Pick of the park - Cream Fruit (Strophantus gratus)

Cream Fruit (Strophantus gratus)
Syn: Roupellia grata
Family : Apocynaceae - Periwinkle family
Location : Butterfly Garden, Zone C

It is a beautiful shrub which bears close clusters of attractive all year round funnel-like pink flowers.  The flower buds are dark crimson in colour and somewhat waxy.  It is possible to plant them from cuttings, though I find the success rate by this method is not so good.  A very characteristic feature of the flower is the presence of scale-like appendages on the throat of the funnel.  It  has a semi-climbing habit and some varieties are vines.

Pick of the park - Alpinia purpurata

Red Ginger - Alpinia purpurata
Family : Zingiberaceae - Ginger family
Location : Zone C

The Red Ginger or Alpinia purpurata is producing plantlets.  Plantlets are produced in the inflorescences as seen in the above picture.  The red inflorescences are useful for floral arrangement.
I have used the Red Ginger for many daily cut flowers arrangement.  To see some examples please follow this link ...>>>http://dailycutflowers.blogspot.com/search/label/Red%20Ginger

Pick of the park - Candlestick Cassia

Candlestick Cassia - Cassia alata
Syn : Senna alata
Location : Provinsi Carpentaria, Zone F

 This plant does not need maintenance at all.  Preferring to survive on damp areas.  For that reason I grow them along the stream and flood prone areas of the park especially at Zone F, near Provinsi Carpentaria. The flowers are yellow and before they see the sun are enclosed in orange bracts.  This plant can be easily grown by seeds and the germination rate is almost 90%.  Best grown in a mixed border arrangement but make sure to provide shirting of lower shrubs or other cover plants  to avoid showing the leggy lower parts of its stem.  The leaves are used in traditional medicine as cure for ringworm and other skin diseases.

Candlestick Cassia or 'Serugan' in Iban  - Cassia alata
Family : Leguminosae - Bean family

Pick of the park - 'Bunga Raya' (Malay) / Hibiscus rosa-sinensis

Pick of the park - Quisqualis indica

Drunken salior (Quisqualis indica)
Family : Combretaceae - Combretum family

Pick of the park - Calathea crotalifera

Pick of the park - Randia macrantha or the Angel's trumpet

Pick of the park - Passiflora foetida ( Letup - Malay)

Ripe fruit with the sweet and delicious pulp...the soft seeds can be be chewed

The early birds have eaten the pulp and seeds...

Pick of the park - Rounded Frangipani (Plumeria obtusa)

Rounded Frangipani (Plumeria obtusa)
Family: Apocynaceae - Periwinkle family

Pick of the park - Centratherum punctatum

Seribu Bahasa (Berawan) - Centratherum punctatum
Family : Compositae - Sunflower family

Pick of the park - Chinese hat plant

Holmskiolda sanguinea (Chinese hat plant)
Family : Verbenaceae - Teak family
Location - Zone C and D

Pick of the Park - Pereskia bleo (Jarum tujuh - Malay)

 The Berawans of Loagan Bunut, near Bintulu believe that this plant can help in  curing cancer of the heart.  They boil the leaves or its fruits and drink the boiled water after it has cooled down.  This shrub  have sharp spines and can grow to about 2 meters high.  It leaves are thick and very green and wavy at the edges.  The Malays call it ' Jarum Tujuh' which literally means 'Seven Needles' to indicate the sharp needle-like thorns on its stem, branches and axil.

Pereskio bleo - Jarum tujuh( Malay)
Family: Cactaceae - Cactus family

Pick of the Park - Clerodendrum thomsoniae x speciosum

 It is a weak vine and in the park I have planted it against a small tree.  It loves the direct sun, though it can stand partial shade in most cases.  This form is a cross between Clerodendrum thomsoniae (Bleeding heart) and clerodendrum splendens.
It is frequented by butterflies and the inflorescences can be used as cut flowers

Clerodendrum thomsoniae x speciosum

Pick of the Park - Susun Kelapa or East Asian Rosebay

Tabernaemontana corymbosa 'Flore Pleno'  or alt. name : Tabernaemontana divaricata
East Asian Rosebay

Pick of the Park - Alpinia purpurata (Red Ginger)

Red Ginger or Alpinia purpurata
Family : Zingiberaceae - Ginger family

Pick of the Park - Costus speciosus

Costus Speciosus ( White Costus)
Family : Zingiberaceae - Ginger family

Pick of the park - Pisang Lengki ( Iban) - Musa hirta

Location : Botanic Island One

Pisang lengki (Iban) - Musa hirta

Besides an excellent plant for the Kambatik garden landscaping, this wild banana species can be eaten.  Its shoots or 'umbut' in Malay can be cooked in coconut milk, boiled or grilled as salad.

Pick of the park - Cat's whiskers ( Orthosiphon aristatus)

Orthosiphon aristatus  (Cat's whiskers)

Pick of the park - Ixora coccinea

Ixora coccinea , Bunga Jarum (Malay)

Pick of the park

Arundina graminifolia ( Bamboo orchid)

Today I start with 'Pick of the park' to focus on a single plant or flower more from a photographic perspective.  The Bamboo orchid grows wild in the park.  For more pictures of orchids that I took over the years at many places in Malaysia and Singapore, follow this link..>>>>http://4loveoforchids.blogspot.com/