Red Hot Double-petaled Hibiscus

Double-petaled Hibiscus has all the beauty of the single-petaled ones but double the charm. It's the tropics version of roses minus the nasty thorns and of course the fragrance.

This double-petaled variety can measured up to six inches in diameter.

A Carpenter bee perched on a bud to soak in the sun, flying off and then returning. They can do this for the entire day. From my observation they do not gather from Hibiscus.

A damselfly emulates the carpenter bee in this bud-hugging activity.

The flower bud of a double petal Hibiscus.

The bud develops while a clueless ant scrambled over it being too early for the party.



 
The maturing bloom, just before it unfurl its petals.

In double-petaled Hibiscus, the stigma and anthers are at the same level while part of the seminal tube is fused to the petals.


Staminal tube of single-petaled Hibiscus

In single-petaled Hibiscus, the stamens and the style share the same staminal tube with the stigma held aloft. This way the chances of reducing self-pollination is better. The pollen grains are ready for harvesting by unsuspecting insects looking for nectar. An unidentified insect huddled up.

This is older variety of double-petaled Hibiscus is often refered to as the 'kampung' type which means village in Malay.

The flowers are smaller, measuring about two-three inches wide.


At this early stage, the flower petals are firm and rosette-like.

When in full bloom, the petals appear papery.

 The flowers are small and globular and look almost like pom-poms.

The next day the blooms are suspended by a thin thread which are the seminal tubes.

 Unfortunately, they can be prone to infestation by aphids and mealy bugs.

Hibiscus on old silver trinket box from Java, Indonesia.
(From my sister's antique silver collection)

Hibiscus rosa sinensis - The Flower of Malaysia

The so called single-petaled Hibiscus has a single tier of five petals. This red  variety is the national flower of Malaysia. It is robust, carries many blooms and rather disease-free so much so that at one time, it was commonly used as living hedges. Recently there seems to be a revival of  this practice.

 

The hibiscus flower appears to be quite cheeky with its "tongue" sticking out.



 
Small and pointy buds.

 
The petals are seen peeking out, waiting to burst at the seams of the calyx.


The next day it emerged and protruded forwards.

At this stage the bud looks like a stoma; Hello!

When the hibiscus is in full bloom, the petals flare out and curve slightly backwards. The edge of the petals are frilly.  

The staminal tube comprising anthers and five-branched stigmata hangs freely down and sways with the breeze.

With their striking vermilion hue, these Hibiscus flowers overshadow the Bougainvilleas which framed them from above and below. 

This variety has green-white variegated leaves, so is named 'Snowflakes'. 

An ant trekked up one of the five branches of the style and

 scrambled onto the tuft-covered stigma.

"It is easier to go down a hill than up,
but the view is from the top"- Arnold Bennett
 

And the descent down.

The numerous anthers seem to be swollen with their contents. The stigmata are covered with fine filaments.

Later in the day the anthers burst to release fine pollens.

What is left after the petals dropped off the next day.

Given sufficient fertilizer, they bloom non-stop.



Hibiscus hedge just outside the arrival level at Kuala Lumpur international Airport (KLIA ).

 
This bush was transported from another garden in my hometown, then re-potted here in this urban setting where it seems to be thriving. In order to transplant this Hibiscus plant,  I had all the flowers and most of the leaves pruned off.



It was such a waste to dump it so they ended up in a vase.

A simple arrangement where leaves and flower are plonked into a glass globe of water.

A dish of Black Pepper Chicken with Bell Peppers.

A Pink-throated Hibiscus

This is one of those smaller old-fashioned Hibiscus unlike the large and gorgeous hybrids that we see nowadays. However, it is not without its charm. The white petals are streaked with fuchsia-pink lines which merge towards the tubular part giving it a pink throat. 

The markings serve as a good guide for pollinators as to the sweet treasure within.

In Hibiscus the numerous stamens comprising filaments and anthers are carried on a long upright staminal tube which also encloses the style.

 The style branch into five, each carrying a stigma at its end. The stigmas look like orange pom-poms.

"In the end, life lived to its fullest
is its own Ultimate Gift" - Jim Stovall

The anthers have popped releasing the fine pollens.

A top view of the outstanding reproductive part of the flower.

This long protrusion of anthers and stigma cast a shadow under the morning sun.

After the shower, the flower is still fresh for the picking.

A Common Five Ring butterfly (Ypthima baldus newboldi) perched daintily on a bamboo stem which is used to stake the Hibiscus plant.

This greyish brown butterfly has a single large ring (ocellus) on the forewings while there are five ocellus on the hindwings. The last pair is counted as one. The ocellus or eyespots are black enclosed by yellow rings. The eyes are grey, matching the wing colours.

A Hibiscus leaf is the prefered landing perch of this brown moth. It has dark brown patches strewned in wavy lines across its wings. Unlike butterflies the antennae of moths do not end in clubs. As they are nocturnal, moths are more furry so as to counter the lower temperatures at night. Note that a main distinguishing feature of moths is that they rest with the wings flat whereas butterflies have their wings folded upwards. 

Posted from Cork, Ireland (I've only a few days left from my one-month sojourn in Ireland).