Welcome!
I am writing about herbs in the 2016 April AtoZ blogging challenge. Most of the herbs written in this series are those I have seen or used. Today’s herb is one that I had seen many moons ago at my grandmother’s home and I am sure most of you would have heard about it or seen it.
G is for Gulbakshi which is the Marathi local name for a pretty trumpet shaped flower called Mirabilis jalapa or the Four O Clock Flower. It belongs to the Nyctaginaceae family. Though a native of Peru, it is quite common in India and seems happy here! It is said to be a herbaceous perennial with ovate leaves. The showy flowers bloom late in the afternoon (which may explain its common name) and stay open till the next morning. Strangely, one plant may bear flowers of more than one colour.
I am writing about herbs in the 2016 April AtoZ blogging challenge. Most of the herbs written in this series are those I have seen or used. Today’s herb is one that I had seen many moons ago at my grandmother’s home and I am sure most of you would have heard about it or seen it.
G is for Gulbakshi which is the Marathi local name for a pretty trumpet shaped flower called Mirabilis jalapa or the Four O Clock Flower. It belongs to the Nyctaginaceae family. Though a native of Peru, it is quite common in India and seems happy here! It is said to be a herbaceous perennial with ovate leaves. The showy flowers bloom late in the afternoon (which may explain its common name) and stay open till the next morning. Strangely, one plant may bear flowers of more than one colour.
The blooms have a long ‘stem’ hence they can be braided together to form a floral garland without using a needle and thread! Try it the next time you have more than three Gulbakshi flowers!
Some flowers bloom at a specific time of the day and here is an interesting article about using blooms to create a living flower clock!
Gerbera is yet another herb with flamboyant flowers and is popular with florists. They are long lasting and lend themselves to arrangements of many types. This is native to South Africa.
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| The pink bloom in the centre is Gerbera |
We are nearing the end of the first full week of the 2016 blogathon and its been a hectic time so far. How about you?
Happy blogging!
Love how one plant can give out flowers of different colours. Surprises of nature! and Gerberas sure pep up a bouquet!
Great Going G!
Cheers,
Seena
#AtoZChallenge- G is for Google
Nature is great. Thanks Seena!
It looks really pretty. it's good that you are giving so much of information along with the beautiful pictures!
Cheers
Geets
I have seent hose trumpet looking flowers. But never knew the name though. And I so love Geraberas. esp the yellow ones. They simply brighten up your day. Thanks for sharing.
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Such an informative post 🙂 i used to see these flowers everywhere, didn't know what they were called, thanks for the wonderful post 🙂
Hi Archana, yet another informative post. Gulbakshiis such a lovely name. Gerbera I knew! Thanks for sharing
@KalaRavi16 from
Relax-N-Rave
How pretty they are! Thank you! Yes, the first week is over – we've survived!
@Geets Thanks! Your words made my day. 🙂
@Shalini -great to read your comments. Going over to your blog soon!
Thanks Kala. Lovely names for lovely flowers!
Yes we have Susan. So many comments and blogs to catch up with. Busy times ahead….
Wow.. Gulbakshi. Glad to see you're posting on Herbs. This one is too good. I'll be catching all your other posts soon. Keep writing! 🙂
Gerbera is my favorite but I am happy to also know about Gulbakshi!
Thanks for sharing such wonderful posts 🙂
This week has been surely hectic but the good thing is due to this challenge, we get to discover new blogs and be friends with new people. I guess that's what makes it interesting..What do you think ?
Cheers,
Srivi – AtoZChallenge
G for Graveyard | Twitter
Flower which bloom in afternoon, wohhaa
And lovely clicks .
I saw a beautiful rose too in the click …it looked healthy
Can you guide me on planting them too ?
I have them but isn't much healthy .
@dixita011 from
Cafenined words
@Shalni – Thanks. Have a great day!
@Srivi – totally agree with you. Met new friends and interesting blogs and we still at the initial phase of the challenge. Cheers!
@Dixita mour – I don't know much about rose gardening. Maybe u can consult a local nursery, check the soil or potting medium. I think roses need good sunlight so you can check for that. They also need regular spraying to keep off pests. These are few suggestions I can think of immediately! Good luck!
Lovely to learn a bit more about the plants around us. I hadn't heard of the first one, but it's very pretty and I like gerberia
Debbie
Wonderful post, very informative! It is so awesome that this plant can have different coloured flowers! I recently bought a plant that, I was told has 2 different kind of flowers. Unfortunately, that plant didn't flourish in my garden. 🙁 I often fail to take care of a plant that has pretty flowers, but I am trying my best to learn more so I can have floral plants.
Cheers!
I love gerbera daisies but have no luck with them in my garden. My mother used to grow four-o'clocks.
I love the Gulbakshi, we use to have a bunch of them in the yard, with different colors. The Gerbera sure is very pretty.
@Debbie- I like Gerberas too.. 🙂
@Karnika – Good luck with your plants. I am sure they will do well with a bit of attention.:)
@Denise – thanks for stopping by. Cheers!!
@Lorena – Wow, your garden must have been colourful! Thanks for stopping by. 🙂
So what exactly is the difference between a herb and a flowering plant? I thought herbs were plants with medicinal and or culinary value. GErberas are one of my favourite ornamental flowers and I've used them in my Avatar.