Ipomoea cairica Mile-a-Minute Creek Weed

Common Names: Mile-a-Minute, Coast Morning Glory, Railroad Creeper, Messina Creeper, Cairo Morning Glory
Species: Ipomoea cairica
Family: CONVOLVULACEAE

Mile-a-Minute weed covering the banks and vegetation of a small creek. Fragment of the stem of this creeper when broken off will root easily so all parts of the plant should be bagged and disposed of if it's to be removed.

Ipomoea cairica Mile-a-Minute In Flower

Common Names: Mile-a-Minute, Coast Morning Glory, Railroad Creeper, Messina Creeper, Cairo Morning Glory
Species: Ipomoea cairica
Family: CONVOLVULACEAE

The large, pale lavender, funnel-shaped flowers of Mile-a-Minute, a common weed here in Brisbane, Australia.

Ipomoea cairica Mile-a-Minute

Common Names: Mile-a-Minute, Coast Morning Glory, Railroad Creeper, Messina Creeper, Cairo Morning Glory
Species: Ipomoea cairica
Family: CONVOLVULACEAE

The Mile-a-Minute vine is a noxious weed here in Australia. It has palmate foliage which in this photo is showing damage from being fed upon by a species of flea beetle (exact species unknown).

White And Yellow Prize Winning Orchid Flowers

Family: ORCHIDACEAE

Some white and yellow prize winning orchid flowers on show at the Brisbane Orchid Society show at the Mt. Coot-tha Botanic Gardens.

Prize Winning Yellow, Pink & White Orchids

Family: ORCHIDACEAE

Some of the beautiful, prize winning orchids on show at the Mt. Coot-tha botanical garden orchid show in Brisbane, Australia. The ones here had pink, yellow or white flowers.

Prize Winning Cream & Pink Orchids

Family: ORCHIDACEAE

More pink and cream flowering prize winning orchids on display at the Mt. Coot-tha botanic gardens orchid show.

Sophrolaeliocattleya Slc. 'Mine Gold' Orchid

Species: Sophrolaeliocattleya 'Mine Gold'
Family: ORCHIDACEAE

An yellow and red flowering, daffodil-like Sophrolaeliocattleya orchid cultivar Slc. 'Mine Gold' on show at the Mt. Coot-tha botanical garden orchid show in Brisbane, Australia.

Dendrobium 'Brown Pixie' x canaliculatum

Species: Dendrobium 'Brown Pixie' x canaliculatum
Family: ORCHIDACEAE

A Dendrobium orchid cultivar, 'Brown Pixie' x canaliculatum, at the Brisbane Orchid Society show at the Mt. Coot-tha botanical gardens.

Pink Orchid Flowers

Family: ORCHIDACEAE

Pink orchid flowers taken at the Brisbane Orchid Society show at the Mt. Cooth-tha Botanic Gardens in Brisbane Australia.

Orchid With Twisted Petals

Family: ORCHIDACEAE

Another interesting orchid on exhibition at the orchid show held at the Mt. Coot-tha botanic gardens. The small yellow, purple and brown flowers had petals that were twisted several times.

Paphiopedilum Lady Slipper Orchids

Common Name: Lady Slipper Orchids
Species: Paphiopedilum spp.
Family: ORCHIDACEAE

Some interestingly coloured Paphiopedilum orchids on show at the Mt. Coot-tha botanical garden orchid show in Brisbane, Australia.  The way the lower petals form a cup remind me of pitcher plants (although pitchers aren't derived from a floral structure).

Erythrina poeppigiana Flowers

Common Name: Mountain Immortelle, Coral Tree, Dadap (Indonesia),
Species: Erythrina poeppigiana
Family: FABACEAE

The bright red flowers of Erythrina poeppigiana. There are many regional common names for this plant the best known english ones are the Mountain Immortelle or Coral Tree, the later of which can apply to most Erythrina species.

Delonix floribunda Landscape

Common Names: Yellow Bottle Tree
Species: Delonix floribunda
Family: CAESALPINIACEAE

Deciduous tree native to Madagascar. This tree is in the same genus as the more commonly grown Poinciana (Delonix regia).

Delonix floribunda Portrait

Common Names: Yellow Bottle Tree
Species: Delonix floribunda
Family: CAESALPINIACEAE

A shot of the form of a young Yellow Bottle Tree. This tree is deciduous and had no leaves on it when the photo was taken.

Delonix floribunda Bark

Common Names: Yellow Bottle Tree
Species: Delonix floribunda
Family: CAESALPINIACEAE

Native to Madagascar, Delonix floribunda has several notable features. Its common name comes from the swollen trunk and yellow flowers it produces. It also has quite interestingly textured bark as shown in the photo above.

Tabebuia angustata Palmate Foliage

Common Names: Narrow Trumpet Tree, White Wood
Species: Tabebuia angustata
Family: BIGNONIACEAE

Tabebuia angustata is another trumpet tree in the family Bignoniaceae commonly known as the narrow trumpet tree or white wood. This is a close up of its palmate leaves.

Markhamia obtusifolia Young Tree

Common Name: Golden Bean Tree
Species: Markhamia obtusifolia
Family: BIGNONIACEAE

Marhamia obtusifolia is a small subtropical tree to 15m, but often reduced in size in the wild due to frequent fires. It is native to parts of Africa including Angola, Botswana, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia & Zimbabwe.

Jacaranda micrantha Leaves From Below

Common Names: Jacaranda
Species: Jacaranda micrantha
Family: BIGNONIACEAE

Jacaranda micrantha, a species of Jacaranda which suprised me as I'm use to seeing Jacaranda mimosifolia planted everywhere around here and this one has quite large leaflets in comparison.

Catalpa longissima Tree Foliage

Common Names: Catalpa, Catawba, Haitian Catalpa
Species: Catalpa longissima
Family: BIGNONIACEAE

The foliage of the Haitian Catalpa (Catalpa longissima).

Catalpa longissima Leaves

Common Names: Catalpa, Catawba, Haitian Catalpa
Species: Catalpa longissima
Family: BIGNONIACEAE

A close-up of the leaves of the Haitian Catalpa, Catalpa longissima.

Psidium cattleianum Yellow Cherry Guava

Common Name: Yellow Cherry Guava
Species: Psidium cattleianum
Common Synonym: Psidium littorale var. littorale
Family: MYRTACEAE

A Yellow Cherry Guava bush covered in immature green fruits.

Psidium cattleianum Immature Fruits Of Yellow Cherry Guava

Common Name: Yellow Cherry Guava
Species: Psidium cattleianum
Common Synonym: Psidium littorale var. littorale
Family: MYRTACEAE

The immature green fruits of the yellow cherry guava, a near-ripe fruit can be seen behind the others. This variety is commonly known as the Yellow Cherry Guava, the red fruited variety is more commonly called Strawberry Guava.

The Twisted Form Of Tabebuia ochracea

Common Names: Golden Trumpet Tree
Species: Tabebuia ochracea
Family: BIGNONIACEAE

The twisted form of Tabebuia ochracea.

Tabebuia ochracea Leaves

Common Names: Golden Trumpet Tree
Species: Tabebuia ochracea
Family: BIGNONIACEAE

Another Tabebuia species with golden trumpet flowers and palmate leaves. This particular species is often confused with Tabebuia chrysotricha.

Line Of Flowering Tabebuia chrysantha Trees

Common Names: Golden Trumpet Tree, Araguaney, Yellow Ipê, Cañaguate (Columbia), Tajibo (Bolivia), Ipê-amarelo (Brazil)
Species: Tabebuia chrysantha
Family: BIGNONIACEAE

Tabebuia chrysantha has golden pom-pom like clusters of trumpet-shaped flowers that look spectacular against a late-winter blue sky in Brisbane, Australia. It drops all its leaves just before it begins to flower. After flowering they develop long, fuzzy pods covered with short brown hairs. These pods can holds hundreds and hundreds of seeds which are flat and surrounded by a thin, paper-like membrane which helps them be dispersed by the wind. It is fortunate that these seeds do not remain viable for very long, as I'm quite certain this spectacular flowering tree would become an invasive species in native Australian bushlands otherwise. Tabebuia chrysantha occurs naturally in forests of South America.

Genista x spachiana 'Nana'

Common Names: Easter Broom, Dwarf Broom
Species: Genista x spachiana 'Nana'
Family: FABACEAE

Brooms are legumes belonging to the genus Genista and many species have an interesting pollination mechanism. When an insect lands on the flower it uncurls and opens suddenly, in the process the style is flung into contact with the underside of the insect, covering it with pollen ready to be taken to the next flower. This photography is of a hybrid Genista cultivar known as 'Nana' taken while it was in flower.

Strawberry Guava Psidium cattleianum Canopy & Trunk

Common Names: Strawberry Guava, Cattley Guava, Peruvian Guava
Species: Psidium cattleianum
Common Synonym: Psidium littorale var. littorale
Family: MYRTACEAE

Strawberry Guava can grow quite large if it isn't kept pruned to size and allowed to grow for many years. It has quite a decorative bark and is has a good shade canopy as shown in the photograph above.

Viola tricolor

Common Names: Heartsease, Wild Pansy, Johnny Jump Up
Species: Viola tricolor
Family: VIOLACEAE

Viola tricolor (common names Heartsease, Johnny Jump Up) is a lovely annual European wildflower in the violet family (Violaceae) and makes a great groundcover.

Viola tricolor Growing Against A Brick Wall

Common Names: Heartsease, Johnny Jump Ups, Wild Pansy
Species: Viola tricolor
Family: VIOLACEAE

Another shot of Viola tricolor (common names Johnny Jump Up, Heartsease) showing it growing up against a brick wall. A lovely groundcover.

Another Euryops virgineus 'Golden Glow' Shrub

Common Names: Honey Euryops, River Resin Bush
Species: Euryops virgineusFamily: ASTERACEAE

Euryops virgineus is a flowering daisy shrub (family Asteraceae). It has attractive fine foliage and produces large mass of small yellow flowers. This particular cultivar of Euryops virgineus is called 'Golden Glow'.

Euryops virgineus 'Golden Glow' Shrub

Common Names: Honey Euryops, River Resin Bush
Species: Euryops virgineus 'Golden Glow'
Family: ASTERACEAE

Euryops virgineus is a flowering daisy shrub (family Asteraceae). It has attractive, fine foliage and produces large mass of small yellow flowers. This particular cultivar of Euryops virgineus is called 'Golden Glow'. This one had more flowers than the other specimen I took a photo of on the same day.

Cat's Ear/Flatweed Hypochaeris radicata Lawn Weed

Common Names: Cat's-Ear, Flatweed, Catsear, False Dandelion
Species: Hypochaeris radicata
Family: ASTERACEAE

This plant should be a familiar site for anyone living in Australia, New Zealand, Japan or the USA where it has become a common lawn, frequently occurring in lawns. It is spread by the massive quantity of airborne seed it produces after flowering. The best way to remove these is by inserting a knife or a special weeding wand down against the long, thick taproot then lever them out and dispose of them in the trash.

Thyme Flowers

Common Names: Thyme, Common Thyme
Species: Thymus vulgaris
Family: LAMIACEAE

Thyme is a versatile and healthy herb the leaves of which can be added to many dishes. The thyme in the garden was flowering so I decided to take this snapshot, the flowers are a little soft focus-wise but I kind of like the effect. This photo was taken from an upright form of thyme which I think may be a cultivar of French thyme although I can't be certain as again, this was grown from an unmarked mixed punnet of herb seedlings.

Red Russian Kale

Common Names: Kale 'Red Russian', Borecole
Species: Brassica oleracea Acephala Group 'Red Russian'
Family: BRASSICACEAE

Red Russian Kale, although it was purchased as part of a mixed punnet of vegetable seedlings so I'm not 100% certain if that's the correct cultivar. Kale is full of vitamins and minerals and the plant itself is actually quite hardy. Really old kale plants can develop a long trunk (stem) which ends up giving them a mini tree-like appearance. I really should get around to eating some of it before the grasshoppers put any more holes in the leaves.

Wild Rocket (Diplotaxis tenuifolia) Flowers

Common Names: Wild Rocket, Perennial Wall-Rocket
Species: Diplotaxis tenuifolia
Family: BRASSICACEAE

A pair of yellow flowers belonging to Wild Rocket, Diplotaxis tenuifolia. The leaves have a peppery taste and are a little stronger than Common Rocket or Arugula (Eruuca sativa), but are good to mix into salads to add a little extra zing.

Nasturtium 'Jewel Mix' Yellow Flower

Common Names: Nasturtium 'Jewel Mix', Garden Nasturtium, Indian Cress, Monks Cress
Species: Tropaeolum majus
Family: TROPAEOLACEAE

A close up shot of a yellow cultivar of common Nasturtium sold in mixed seed packs under the name Jewel Mix. I tend to find that the ones that do best in my climate here in Brisbane, Australia are the yellow, orange and red flowered ones. The cream, apricot and maroon flowered ones which are also shown on the pack as part of the mix never seem to do as well, they seem to either fail to germinate and thrive or perhaps they were never actually present in very large quantities in the seed mix to begin with. The leaves, flowers and green seeds are all edible and have a spicy mustard/pepper taste, the flowers being the mildest of the three. The green, immature seeds can be collected and pickled and used as a substitute for capers.  Watching the small native sting-less bees try to navigate through the fringes at the base of the lower petals is quite fascinating, the large European bees on the other don't have any problems and barge right through to reach the pollen and nectar within.

Dwarf Sunflower

Common Names: Dwarf Sunflower, Sunflower 'Dwarf Sensation'
Species: Helianthus annuus 'Dwarf Sensation'
Family: ASTERACEAE

This is a cultivar of Dwarf Sunflower called Dwarf Sensation. It only grows about a foot or so tall and often produces multiple flower heads, a feature the full sized cultivars rarely seem to have (although in my case usually only one large one with several smaller auxiliary heads, perhaps I need to fertilise them more next time). Although the seed of all sunflower cultivars may be edible, I can tell you first hand that the seeds I collected from these ones had very little flesh and weren't nice at all to eat. That wasn't really the point of growing these though; I just wanted to enjoy the bright, sunny flowers while they lasted.

Corainder Flowers Coriandrum sativum

Common Names: Coriander, Cilantro, Dhania
Species: Coriandrum sativum
Family: APIACEAE

Flower umbels of Coriander (or Cilantro for readers in the US). The flowers are good for attracting beneficial insects like hoverflies, lacewings and native stingless bees into the garden. This one was self-sown from seeds dropped by an earlier plant, but due to the heat it grew a little stunted and bolted straight to seed. Dhania is the Indian word for the seeds of Coriander which when ground are an important spice in Indian and many other ethic cuisines. I find that the seeds harvested from my plants isn't very good for eating (they get eaten by tiny insects and mouldy very quickly), but the leaves are good to grow for the flavour they bring to various dishes.

Mint Flower Spike

Common Name: Mint
Species: Mentha Hybrid
Family: LAMIACEAE

A lovely spray of purple mint flowers. I have no idea of the cultivar of this Mentha as I just brought it as a cut fresh herb from the local supermarket as it was different to the rest of the mint they stocked and I thought it had a flavour better suited for my intended purpose, which was to use it in making a ginger and mint lemonade. I had heaps of it left over so I trimmed it into neat cuttings and planted them in several spots around the garden and with a bit of watering all of the cuttings took root and haven't looked back.

Flat-leaved Parsley Flower Buds

Common Names: Flat-leaved Parsley, Italian Parsley
Species: Petroselinum crispum Neopolitanum Group
Family: APIACEAE

This is a close up of one of several flower inflorescences produced by my two year-old Italian parsley plant growing in my backyard, at the time the photo was taken most of the individual flowers were still in bud. Parsley is a biennial and does not flower or set seed until its second year. Unfortunately the plant will die after it sets seed and as of typing this the particular plant is no longer with us, however some of its self-sown progeny have risen to takes it's place. Most people only use parsley as a garnish, but I like the flavour and even chop up large amounts of it and stir it through a cooked dish at the end like you would with any other green leaf vegetable. The flowers of flat-leaved parsley (like most Apiaceae family members) are good for attracting beneficial insects into the garden, such as aphid-eating hover flies and native bees.

Salvia elegans Pineapple Sage Flowers

Common Names: Pineapple Sage, Tangerine Sage
Species: Salvia elegans
Family: LAMIACEAE

Pineapple Sage (Salvia elegans) is a native to Guatemala and Mexico. It can grow into quite a large shrub, up to 1.5m high under ideal conditions. My one here growing in the garden is not even close to its full size, which is ok as I think it may one day take over the garden bed it's in. The leaves have a pineapple scent (or I guess to some people more of a tangerine scent) when crushed by rubbing them between your hands, not surprisingly this is where the common name of this plant originates from.

Catharanthus roseus Pink Cultivar

Common Names: Periwinkle, Madagascar Periwinkle, Cape Periwinkle, Rose Periwinkle, Rosy Periwinkle, Old-Maid, Vinca
Species: Catharanthus roseus
Family: APOCYNACEAE

A pretty, pink cultivar of Catharanthus roseus growing in my garden. I actually thought this was one of the more vigorous (and more weedy) purple-pink varieties before it flowered and accidentally pulled it. After working out my mistake I replanted it and it seems to have finally taken off again, a testament to the hardiness of this plant. They'll grow as perennials here in Brisbane, Australia, although they'll need to be heavily pruned and allowed to re-shoot when they become too leggy. My apologies for the out of focus flowers here, I'll have to get around to taking another photo when it flowers again.

Catharanthus roseus White Cultivar

Common Names: Periwinkle, Madagascar Periwinkle, Cape Periwinkle, Rose Periwinkle, Rosy Periwinkle, Old-Maid, Vinca
Species: Catharanthus roseus
Family: APOCYNACEAE

Vincas are nearly always in flower, and can become quite weedy here in Brisbane, Australia if left unchecked. This particular white cultivar of Catharanthus roseus has been self-sowing itself in my garden for at least several generations. Despite this in its natural environment in Madagascar, Madagascar Periwinkle is actually endangered due to extensive agricultural clearing.

Quisqualis indica Flower Inflorescence

Common Names: Rangoon Creeper, Chinese Honeysuckle, Combretum Indicum, Quiscual(Spanish)Niyog-niyogan (Filipino), Madhu Malti (Hindi), Madhumalti (Hindi), Radha Manoharam(Telugu)
Species: Quisqualis indica
Family: COMBRETACEAE

A closer shot of an inflorescence of the woody flowering vine Quisqualis indica that show red, pink and white flowers all in the same cluster.

Quisqualis indica Flower Up Close

Common Names: Rangoon Creeper, Chinese Honeysuckle, Combretum Indicum, Quiscual(Spanish)Niyog-niyogan (Filipino), Madhu Malti (Hindi), Madhumalti (Hindi), Radha Manoharam(Telugu)
Species: Quisqualis indica
Family: COMBRETACEAE

A close of a Rangoon Creeper (Quisqualis indica) flower. Rangoon Creeper flowers have a strong, distinctive fragrance that is quite pleasant and definitely adds to the appeal of this climbing plant.

Quisqualis indica Two Pink Flowers

Common Names: Rangoon Creeper, Chinese Honeysuckle, Combretum Indicum, Quiscual(Spanish)Niyog-niyogan (Filipino), Madhu Malti (Hindi), Madhumalti (Hindi), Radha Manoharam(Telugu)
Species: Quisqualis indica
Family: COMBRETACEAE

These are two flowers of Quisqualis indica that have turned pink as they have aged and will soon fade to white.

Quisqualis indica Two Red Flowers

Common Names: Rangoon Creeper, Chinese Honeysuckle, Combretum Indicum, Quiscual (Spanish)Niyog-niyogan (Filipino), Madhu Malti (Hindi), Madhumalti (Hindi), Radha Manoharam (Telugu)
Species: Quisqualis indica
Family: COMBRETACEAE

Two red flowers from an inflorescence of Rangoon Creeper, Quisqualis indica. These flowers will gradually turn white as they age. The Latin genus name Quisqualis means "What is that?" or "This and that" and probably refers to the confusion it originally caused taxonomists when trying to classify it.

Quisqualis indica Flower Bunches

Common Names: Rangoon Creeper, Chinese Honeysuckle, Combretum Indicum, Quiscual (Spanish) Niyog-niyogan (Filipino), Madhu Malti (Hindi), Madhumalti (Hindi), Radha Manoharam (Telugu)
Species: Quisqualis indica
Family: COMBRETACEAE

Quisqualis indica or Rangoon Creep is a vigorous woody vine (liana) native to parts of Asia. It produces round clusters of tubular red flowers that fade from red to pink to white as they age. This one was growing in my backyard in Brisbane, Australia.

Nerium oleander White Cultivar Landscape

Common Name: Oleander
Species: Nerium oleander
Family: APOCYNACEAE

A landscape photo of a group of flowers from a single, white-flowered cultivar of Nerium oleander, also simply known as Oleander.