The Chinese Glory Bower flower is a sumptuous garden plant that is known by a variety of formal, scientific names: Clerodendrum philippinum, Clerodendrum fragrans var. multiplex, Clerodendrum fragrans, Volkameria fragrans, Clerodendrum fragrans var. pleniflorum. It is a native of China and Japan, which has been naturalised in tropical and subtropical climates.
It is a shrub, up to 2.4 metres tall with heart shaped leaves, up to 25 cm long. It propagates with underground runners, and can be invasive. The Chinese Glory Bower usually encountered in nurseries has double very fragrant pink or white flowers, 2 cm across. The wild form is single-flowered. The flowers are most fragrant in the evening and attract butterflies. When the leaves of flowers are bruised they can exude an unpleasant pungent odour.
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Haemanthus coccineus (commonly known as the Blood Flower or Paintbrush Lily), is a bulbous geophyte in the genus Haemanthus, native to Southern Africa. The generic name Haemanthus is derived from the Greek words haima for "blood" and anthos for "flower"; coccineus is the Latin word for red or scarlet. In the Afrikaans language it is known as Bergajuin, Bloedblom, and many other vernacular names.
The Blood Lily is native throughout the winter rainfall region in Southern Africa - from the southern parts of Namibia, to South Africa in the Cape Peninsula, to the Keiskamma River in the Eastern Cape. It is an adaptable species, growing in a wide range of soils derived from sandstones, quartzites, granites, shales and limestones. It will survive annual rainfall ranging from 100–1,100 millimetres.
The large (up to 10 cm diameter) flowerheads of Haemanthus coccineus emerge between February and April in the Southern Hemisphere, with scarlet spathe valves on them like bright shaving brushes, making it a striking plant. The flowers are soon followed by translucent, fleshy berries. There are usually two very large leaves per bulb, and occasionally three, these leaves appearing only after flowering has occurred. We have it growing in our garden quite happily and it always attracts a lot of attention when it is in bloom.
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Osteospermum is a genus belonging to the Calenduleae, one of the smaller tribes of the sunflower family (Asteraceae). Osteospermum used to belong to the genus Dimorphotheca, but only the annual species remain in that genus; the perennials belong to Osteospermum.
The scientific name is derived from the Greek osteon (bone) and Latin spermum (seed). It has been given several common names: African Daisy, South African Daisy, Cape Daisy and Blue-eyed Daisy. There are about 50 species, native to Africa, 35 species in southern Africa, and southwestern Arabia. They are half-hardy perennials or subshrubs. Therefore they do not survive outdoor wintry conditions, but there is still a wide range of hardiness.
Most widely sold cultivars are grown as annuals and are mainly hybrids of O. jucundum, O. ecklonis and O. grandiflorum and can be hardy to -2°C. If hardy, they can be grown as perennials or as shrubs. The photo is of a relatively newly introduced cultivar known as "Tradewinds Pure Yellow". They flower repeatedly and produce beautiful waves of colour during the growing season. This is a patented variety that was introduced in 2006 and the flowers are sterile and will not set seed.
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