Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Lady's fingers first flower.

Lady's fingers first flower
Okra / Bendi / french ~  gombo / arabic ~ بامية / greek ~  μπάμια / japanese ~ オクラ  
vietnamese ~  đậu bắp /



Okra or Lady's finger
the first flower.
pic 1

Okra or Lady's finger
pic 2

Okra or Lady's finger
pic 3

Okra or Lady's finger
pic 4

Okra or Lady's finger
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Okra or Lady's finger
pic 6

Okra or Lady's finger
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Okra or Lady's finger
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Okra or Lady's finger
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Okra or Lady's finger
the first flower.
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The first flower appears from one of the six lady's fingers on the vegetable bed. The flower is pale yellow in colour, funnel shaped and resembled hibiscus flowers with the throat of the flower in heavy  maroon. It rivals the orchids in beauty. The scientific name is Abelmoschus esculentus . Also known as Okra, or kacang bendi or kacang lendir.


How would we describe a flower and its beauty?


This text is from the book “Harper’s Guide To Wild Flowers”, by Caroline A. Creevey. Also available from Amazon: Harper’s Guide To Wild Flowers.. Published 1912

Explanation Of Terms Used In Describing Flowers
Every perfect flower contains four sets of organs, arranged in circles at the top of the flower stem or axis. At the center a pistil stands. Often there are several pistils. This organ consists of three parts, ovary, style, and stigma. The ovary is a small sac at the base of the pistil in which ovules grow, (rudimentary seeds). The style is a slender, hollow tube connecting the ovary with the stigma, and it may be absent without impairing the pistil. The stigma is a knob or head, sticky and porous, at the tip of the pistil.

Stamens surround the pistil in one or more circles. There are two parts to a stamen, the anther, and its stalk or filament. The anther is a double sac (generally) in which pollen grains are borne, kept while they are growing, and set free by some sort of an opening, as a slit or chink, when they are mature. A pollen grain is conducted to a stigma by an insect or in some other way, falls upon the rough, porous surface of that organ, is nourished by it, grows, sends a branchlet, a tiny thread, down the style into the ovary where the ovules lie. By changes in structure the ovules are converted into true seeds which are for the propagation of the plant.

These are the essential organs of a flower, and no seed can be produced without their union with one another.
The floral envelope surrounds these essential organs, consisting of corolla and calyx. The separate divisions of a corolla are petals, and of the calyx are sepals. The petals make the color and beauty of most flowers, while the sepals are generally green. All these organs are collected upon a receptacle.

The stalk which supports a flower is called a peduncle. The stalk which carries one of a cluster of flowers is a pedicel. A pedicel is a secondary peduncle. When the flower stalk springs directly from the root and bears no leaves, we speak of it as a scape.

The way in which flowers are arranged upon the stem, whether singly, in clusters, elongated spikes, close heads, etc., is spoken of as inflorescence. A clustered inflorescence is of advantage to flowers which depend upon insects for pollination, as they thus appear larger, show more color, and can be seen from a greater distance than if single. These clusters are called spikes or racemes if elongated, corymbs if flattened, heads if rounded like the clover blossom, umbels if like the wild carrot.

Two other forms of inflorescence should be mentioned, the spadix and catkin. The spadix is an elongated, fleshy axis upon which small flowers are borne, and it is often covered by a spathe, a green or colored leaf hanging over the spadix. The Jack-in-the-pulpit and Calla lily are examples of this kind of inflorescence. Often the stamens and pistils grow in different parts of the spadix, above or below.

A catkin, like that of the willow or birch, is a spike of flowers in which each is accompanied by a little, dry sort of scale. In many trees and shrubs, staminate and pistillate flowers occur in different catkins which look quite unlike one another.

An involucre is one or more circles of bracts, often colored and looking like petals, surrounding a head of flowers. The white, showy leaves of the flowering dogwood blossom are the involucre belonging to the small, dull flowers within.  Click here: Terms Used In Describing Flowers, Plants

 click here:  Image results for cross section of a flower







bangchik
Putrajaya Malaysia

21 comments:

  1. Color, shape, texture - I love everything about this flower. I told you that you are a great photographer, didn't I?

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  2. Thanks for the botony lesson but it still doesn't change my lament on seeing your pictures of your okra blossoms! Your killin' me! First the tomatoes and now this! Okay that's it I'm putting a map on my computer of the location of Malaysia, so I can look at it just before I come to look at your wonderful garden!

    Just kidding you know. I love the pictures and quite frankly they are inspiring.

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  3. Beautiful pictures. I think Okra has the prettiest blooms.

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  4. What a truly lovely flower. I did not know that Okra flowers were so beautiful.

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  5. Who would have known? I don't like to eat okra, but it is worth growing for it's lovely flowers!

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  6. Dear Bangchik, The Okra flowers are so wonderfully ephemeral and have a translucent quality which you have captured perfectly in these images. The palest of pale yellows is beguiling. Lovely!

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  7. I had no idea they had such beautiful blooms. Lovely post.

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  8. good grief! If I'd known okra had such a pretty flower I'd be growing it just for that! :-)

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  9. I did not realize okra had such a pretty flower.

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  10. Looks like hibiscus! Pretty :-D

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  11. Very pretty! That is a really lovely flower indeed!

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  12. What a gorgeous flower. Vegetables can be just as beautiful as ornamentals.

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  13. ~Tatyana@MySecretGarden
    Yea, you probably had told me about being a photographer and vegetable gardener. I found an outlet to freeze natural beauty, lock it and display for all to see. Okra is sweetly beautiful.

    ~Lanny
    If this little blog is able to promote Malaysia as the next stop, then I should negotiate with tourism board for some commission... About Okra flower, I purposely show it in various angles to make it easy for conclusion whether the flower of Okra is truly beautiful or otherwise.

    ~Hocking Hills Gardener
    Flowers are all beautiful, and in fact they are meant to be beautiful to serve the intended purpose. To attract insects and humans for pollination. And I love the pale yellow color... very sweet and innocent.

    ~Noelle
    They are not exotic looking but beautiful just the same. Unluckily it lasts just for a day.

    Bangchik
    Putrajaya Malaysia

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  14. ~pamsenglishgarden
    The Okra flower is not crowning the plant like the sunflower, but stays hidden under the leaves. The pale yellow petals and deep maroon throat make the flower very much visible to us and insects.

    ~Edith Hope
    You describe the beauty well in words, whereas I choose photography to translate beauty in digital form.

    ~Rebecca @ In The Garden
    You may want to try one or two Okras for the beautiful blooms. They grow quick too.

    ~Kim and Victoria
    You get two by growing Okra, one for the beautiful flowers and two for the nutritious fruits.

    ~Deborah
    If you feel swayed by the sweetness of Okra flower, then lets see okra growing in your garden.

    Bangchik
    Putrajaya Malaysia

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  15. ~Stephanie
    Yes, very much like the hibiscus or bunga raya except for the absence of long pistils.

    ~Water Roots
    Some flowers are overly publicized that the beauty miss that surprise and killing element. Okra remains secretive, concealing its natural sweetness, unless we care to bend down and peep through the leaves.

    ~5star
    Thanks for the info.

    ~AaronVFT
    It's alright to grow okra just for the flowers. Some are mad about orchids.., just flowers, no fruits.

    ~Jo
    If we choose okra to be ornamental, there is no harm. In fact very commendable. We can always give away the fruits to neigbours and enjoy the blooms

    bangchik
    Putrajaya Malaysia

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  16. My daughter is studying this now in school. I'm learning along with her. Love the okra!

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  17. Wonderful post! Lovely blooms!! Happy first flowers to your 'Lady's Finger' I love the name Okra too!

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  18. ~JGH
    It is fun to learn along with the children. Now is the best moment to get them into the garden to reinforce what they just learn. Gardeners can always add to their vocabulary too.

    ~Carol
    The name lady's finger reflects the shape of the eventual fruit. It is long and beautiful. Okra is a word of African origin. But the flower is everything about natural beauty.

    bangchik
    Putrajaya Malaysia

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  19. Why, then do I have a small flower bed, this year of the above when I didn't plant them and the only thing close I have come to veggies is one year ago planted squash a few yards away; I have hibiscus/rose of sharon bushes several yards away, and that's all I can think of. A neighbor three to four doors down has a veggie garden. I give up. They have taken over!

    ReplyDelete

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