?
Okay, this?
No? Those who’ve read my initial posts in this blog might, and also some of my posts did feature this couple. Ah! Isn’t that a clue? Couple? Okay… Let me go a step further…
Yes, yes! That’s a bloom.
The couple finally decided to display their love! Though I wouldn’t say I had given up on them, I’d say I wasn’t so confident about them flowering or at least not so soon and
One fine day, my mom, after watering the plants came down with excitement saying, “They’ve given out little pinkish blooms!”
“Yea, I know. The Zinnias. Their blooms have grown smaller. I know, I made a mistake by sowing cornflower in their pots. Cornflower has occupied the pot and reduced the Zinnias’ size. May be I should transplant them to a separate pot,” I said, my eyes still closed.
“No! Not that! It’s the ––– that’ve bloomed!”
Opening one of my eyes partly, I said groggily, “What?”
“Yea, they have lil’ pink blooms!”
I sat upright. The tiredness was gone. The heaviness in my eyes due to working all night was forgotten. I grabbed my camera and dashed to our terrace, taking two or three steps at a time.
“I thought they’d give out bigger blooms…” my mom told me.
Who cares! It blooming is great news in itself! I thought as I ran up.
When I reached the small haven, I was so filled with delight. A warmth spread through me and under the hot sun, the pinkish blooms looked cool.
Over the past week the couple went crazy, displaying their beauty proudly. Yes, they’re the Jequirity Couple! The ones that were grown from the seeds and treasured!
Jequirity - Abrus precatorius - Gunja
42 comments:
awessomeeee!
Thank youuuu :)
They must be happy to give you so many blooms.
They definitely seem to be, after so long, but it was worth the wait.
I'm so happy your are getting to enjoy your blooms Mouli! Congrats!
Such beautiful, unique pink flowers! At first I thought the leaves looked like a fern, then I thought, Mimosa, but I've never heard of the Jequirity. Must look it up!
Yes, flowers and gardens teach us patience, don't they? I planted some flower seeds that take 30 days to sprout! They're called "Chinese Lanterns" (Physalis Franchetti) and have green leaves like strawberries and make little flowers that turn red in the Autumn that look just like little paper lanterns. It's been 2 weeks and I'm impatiently awaiting the first sprout.
Congratulations on your pretty new babies! LOL! Only another gardener can understand the joy of the birth of a new flower.
"The greatest gift of the garden is the restoration of the five senses." ~Hanna Rion
Very pretty, both the leaves and the flowers! Seeing new flowers can really make you feel happy!
Those are so pretty Chandramouli! And you grew the plants from seed? Isn't it such a thrill to watch them go from seed to bloom.
Now I'm tempted! Not something that I've planted. Gorgeous blooms and that close shot is just lovely!
I like your blog's new look too.
Thanks for the awnser on my tree!!!!
Linda
Glad you liked them, Randy. Though pretty, this is highly poisonous. This is the famous rosary pea vine that claimed many children's lives in medieval times when this was worn as jewelery. People used to wear this as a jewelry because of it attractive seeds but kids were poisoned on chewing them. Though this poor vine has a bad reputation these days, it's held sacred in Indian beliefs and of course not many Indians are aware that this vine's flowers are dear to Lord Krishna.
Marion: Yes, its leaves resemble the mimosa, Algaroba, and such plants, but this one's more beautiful than them. One of the greatest advantage is that they're so easy to grow once germinated - which takes quite sometime.
They definitely do, Marion. Many of mine have like the Allamanda, this one, and a two Jasmine plants which I'm expecting to come out with buds any moment now.
30 days to germinate? Wow! I'd have thought I wasn't successful and recycle the soil if I were given the seeds without informing about its germination period! Good luck with your Lanterns. Do post their photos once they grow.
Thank you, Marion for sharing the joy :) Hanna's so right!
They definitely do, Catherine. Such pleasure!
Thank you, Michelle. You make me feel like a proud parent. Yes, they were from seeds and it was so delightful to see them bloom - especially these as these aren't everyday varieties that you come across.
Thank you, Kanak. You can give it a go too. Would be glad to share the seeds with you, but with a warning that they're highly toxic.
My pleasure, Linda. I envy you for owning such a beautiful tree. I love the fragrance of that champaka flower that you have.
Congratulations, Chandramouli! I would be excited, too, to see such lovely blooms. And to think you started them from seed--you should definitely be proud of them. I've never heard of this plant--will have to look it up--but its blooms far outshine an ordinary zinnia:)
Well, thank you, Rose! :) And yes, it does, even though it's tiny than a tiny zinnia! This is the only plant of its family, Abrus and as mentioned before, was famous vine in medieval times for its red seeds with black heads, used to make rosaries.
A new tree for me...it must be a member of the pea family! gail
Gail: It is a legume and only one of its family. It is a beautiful creeper that grows rapidly once established. Though it's a Vine, it's also strangely called Saga Tree!
Nice to hear that you're doing well, Gail. :)
Mouli, my fellow soil toiler!
What a beautiful post...such excitement we derive from these delicate blossoms. The peas are most exquisite, reminding me of both the rampant wisteria and purple wild beach peas we have around here.
Thank you!
Peas always are delicate to look at like the Sweet peas, this one, butterfly pea, and many more and am glad you agree. Glad the post instilled good memories!
Have a nice day, Greg.
How cool! To think that a baby that you grew from seed woud turn into a flowering large adult sized plant is the most thrilling of gardening experiences. It is a real beauty too! Congratulations, Grandma! :-)
Frances
LOL! Thank you, Frances. Errmm... I'd be a grandpa when I grow this couple's children (seeds) and I hope I become grandpa soon. :D It definitely is thrilling when you sow seeds and see them growing beatifully.
I can see why you are so excited about the babies. They are lovely. I've been checking the progress of my veggie seedlings every day, and I bet the neighbors think I'm daffy. Especially if they hear my groans of despair or squeals of delight.
We gardeners always get emotional bonus points growing things from seed, don't we! Well done, and they're beautiful, Chandramouli.
They make such a lovely pair! That is a sunflower in the back of my Wordless Wednesday post, they grew much taller after that. I do like the pink and yellow together, because I just plant what I want without worrying about color mixes. Someone it all works out!
walk2write: Thank you so much. I know how special your veggies'd feel to you. Good luck with them yielding a lots of fruits!
Right said Jamie. Thank you :)
Ah aren't they, Robin! It did work out, the combination. So bright and lively!
Enchanting post with lovely pictures - your enthusiasm is so infectious.
Is there a local name for this flower?
Oh, Thank you, Ms Muthukrishnan :) I've never heard of this flower regionally but its seeds are famous here - the pullaiyar kannu? That ring a bell? My mom said she'd seen the vine in her childhood but never after.
I enjoyed reading this post on the Jequirity. From the looks of the flower, I thought it was sesbania grandiflora at first, but then the color was different and I couldn't see the pods very much, or if there were any at all. I've noticed through Wikipedia that they both share the same Subfamily, which is Faboideae. In Hawaii, where I'm originally from, people use the flowers of sesbania grandiflora in cooking, so I wondered if perhaps the flowers of abrus precatorius were considered edible as well. I wrote about sesbania aka katuray in my other blog here.
Glad to back in the garden, it had been a cold and snowy winter here!
Oops!!! So sorry for that mixup! I will make a mental note of the proper title for you. HA
Frances
Congratulations to the proud, umm, grandfather? They're beautiful--I can appreciate your excitement!
How exciting Chandramouli, you were rewarded for your nurturing and patience! It is always amazing to see something tangible (and lovely!) come from a tiny seed:)
Ermmm, I'm not sure about the flowers, Rowena but it's seeds are highly toxic. Glad you liked the post :)
Frances: :D. LOL!
Cosmo: Thank you! I AM so proud of the two - wow, with every day I feel so close to these.
Jan: Patience? Yes, but nurturing? I should be rated a bad parent. Poor ones weren't given their flower food regularly but still they were kind to me :) It IS, yes!
Nice looking blooms! Congrats!!
Thank you, Alan :)
How exciting when something new blooms in the garden! That is a fabulous looking flower & I love that shade of pink. :)
Thank you, Racquel. It's exciting isn't it!
I love the delicate blooms and I'm sure they will smell nice too... :)
WG: Thank you, but not sure of the smell. May be it's because I have cold that I can't smell its fragrance? Hmmmm.... Dunno, but I doubt it
It's nice to see that blue sky in the background on a gray day here. Beautiful blooms!
It is! But it rained two days ago - a great relief from the sun!
Thats a very pretty flower, Chandramouli. Congratulations! When I saw the leaves, I thought it was a Cassia until I saw the flowers.
Thank you, Sunita. When I saw the seedlings the first time, I too thought it was something else like the 'Carry Me seed' or 'Touch me not', but was convinced that it IS Jequirity only after reading about it online.
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