Some plants, flowers and fruits we always see in our property are still unknown to me, meaning I don't call them by first names. I know the locations they can be seen, their visual characteristics or morphology, sometimes even the insects associated with them. Yet, i cannot find their identity. Now, November 2012, I remember to come back and put its proper ID, I baptize you
Capparis micracantha. Actually, i have already posted the flower of this bushy tree years ago, but i didn't know that flower becomes this red fruit when ripe. (I am sorry for those who came back to know it, but i forgot my responsibility to return, thank you). This is the
previous post: http://abagillon.blogspot.com/2009/10/wildflowersthats-what-we-thoughtat.html
This very colorful fruit is already ripe. It is typically green when unripe but i haven't documented yet its flowers. I am very familiar with its leaves and spiny branches though, i can even identify its seedlings. The fruits when still at the tree is always associated with black ants. I've been looking for other insects where the black ants associate themselves with, but I cannot see any! However, even the green fruits are already surrounded with these black ants. In fact, it is difficult getting this red fruit because the ants cling to the hands.
The fruit is full of black seeds surrounded with mucilage. It looks like the pomegranate seeds. However, it has an aroma that is not fully foul but is unpleasant. I haven't seen though if birds eat these fruits. I remember last time i also posted almost the same color of fruit from a friend's farm, but that was from a vine. This one is from a tree, actually a forest wild tree.
Another lovely red colored seeds are those small ones. We have a lot of them growing in the wild thickets. They are borne in pods from a bushy vine. The black portion contains the hilum which is attached to the pod. It is very hard when fully dry.
We locally call it 'saga', pronounced slowly with weight on the last syllable. Its seed pods impressively split open to reveal these brilliant red seeds with black tips. It is commonly made into beads, bases for calling them as rosary peas, a very nice name but very poisonous when ingested. I finally found its scientific name, Abrus precatorius.
Scattered on green grass they provide some nice happy color contrast
This is the flower and the leaves of the small red seeds.