Firecracker flower

“Crossandra infundibuliformis”:
From Missouri Botanical Garden, http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?taxonid=275274 » “Native to India and Sri Lanka, firecracker flower is a tropical evergreen subshrub that grows 1-3' tall. Features apricot to salmon pink flowers in terminal racemes. Yellow and red flowered forms are also available. Blooms throughout the year (everblooming). Ovate to lanceolate shiny dark green leaves.”

I don’t know why, but I have been “taken” by how this plant grows, with a stalk or stem shooting up inside the perimeter of the flowers. From Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crossandra_infundibuliformis » “The flowers are unusually shaped with 3 to 5 asymmetrical petals. They grow from four-sided stalked spikes, and have a tube-like ¾ inch stalk.”

Also, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crossandra_infundibuliformis » “Firecracker” flower may refer to “the seed pods, which are found after the flower has dried up, and tend to ‘explode’ when near high humidity or rainfall. The ‘explosion’ releases the seeds onto the ground, thereby creating new seedlings.”

Species page at PhytoImages, http://phytoimages.siu.edu/cgi-bin/dol/dol_terminal.pl?taxon_name=Crossandra_infundibuliformis&rank=binomial

Photo taken at SIUC Plant Biology Greenhouse, http://www.plantbiology.siu.edu/facilities/plant-biology-facilities/greenhouse/index.php

1 year ago (“Long shadows … at only 4 p.m.!”): http://365project.org/rhoing/365/2013-11-03
2 years ago (“Gray Hairstreak”): http://365project.org/rhoing/365/2012-11-03
3 years ago (“Playoff series format”): http://365project.org/rhoing/365/2011-11-03

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[Cathrine Mitchell]

Beautiful coloured plant.

[Rick Schies]

It is a bit different from what we typically see, but quite attractive