Ulam raja crowning its seeds

the seeds of ulam raja.

the flower of ulam raja

Ulam Raja
flowers at various stage

To live along with plants is to view and understand its developmental growth. I seldom let veggies to go through the whole cycle, especially the greens. We pull them out young and fresh. One or two will allowed to go further for seeds.

Ulam raja is different. Their young shoots are regularly cut for  salads. One plant is allowed to grow free untouched. That plant shoots up to more than 10 feet, towering over everything in the garden except the banana and papaya. Those regularly cut, had to endure bonsai treatment and never grow beyond 5 feet. But all of them bloom at about the same time. It was Tuesday first of September 2009, that I posted an entry titled    Germinating ulam raja.
and by 11th of September 2009,  we witness the emergence of  the fourth leaves of Ulam Raja
Ulam raja had to endure the test by nature when a gust of wind was too much for Ulam Raja.to handle .
Seven months since germination, Ulam Raja were dancing with little flowers on their head  to celebrate its first burst of flowers.

Now they are dancing with
crown of seeds
on their heads.

Soon they will bow signaling their imminent departure 

after spending some 7 months with us 

in this little vegetable garden.

What an adventure to live with them.
 







 

 

~ bangchik

Ulam Raja celebrating its first burst of flowers

ulam raja
the flower.

 

ulam raja

About 4 feet high, near kitchen.

  

ulam raja

Perched high.

  

ulam raja

The plant is 10 feet high  at the front of our house near the driveway

  

ulam raja

Life is extremely fair, that beauty of flowers is a trade off with less beautiful foliage. Ulam raja, a version of cosmos is an interesting plant. The leaves are perfect, shown in the earlier post and occasionally find its way to dinner table as salad. A fresh ulam raja is a delicacy, always eaten raw as salad.

Ulam raja behave just like marigolds, that blooming starts only when the health level of the foliage is dropping.  Both ulam raja and marigolds look awfully similar, therefore blooming pattern is expected to be similar too. Ulam raja beside the driveway is almost 10 feet high. 

Now they are flowering...

~ bangchik

They fall and continue growing.

marigolds.

 

marigolds

 

 ulam raja

 

ulam raja

Earlier post mentioned about strong winds bringing down  marigolds  and  ulam raja.. But they continue to survive in their own ways. Ulam raja doesn't seem to produce roots at the grounded stem, whereas marigolds produce roots at the bent part of the stem. I cut off two branches of marigolds and place them somewhere else to check if propagation can be done that way. After three days of withdrawal, the two cuttings of marigold seem to hang on....  I will do a post  later to highlight their progress.

~bangchik
Putrajaya, Malaysia

Too much to handle for Ulam Raja.

 

The wind was pushing hard. It was too much for Ulam Raja to handle. A few branches had to go and the way they fell, almost tell us where the wind was coming from!!.. But the fallen branches are growing as usual....

~ bangchik

the old leaves won't fall, these Ulam Raja.

ulam raja

Ulam raja has old brown leaves hanging down still intact, protecting the stems against scotching hot sun.  The plants were planted in clusters, very close, barely six inches apart. They do create an impact, and the hanging old leaves give a lovely tone of green and brown.

Kakdah cut off the shoots for salads. She purposely  created the pyramid look, by cutting the shoots from the outer plants first, and progressively moved to the inside. There is no sign of ulam raja flowering yet. Ulam Raja is getting very tall, almost 5 feet, much taller than their normal height of about 3 feet. Neighbours and friends has been asking about the secret recipe for such height.... Regular watering, adequate poultry fertilizer and a little bit of attention may be.. haha.

~bangchik

Putrajaya, Malaysia

Tumeric has flower too.

tumeric flower

[bunga kunyit]

Why would plants produce flowers, when there is no intention of producing seeds?.. As any other plants, tumeric too has to die, not until a lovely flower appears...... ... Reproduction is never through seeds, because there is none!... Reseeding is always done through rhizomes. So the truth behind flowering has to be examined, because it is not always pivoted on producing seeds.

On a romantic level, I would suggest that flowering is a signal about the readiness of a plant to die and not until rhizomes or seeds are ready to carry on the legacy.. Tumeric having flowers possibly allows them to be in the bigger family of plants, that they produce flowers to feed a host of pests, insects, ants and butterflies with their nectar.. Tumeric  or Curcuma longa is rhizomatous herbaceous perennial plant of the ginger family, Zingiberaceae.

Kakdah will take a leaf or two of tumeric for her rendang ayam. She will dig out  rhizomes and ground them to get the most naturally yellow paste for crispy fried fish! We grow tumeric at several locations and they really love cooler environment. A little bit of shade will help.

The flowers are good salad!!... We have enjoyed lunches with such appetizing salads...., tumeric flowers!..... And I will not venture into describing the taste of tumeric flowers... I am usually speechless whenever  I see one!  haha.

~bangchik

Putrajaya, Malaysia

Mas cotek, a new addition.

Mas Cotek 

Ficus Deltoidea 

It was during Floria2009, the most colorful flower show in Putrajaya, that while touring , we stopped at one of the herbs stall. Mas cotek attracted my attention for a brief moment. The guy came over and talked about this plant. The leaves are awfully stiff, the surface is a lot greener than the bottom. The fruits are white in color. How many times we came across with  lovely white fruits during our life time?.. Seldom.

The plant was in a big black polybag. The price tag was RM30. I wanted just a portion, not the whole big plant, I said. The guy was in such a good mood that he cut off 2 branches, pushed them in a plastic bag and just gave it to me. He reminded us not to tell anyone about it being free while we were still on the tour. The flower show has long gone, therefore it is alright to make it known... Thanks Mr Herb, whatever his name is....

I cut the branches further, and in the end we have 4 little cuttings in small pots. After a month, new shoots start to appear in all 4 cuttings.

mas cotek

mas cotek

I googled, and found this info:-

Mas cotek has been scientifically  researched by two local institutions, University Malaya and MARDI. Research result shows that mas cotek possesses 5 active components which are required by the human body namely: flavanoid, tannins, tritopnoids, proanthocyanins, and phenols. These active components is medically shown to assist in human memory and was used by doctors to treat patients with disability in mental concentration. In addition, mas cotek helps to assist in the effectiveness of vitamin C in controlling nitric oxide and blood circulation. Mas cotek protects the heart in 3 ways; prevent blood clot, control LLD (bad cholesterol) oxygenation and reduce blood pressure. [mas cotek: click here].

~bangchik and kakdah

Putrajaya, MALAYSIA

Daun Selom, such delicacy.

Daun Selom
or Selom Leaves
Scientifically known as Oenanthe Javanica

Daun Selom is a local herb found in wet areas through out Malaysia, India and South East Asia. It is used as vegetable salad for thousand of years. Daun Selom has a high anti oxidant properties. If consumed daily as herbal supplement, it will prevent chronic digeneric diseases and boost the immune system.

Daun Selom
at the lower end of veggie bed,
with marigolds as companions.

The white flowers doesn't belong to marigolds. It's Selom...., We squeezed a few seloms at the lower end of the bed where roselles and marigolds are. These seloms really are a distant cousin of kangkung (water spinach), with hollow tube as stems. They dont climb up, just crawl on the ground.... As kangkung, these selom loves water....

They really thrive in paddy or rice field. We try as much as we can to simulate a suitable habitat for these seloms. Lots of compost, mulch and heavy watering......

Young leaves and stems are edible - raw or cooked. The flavour is reminiscent of carrots or parsley.

Daun seloms, 

just another herb in our garden

the leaves

the flower

Daun Selom, 

just another herb in our garden

reference

1. selom : swingtrading
2. Selom-Panduan Menanam: organikpro [in Malay Language]

The fourth leaves of Ulam Raja...

ulam raja
(cosmos caudatus)

This particular plant has been my focus for a couple of posts (under the label herbs). I love growing ulam raja because of their zest for life. They will grow for almost a year, offering lovely shoots for salads.... When flowering comes, we know the end is nearing. Flowering time is a true test on our patience, because this the period ulam raja will thin and weaken, and leaves getting yellow, and new shoots refuse to come out... Ulam raja will end its life in your arms and care.

Most seedlings show their true leaves with the emergence of the second pair. The little seedlings are very eager and start behaving like adults even in tiny little pots!!.... Soon I will have them transferred into beds. This time, I wish to spread them all over.... 13 seedlings altogether!. We need a good weekend to settle this particular chore.

The seedlings are a lot stronger after days at the porch, playing with wind and bathing in sunlight... They are less leggy, and the stems are heavily tanned now.

Thats the fourth leaves.
or the second pair.

Other names:
cosmos caudatus

Happy Gardening
~Bangchik and Kakdah
Putrajaya, MALAYSIA

Germinating ulam raja

Germinating ulam raja direct on bed is easy, just loosen the dried flowers and spread on bed. Within 3 to 4 days, seedlings will appear. Recently I tried germinating ulam raja indoor in little pots instead of direct onto the bed, just to have a closer look..... The seeds were given by Kakdah's sister who lived in Tanjung Rambutan....

Currently, there are 13 plants growing at different locations in the garden. To wait for these ulam raja to flower and have seeds of their own will be a while longer. So these new babies will soon be big enough and definitely come in handy, the moment the existing plants decide to end..

Having ulam raja around is quite a help. because Kakdah can just nib a few shoots as something for visitors to take home... a very nice salad!

Ulam raja is said to have anti-fungal and anti-bacteria and treasured by locals as good for health and contains anti-aging properties or awet muda, and that it tones up blood circulation, strengthens the bones and promotes fresh breath.... It could just be true..., because Kakdah is young as ever!... haha.

all within a week.

The seedlings will soon be transferred on the desired location when the fourth leaf appear. But I place them at the front porch for a day or two first, to let them play with the wind, to condition and strengthen the leggy stems. Real life out there is not as rosy as in tiny pots.....

update: other name of ulam raja is Cosmos caudatus.

Marigolds and Ulam Raja, where do they differ?

When we own a small vegetable garden, none of the plants will miss our attention. In a way we babysit them to the end... Some end up on dinner plate but some are meant for snails, grasshoppers , and caterpillars. Thats how nature prepare itself for continuity , trying to get some form of equilibrium.

As we babysit plants, we become so familiar with the plants. Not only on the flowers, but leaves, the stems, the branches, the color and their smell. A visitor to this blog recently posed a question which in the end, make me promise to myself to see and probe at the differences of Marigolds and Ulam Raja.

ulam raja 1

ulam raja 2

ulam raja 3

ulam raja 4

ULAM RAJA

marigold 1

marigold 2

marigold 3

marigold 4

MARIGOLDS

They look similar, and yet differ in many ways. Ulam Raja exhibits what I term as "leaves upon leaves", and are grown for fresh salad. Marigolds on the other hand are grown to add colors to the garden with their orange blooms. Ulam Rajas are growing fine at the moment but I suspect something not very right with our blooming marigolds, and I will write about it later....... huh.

Let Basil roam and play.

Basil is just like spinach, the seeds sprout with no second thought. Seedlings are easy to recognise when they are at two-leaves..... We place five of them on the ground, at different locations. They are growing.... and we are waiting for the first pagoda-like bloom!!

It all started with the first basil plant Kakdah bought at taman pertanian. So these are the second generation basil in our care .... Basil will germinate once the seeds absorb some water, so easy and quick. What a plant!... active plant as fast as spinach in sprouting.

flowering soon..