Crossandra

Crossandra

Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Asterids
Order:	Lamiales
Family:	Acanthaceae
Genus:	Crossandra
Species:	C . infundibuliformis

Crossandra infundibuliformis, the Firecracker Flower, is a species of plants in the family Acanthaceae, often cultivated for its colorful flowers. This is a very popular tropical flower known as Firecracker. Its scientific name is Crossandra infundibuliformis and the family Acanthaceae. Family wise they are related to such houseplants as the Zebra Plant (Aphelandra squarrosa), Black-eyed Susan Vine (Thunbergia alata), Shrimp Plant (Beloperone guttata), Nerve Plants (Fittonia) and Ruellia. They are evergreen and bloom continuously almost throughout the year. They are sensitive to cold and can’t stand below 50*F. The plants are native to Southern India, Malaysia and Sri Lanka. It is usually grown in containers but can be attaractive in beds as well. Flower colors range from the common orange to salmon-orange or apricot, coral to red, yellow and even turquoise. The flowers are unusually shaped with 3 to 5 asymmetrical petals. They grow from four-sided stalked spikes. They have a tube like ¾ inch stalk which makes it easier to string them for a garland. These tiny flowers are often strung together into strands, sometimes along with white jasmine flowers and therefore in great demand for making garlands which are offered to temple deities or used to adorn women’s hair. The flowers have no perfume but stay fresh for several days on the bush. A well tended specimen will bloom continuously for years. The leaves are glossy and most striking. It is propagated by seeds or cuttings.

The main reason they are known as "Firecrackers" is because their seed pods, which are found after the flower has dried up, tend to "explode" when near high humidity or rainfall. The "explosion" releases the seeds onto the ground, thereby creating new seedlings.Its is popularly known as Kanakambram flowers in telugu.

In South India, Kanakambaram is the favourite flowers of ladies to put in their hair. It competes strongly with jasmine to adorn the south-Indian hair-do's. The crossandra is in the family with Mexican petunias, or ruellias, and the Mississippi Medallion award-winning yellow shrimp plant. This tropical from India and Sri Lanka offers a welcome orange, salmon or yellow to the filtered-light area. In addition to the flowers that are practically non-stop for the entire season, the foliage also offers added interest. The leaves are glossy and most striking. Choose a site with well-drained, fertile soil with perhaps a little morning sun. If you have tight, heavy clay soil, the crossandra will reward you for incorporating 3 to 4 inches of organic matter. As the plant grows, keep it deadheaded and pinched back; it will maintain a bushy shape and keep blooming with each new flush of growth.

Blooming Time: Late Winter to Late Autumn. The tube-shaped blossoms are flattened into a 5-lobed disk.

Culture: Crossandra infundibuliformis need part shade to full sun. The compost should consist of equal parts of loam and peat moss with sand added for drainage. The compost should be kept moist but not overly wet. Fertilize weekly with a balanced fertilizer diluted to ½ the strength recommended from March to October. The temperature should never drop below 55 degrees or the leaves will turn black. While this doesn’t seem to harm the plant, it does make it unsightly. Trim the plants often to keep a desired form. Repotting should be done in February.

Propagation:

Crossandra infundibuliformis are easily propagated by cuttings taken in March or by seed.

• Light: Full sun to semi-shade.
• Moisture: Regular watering moderately. Do not let soil dry out between waterings and maintain relatively high humidity. One way is to let your potted plant sit atop small stones laid on a tray of water. Or regular misting of their foliage is encouraged, never on their delicate blooms though.
• Soil: Well-drained fairly fertile soil. Preferably equal parts of loam and peat moss, plus sand for good drainage.
• Propagation: Propagation by tip or stem cuttings, taken when pruning plant in Spring or germination of seeds. It self-sows readily too.
• Features: Crossandra infundibuliformis is a small evergreen ornamental shrub that is relatively low. It grows to a height of 1-3 feet, depending on the cultivar and spread as wide.
  Firecracker Flower as commonly named, grows vigorously in the Tropics where there is abundant rain, sun and humidity.
  Foliage is dark green and glossy, with oval (some have ruffled) leaves, about 2-5 inches long. The flowers are unusually shaped with asymmetrical petals spreading to form a 3-5 lobed disk, arising from slender 0.75-1 inch long corolla tubes that sprout from 4-6 inch long four-sided spikes.
  Flower colors range from the common orange to salmon-orange or apricot, coral to red, yellow and even turquoise. Their fragile flowers are easily damaged by rain, otherwise can be quite long-lasting.
  These low ornamental shrubs are generous bloomers all year round, often beginning to bloom when only a few inches tall.
• Usage: Crossandra infundibuliformis will make excellent container or tub plants for patios and decks. Popularly grown indoors as a flowering houseplant, especially the dwarf cultivar that grows not taller than 1.5 feet. Being compact and small, it would be ideal outdoors in landscape gardening or borders with a mixed crowd of annuals or perennials. Great shrub for hedges and fencing too.
  In India, the orange flowers of Kanakambaram or Firecraker Plant are favorites with the ladies, to adorn their hair or tied with jasmine flowers and offered in temples.
  It is most attractive to insect pollinators such as the butterflies and dragonflies. Sharing here an image of the fabulous Crimson Dropwing dragonfly and another of the Clouded Skipper, Lerema accius that visited our Firecracker Plants.  
• Care: Firecracker Flower is quite an easy plant to maintain. Provide sufficient water, bright light and high humidity, as well as feed fortnightly with a balanced fertilizer, half the recommended strength, and it will be a happy bloomer throughout the year. It is sturdy and a survivor, so do trim often to keep it tidy, bushy and compact. It is least bothered by pests and diseases, though do check their leaves for spider mites and white flies occasionally to prevent infestation.
• For temperate zones: Hardiness – USDA Zone 10a, 10b and 11. Locate in high light, preferably south window in winter and bright indirect light the rest of the year for best flowering. Summer outdoors in partial shade or full sun. Minimum winter temperature 55 degrees F and avoid drafts.

Cultivars

These are some of the Crossandra infundibuliformis cultivars :

• ‘Lutea’ (Yellow Crossandra) – bright deep rich yellow flowers.
• ‘Tropic Flame’ (Orange Crossandra) – bright orange-salmon flowers.
• ‘Nile Queen’ (Red Crossandra) – bright red flowers.
• ‘Shamrock’ (Green Ice Crossandra, Turquoise Crossandra) – turquoise flowers.

There is another plant Dichelostemma ida-maia, bearing the same common name (Firecracker Flower) as Crossandra infundibuliformis. Without doubt, the former with its stunning cluster of deep crimson tubular flowers and cuffed apple green, resembles the firecrackers perfectly, hence the common name. Just be sure, you’re buying your correct plant! 

Crossandra infundibuliformis was featured as Plant of the Week June 16-23, 2000.

Jasmine

Jasmine

Jasmine is a very popular flower around the world, especially in tropics because of its unique fragrance.  The Jasmine is native to tropical and warm temperate regions of the old world.

Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Division:	Angiosperms
Order:	Lamiales
Family:	Oleaceae
Genus:	Jasminum

Jasmine flowers are white in most species, with some species being yellow flowered. Jasmine is believed to have originated in the Himalayas in western China.

Unlike most genera in the Oleaceae family, which have four corolla lobes petals, Jasmines often have five or six lobes. Jasmines are often strongly and sweetly scented. Jasmine is widely cultivated for its shining leaves and beautiful clusters of fragrant flowers.

Flowering in Jasmines takes place in summer or spring, usually six months after planting. The Jasmine flower releases its fragrance at night after the sun has set and especially when the moon is waxing towards fullness. Jasmine flower buds are more fragrant than the flowers.

There exists a true Jasmine and a false Jasmine, and the two are commonly mistaken for each other because of the fragrance the plants release. The true Jasmine belongs to the family Oleaceae, is primarily a bushy shrub or climbing vine, and is non-poisonous.

True Jasmine has oval, shiny leaves and tubular, waxy-white flowers. The false Jasmine, on the other hand, is in a completely different genus, Gelsemium, and family, Loganiaceae, is considered too poisonous for human consumption.

Some Popular Varieties in Jasmine

• Common Jasmine, or poet's Jasmine - Jasminum officinale, is native to Iran, which produces fragrant white flowers that are the source of attar of Jasmine used in perfumery.
• Winter Jasmine - Jasminum nudiflorum, a Chinese species with solitary yellow flowers, is used as a cover plant on hillsides.
• Arabian Jasmine - Jasminum sambac, are used to make jasmine tea.
• South African Jasmine - Jasminum angulare: an evergreen vine, which is only hardy in the coastal areas. Jasmine blooms in the summer, bearing unscented white flowers in groups of three.
• Spanish Jasmine - Jasminum grandiflorum: is a semi-evergreen to deciduous vine with fragrant, white flowers, which are 1 inch in diameter.
• Italian Jasmine - Jasminum humile: an evergreen shrub or vine, which can reach up to 20 feet and arch to make a 10-foot-wide mound. Clusters of fragrant, bright yellow flowers are present all summer.
• Primrose Jasmine - Jasminum mesnyi: an evergreen shrub with yellow, unscented flowers, which are up to 2 inches in diameter.
• Downy Jasmine - Jasminum multiflorum: has clustered, white flowers that are not strongly scented. The stems and leaves have a downy coating, resulting in an overall gray-green effect.

Growing Jasmine flowers

• Jasmines grow well in moist, well drained, sandy loam to clayey graden soil with moderate level of fertility.
• Jasmine prefer full sun to partial shade and a warm site.
• Jasmine bushes should be planted during June to November.
• Jasmine Plant should be kept at least eight feet apart in order to save the later growth of the plant from jamming together.
• Adding of leaf molds to the soil makes it better for the growth of the plant.
• Mild fertilizer should be applied during spring.
• Plenty of water should be given during summer.
• Jasmine plants should be provided with full sunlight upto at least four hours a day.

Uses of Jasmine

• Jasmine is used for decorations for various occasions like wedding, anniversary....
• Jasmine is used for making perfumes and incense.
• Jasmine is used for making oils which are used in Aromatherapy.
• Jasmine is used for making garlands and is worn in hair by women in some Asian countries.
• Jasmine is used in medicines for healing; especially Jasmine tea which is made of Star Jasmine is used for balancing body effected by Sun stroke.
• Jasmine oil extracts are used in beauty products for rejuvenate your skin.
• Jasmine known to be heavily fragrant flower also helps to lift the mood for people who undergo emotional depression.
• Jasmine helps in relieving stress by its fragrance and encourages the individual to relax and live healthy.
• Unlike the tea taken daily, people prefer Jasmine tea to refresh as contrast to daily routine.

Jasmine Plant Care

The four things which are most important are
Sunshine
Fertilizer
Soil
Watering

• Remove the weeds present near Jasmine plants.
• Fertilizers should be added from time to time. Mild or moderate fertlizers must be used.
• Add fertilizers for every two weeks - 10% potassium, 20% phosphorous and 10 % nitrogen combination of fertilizer is best suited for Jasmine plant
• Phosphorous and Potassium should be applied in two split doses i.e once after annual pruning and again during June and July.
• Tips of the plants should be pinched to stimulate lateral growth and frequent pruning.
• First irrigation should be given immediately after planting and subsequent irrigation at an interval of seven to ten days.
• Younger plants should be tied with the stems to give a fairly heavy support.
• It differs how to take care of Jasmine plant depending on indoor and outdoor. When it comes for Indoor plant care, Jasmine needs 4-6 hours of exposure to Sun light. So better keep Jasmine plant in the balcony. Dont exposure it to direct Sunlight in the afternoon. Keep it in shades during mid day, especially in Summer.
• For indoor planting, care should be taken so that the plant does not develop fungus.
• If at all it is placed inside the house, to avoid fungus the best suited place is near a open window
• Pruning in late spring is preferred.
• For Jasmine polyanthum, frequent pruning is must.
• If spider mites are found, water spray on leaves gets rid of the problem.
• Dead leaves and branches and dead flowers must be removed from time to time. Otherwise the growth of the plant gets effected.
• For outdoor Jasmine plant care - The preferred time to plant this  Jasmine bushes is June and November.
• If you plant 2-3 Jasmine Bushes, you need to give adequate space between them, so that their roots can expand.
• Sandy loam soil is best recommended for growing Jasmine plant.
• Water the plant daily, dont let the soil completely dry.
• You can add lime to soil for the plants healthy growth.

Facts About Jasmine

• Jasmine shrubs reach to a height of 10-15 feet, growing approximately 12-24 inches per year.
• Jasmine leaves are either evergreen or deciduous.
• A Jasmine leaf is arranged in opposite in most species, leaf shape is simple, trifoliate or pinnate with 5-9 leaflets, each up to two and half inches long.
• The Jasmine stems are slender, trailing, green, glaborous, angled, almost 4-sided.
• Most of the Jasmine species bear white flowers, which are about 1 inch in size.
• Jasmine oil, which is a very popular fragrant oil, contains benzyl acetate, terpinol, jasmone, benzyl benzoate, linalool, several alcohols, and other compounds.
• The variety Jasminium sambac, is a clustered flower of a equally strong scent known in Hawaii as the Pikake.
• Two types of Jasmine are used for oil production - Jasminum grandiflorum and Jasminum officinale.
• The nectar of the fragrant flowers of Carolina Jasmine, Gelsemium sempervirens, is poisonous, although its dried roots are used in medicinal preparations as a sedative.
• Jasmine flower oil, extracted from the two species Jasminum officinale and grandiflorum, is used in high-grade perfumes and cosmetics, such as creams, oils, soaps, and shampoos.

• In Syria, jasmine is the symbolic flower of Damascus, which is called the City of Jasmine.

• In Thailand, jasmine flowers are used as a symbol of the mother.

            Jasmine is the national flower of the following countries:

• Indonesia, where the variety Jasminum sambac is the "puspa bangsa" (national flower), and goes by the name "Melati Putih". It is the most important flower in wedding ceremonies for ethnic Indonesians, especially in the island of Java.
• Pakistan, where Jasminum officinale is known as the "Chambeli" or "Yasmine" is the national flower.
• Philippines, where it is known as "Sampaguita", and is usually strung on garlands which are then used to adorn religious images.

Cultivation and uses:

Widely cultivated for its flowers, jasmine is enjoyed in the garden, as a house plant, and as cut flowers. The flowers are worn by women in their hair in southern and south east Asia. The delicate jasmine flower opens only at night and may be plucked in the morning when the tiny petals are tightly closed, then stored in a cool place until night. The petals begin to open between six and eight in the evening, as the temperature lowers.

Jasmine Tea

Jasmine tea is consumed in China, where it is called jasmine-flower tea (茉莉花茶; pinyin: mò lì huā chá). Jasminum sambac flowers are also used to make so-called jasmine tea, which often has a base of green tea, but sometimes an Oolong base is used. Flowers and tea are "mated" in machines that control temperature and humidity. It takes four hours or so for the tea to absorb the fragrance and flavour of the jasmine blossoms, and for the highest grades, this process may be repeated as many as seven times. Because the tea has absorbed moisture from the flowers, it must be refired to prevent spoilage. The spent flowers may or may not be removed from the final product, as the flowers are completely dry and contain no aroma. Giant fans are used to blow away and remove the petals from the denser tea leaves. If present, they simply add visual appeal and are no indication of the quality of the tea.

In Okinawa, Japan, Jasmine Tea is known as Sanpin Cha (さんぴん茶).

Jasmine Syrup

The French are known for their jasmine syrup, most commonly made from an extract of jasmine flowers. In the United States, this French jasmine syrup is used to make jasmine scones and marshmallows.

Jasmine Essential Oil

Jasmine essential oil is in common use. Its flowers are either extracted by the labour-intensive method of enfleurage or through chemical extraction. It is expensive due to the large number of flowers needed to produce a small amount of oil. The flowers have to be gathered at night because the odour of jasmine is more powerful after dark. The flowers are laid out on cotton cloths soaked in olive oil for several days and then extracted leaving the true jasmine essence. Some of the countries producing jasmine essential oil are India, Egypt, China and Morocco.

Jasmine Absolute used in Perfume and Incense

Its chemical constituents include methyl anthranilate, indole, benzyl alcohol, linalool, and skatole. Many species also yield an absolute, which is used in perfumes and incense.