Dillenia suffruticosa (Simpoh air in Malay) is an interesting plant. It is usually found growing wild on open slopes and spread by root runners. I pulled one of the suckers out from the wild and have it planted in the garden.
The flower 
This new leaf has a lovely sheen like polished copper. Older leaves were once used as a food wrapper.
Allamanda violaceas are seen in the background.
After a shower, water droplets dripped down the buds. The curved raceme with the flower buds lined up like grapes.
At end of the day, all five petals dropped on to the large leaf below.
What was left were the five sepals of the first flower.
It looks like another flower.
The bud of the 3rd flower is ready to pop anytime.
Ants came at dawn to partake of the sweet offerings.
Now its the turn of the 4th flower to be in anthesis.
The appearance of the 5th flower.
Outcome of a successful pollination - A fruit.
Of the cluster of nine flowers, eventually it was the seventh flower which bore fruit.
26.12.12: The fruit dehisced to reveal six segments of seeds covered with red pulp. Birds love them. Fruits face upwards. To photograph it I have to turn it sideways.
At the end of the day, it look rather shriveled up. Here I noticed another fruit, produced from the 8th flower. So, the final tally - 8 flowers and 2 fruits.
In the evening a dragonfly perched on its stem
Petals of the 4th flower dropped by dusk. The ants have not finished their business of gathering. There is no winter in the tropics, so the ants should learn to have some fun like the grasshopper.
In the evening a dragonfly perched on its stem
A really good camouflage. The body looked similiar to the stem in colouring.
Wow! This is remarkable Stiletto. Beautiful flower with gorgeous fruits! And you have presented in beautifully! Outstanding! Funny though. I have not seen this flower before. The yellow color is very nice. Thanks for sharing this beauty :-)
ReplyDeleteHi Ash, haha, if you could only open your large eyes slightly wider, I'm sure you can see it all around you :) :)) :D
DeleteIt has a ubiquitous presence on the roadsides of most of our highways. I've seen it along Sprint, Putrajaya and even in newly launched semi-Ds and bungalows(Vasana 25). I plucked mine from the roadside. They are selling it in Sg Buloh too.
These are gorgeous! I love tropical plants....the yellow and reds here are out of this world. I'm going to get my tropics on this summer in Guatemala! I cannot wait to get out and see GREEN!!! Love your headlining photo! Very cool bird.
ReplyDeleteWow! Guatemala seems like an exotic destination. Hope you can slake your fill of the tropics.
DeleteThanks, the cool bird in question is the sunbird which are numerous in my garden,where they get their daily quota of nectar.
I loved the story of this flower from beginning to end - absolutely fascinating. I like the way the little bronze leaf grows out of the large green leaf, and the flower is gorgeous.
ReplyDeleteGlad you still find it interesting in spite of the lengthy story; going up to the bloosoming of 5th flower.
DeleteThe slit or cleavage where the little bronze leaf grows out of the large green leaf has also spawned some colourful remarks. You have to read in between the lines and use your imagination as I won't go into the explanation ;)its great that you noticed this.
Lovely story and beautifully photographed - and so totally different to anything I see in my London garden! Here we have finally got some sort of a spring, before it got cold again today. Seems we are not to enjoy the warm weather for long. Night frost is expected tonight and tomorrow. My poor seedlings are going to suffer outside! It warms me to see your photos :-)
ReplyDeleteTake care, have a nice week-end, Helene.
All this diversity makes this world so interesting. The curious and receptive mind will discern, appreciate and celebrate in all these variations. Have a good weekend too.
DeleteThanks Stiletto ! very interesting ! I find it mindblowing that something this lovely is so common it grows along the roadsides ! We have daisies and dandelions in the UK !
ReplyDeleteAs the leaves were used as a food wrapper, I supposed it was considered an utility plant. However of late,I've noticed many nurseries have started to offer this plant for sale and landscapists have used in in their upscale projects.
DeleteI always felt that the daisies and dandelions gave the english countrysides its very character.
Beautiful pictures, yellow flower very intense and dragonfly, I'm delighted her. Regards
ReplyDeleteThanks for appreciating. Have a delightful day.
DeleteIts around you, only that sometimes they might not be blooming, so you might think that its an inconsequential wild plant. When cultivated, you can frequently see plenty of flowers.
ReplyDeleteThe plants you have introduced are all interesting, but this is one of the most interesting. And what interested me was not only this fascinating plant but also your close observation. I was intrigued to your photos and words from the beginning to end.
ReplyDeleteYoko
Hi Yoko, I'm indeed very flattered by your kind words and appreciate your interest shown in this tropical plant. Have a good week.
DeleteWow it is so beautiful. I haven't seen close-up flowers of Dillenia, but we have an endemic species here we locally call "katmon". How big is that tree at maturity? I love also the ornamental design of the dehiscing fruits, very colorful.
ReplyDeleteI checked out 'katmon' (Dillenia indica Blanco and discovered that they belong to the same family - really interesting. Looks very similiar except that the flower is white with a red centre whereas the Dillenia suffruticosa is purely yellow. The leaves are similiar too. I seen it reaching a height of 12-15 feet.
DeleteThank you I have been wondering what this plant is called locally. I know the name in my mother native tongue but not in bahasa. In my mother kampung, a tree similar flower like this, the leaves are used as food wrapper. The fruit photos is so pretty close up.
ReplyDeleteThank you for noticing my mistake on the peace lily ID. I will make some correction later :) .
I like plants that are ornamental and are useful. Its good to be able to use an organic wrapper instead of those plastic bags and containers. I'm not sure though whether we can use the fruits like how they use them in the Phillipines - as a souring agent like in 'ikan assam pedas'.
DeleteThe Peace lily is one of my favourite plants, glossy leaves with longlasting flowers.
Wspaniały opis i zdjęcia. Z wielkim zainteresowniem czytałam i oglądałam zdjecia tego niesamowitego i slicznego kwiatu. Pozdrawiam.
ReplyDeleteGreat description and photos. With much your interest I read and watched the pictures of this amazing and lovely flower. Yours.
Thanks for your interest in this tropical plant which you might not be able to see unless you visit the tropics.
DeleteVery well photographed, and an interesting story Stiletto! It's a lovey plant, with almost poppy-like delicate petals. They also remind me of lantern flowers, and the copper coloured leaves are really beautiful.
ReplyDeleteWarmest Regards.
Sonjia
Thanks Sonjia. Its such an interesting and useful plant but obviously taken for granted by the locals as it grows in the wild and spread by runners.
DeleteI never seen this flower....may be i'm so ignorant! It's really very pretty!
ReplyDeleteIts around you, Malar. Look and you shall find :) Some nurseries are now stocking them. There is no need to buy, just pull them up from the road-sides or slopes.
DeleteYou make really nice photos of this simpoh air. TQ. I just love the green colour of the leaves and definitely a tree that will grow with great ease here :-)
ReplyDeleteThanks Stephanie. Its really easy to grow. Actually its more a shrub but can grow to become a tree. Mine is already more than 10 feet tall and rather bushy.
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