Saturday, June 25, 2011

Blue flower of Thunbergia erecta (King's Mantle)

Kakdah remembered the flower the moment she saw it. Her childhood days rushed in and she recalled a few of these plants over in Sitiawan. She doesn't know the name so did the restaurant lady. For the moment I shall name the plant, pokok serombong biru....

It was during our trip to Cherating that we came across this beautiful bushy shrub, green leaves with beautiful blue bell shaped flowers, about 4 inches long, as we stopped for a cuppa at one of the roadside restaurant. The soil is sandy, I guess that's the natural habitat for this lovely plant. She gave a few branches.  In the end 10 of them rooted. Now two are flowering....

Flower is blue (or is it purple)

5 petals, yellow in the middle



The center of the flower is glowing


 Flower is too big for the stem and leaves



Some of us may have grown this plant, and know it's name.

{ the name is   Thunbergia erecta (King's Mantle), thanks to blogging friends }


bangchik and kakdah


16 comments:

  1. Bangchik, this flower has sentimental values for you and Kakdah. It looks like either Thunbergia erecta (King's Mantle) or T. battiscombei (Blue Boy Vine).

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  2. Autumn Belle is right, that's the Thunbergia erecta or commonly known here as King's Mantle.Not sure of it's malay name though..

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  3. Yes, this beautiful flower is Thunbergia erecta. It is a native plant of India and south east Asia.

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  4. yes we have lots of it here too, i am about to say Thunbergia erecta, but then found many of them already ID it. This is one fun of blogging.

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  5. Comeca Jones
    ~ You don't expect such beautiful flowers to come out of ordinary shrub looking plant.

    Autumn Belle
    ~ thanks..., in the old days, these Thunbergia erecta appeared as hedges, or single. I seldom see these nowadays.

    Jama
    ~ thanks.., I envy those who remember name of plants. The plant remains as "that blue flower", or serombong biru..., until today!

    lotusleaf
    ~ glad to know that the beautiful plant is native to our place.... No wonder it doesn't appear prominent.., as people go for exotic and imported species...

    Andrea
    ~ Thanks, yea blogging helps to get plant names. Otherwise it will remain as "that blue flower".


    ~bangchik and kakdah Tanah Merah, Kelantan.

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  6. Looks like morning glory to me. Thankfully, we have many experts out there. :)

    Just wondering if this is the one people make nyonya kuih from.

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  7. One
    ~ I dont know about nyonya kuih, but nasi kerabu with blue rice, use bunga telang or clitoria ternatea flowers which blooms in abundance in our garden now.

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  8. Very beautiful colour, it must be closely related to Thunbergia alata, which grows nicely here in the summer. :)

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  9. Rebecca @ In The Garden
    ~ The plant must be proud knowing there are so many cousins all over the world with surname Thunbergia!

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  10. Its very pretty, I have seen it growing around, must try to get some cuttings.

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  11. Beautiful flower. Thanks for your comments on my post.

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  12. I think I saw them growing wild whenever we drive into the village. Used to petik and main masak-masak. Not here in Adelaide of course.

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  13. Nicole
    ~ It's nice plant to keep, shrub like, very bushy when mature.

    elaine rickett
    ~ Not many shrubs produce beautiful blue flowers. Yes, its nice.

    Malay-Kadazan girl
    ~ there should be many of these Thunbergia erecta all over the country growing wild. As people go for more exotic imported plants, the native plants are abandoned... It's time to bring them back in.

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  14. Sue@G.L. Allotments
    ~ yea, beautiful indeed. I better get used to the many shades of blue to describe blue better.

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