Scented White Butterflies

A few years ago when my work still demands me to periodically visit far regions in the country, i got some tubers of Hedychium coronarium from a roadside in Bohol. We call it kamya/kamia/camia, known for its subtle fragrance. I remember planting its tubers at the side of the garden with a little bit elevated land. I know the soil there is not as fertile as the rest of the garden, so thought it will lessen the height of these plants, if ever they will survive the dry season. Last year it produced a few dwindling flowers, maybe 2-3 blooms, but i didn't notice the scent that time. Then i forgot all about it. I didn't even check if they are still there behind profuse growth of the Hippeastrum hedge. 

Yes they survived the last year's drought, and last weekend i was at home its presence was surely noticed. The sweet scent permeates the garden and mingled with us while we converged at the terrace.  It was nicely situated on top of other plants with the whites visibly dangling like moths against the green background. That was a very delightful sight. I can forgive its invasiveness, promise! 

 It has already been blooming for several days when i came home.  I checked the spikes and there are still young flower shoots waiting to grow. I think there will still be blooms and perfumed air for this whole week.

They really look like white butterflies, sweetly flying subtley with the wind. I am sure many of you are familiar with this plant. Do you agree with me?

Hedychium coronarium is both an ornamenta and medicinal plant of the ginger family. The young flower buds and flowers are reported to be eaten as food, while all the other parts of the plants are medicinal. It was said that it also has very high antioxidant properties. For some summary of the uses here is one of the references: http://www.stuartxchange.org/Kamia.html

Straight Out Of Camera

Our World Tuesday

Nature Notes

A Spiky Delicious Beauty!

Maybe those from the temperate countries will not easily identify what this thing is! But for those from the tropics, this is very common. This is a fruit of a tropical tree, that originated from South America. They are naturalized here in the country, maybe introduced during the colonial past or the galleon trade. The trees though are small in size, just taller than a shrub. We have many volunteer trees in the orchard and under cocunut trees. Ripe fruits not finished by birds just fell on the ground and the seeds grow again becoming new ones.

When we were kids i don't like its sourish taste. Maybe that is because there are other fruits available. Lately though, it became famous in the internet, reported to be medicinal for many ailments including cancer. The leaves too are reported to be soaked in water, which in turn drank for healthy body cell growth. It has become a very in demand fruit here, the  price increased as well. In my case, whenever I come home and there is a mature fruit i see to it that i bring them to the city. I suddenly realized i love eating the flesh most specially when very cold, fresh from the refrigerator. Others prefer it to be in shakes. I prefer it to be eaten fresh. It is available all year round in the market, but uncareful handling or picking them at immature stages render the fruit not at its best. Ours from the property are picked ripe and at the most excellent quality like these in the photos. Internationally, it maybe known as graviola, but we call it guyabano or Anona muricata.

It is the fruit of Anona muricata, or soursop and has been famous in the internet as 'graviola'. It is locally called guyabano here in the country. The flesh is white while the seeds are black. Those thorns are soft when ripe and easily broken in handling. Ripe fruits are soft and easily yields to finger's slight pressure.

A moderately sized fruit like this one can weigh at least one kilogram. Sometimes, i bring 3 fruits to the city to be distributed to officemates.

Macro Monday 2


Straight Out Of Camera - SOOC

Shadow Shot

Shadow shots are always fascinating to take. Most of us have at least taken our own shadow!

Shadows have a lot of things to tell us. And there are layers and layers of things to see and discern in these shadow shot. At the top layer is the most obvious, the shadow of some vines. Underneath are mosses and lichens now beginning to dry with our approaching dry season and absence of rain. Lichens are complex symbionts of many different organisms evolutionary finding peace in co-existence to be at peace for life. At the bottom of the lichens, you can glimpse some letters, because the parent material here is a can with embossed paint. And of course the tin can which supported all these convergences provide some iron to whichever organism needing it. And i think this small space is a world on its own, a lot of processes from food chain-to metabolic processes-to physiological processes-to weathering and decomposition happening at the same time. A real world on its own! This small space can make a big thesis to explore and study! Fascinating!