Physalis alkekengi (Chinese Lantern)

Physalis alkekengi (bladder cherry, Chinese lantern, Japanese-lantern, strawberry groundcherry, or winter cherry;Japanese: hōzuki，中文：酸浆，姑娘，菇茑，姑鸟儿) is a relative of P. peruviana (Cape gooseberry), easily identifiable by the larger, bright orange to red papery covering over its fruit, which resemble paper lanterns. It is native from southern Europe east across southern Asia to Japan. It is an herbaceous perennial plant growing to 40–60 cm tall, with spirally arranged leaves 6–12 cm long and 4–9 cm broad. The flowers are white, with a five-lobed corolla 10–15 mm across, with an inflated basal calyx which matures into the papery orange fruit covering, 4–5 cm long and broad. and "touch-me-not" is typically used in Europe and North America. (Wikipedia)

Chinese Lantern flowers are not native to China. Rather, this perennial originates from southeastern Europe and Japan. It gets it's name from the distinctive color and shape of the papery husk, which resembles a Chinese (or Japanese) Lantern.
This novel plant grows up to two feet tall, producing white, 5-petaled flowers in mid summer. The flowers give way to a light green, lantern-shaped husk with a berry inside. As it matures, the husk turns a bright orange-red color, and the husk turns papery. (www.gardenersnet.com: Growing Chinese Lantern Flowers)

Physalis alkekengi (Chinese lantern)

Left: Bud and flower of Physalis alkekengi var. franchetii, in Mount Ibuki, Maibara, Shiga prefecture, Japan.
Middle and Right: Physalis alkekengi, Solanaceae, Bladder Cherry, Chinese Lantern, Japanese Lantern, Winter Cherry; Botanical Garden KIT, Karlsruhe, Germany.
Left image: Bud and Flower Middle image: Developing fruit Right image: Fruit

Physalis alkekengi var. franchetii (Chinese lantern)

Physalis alkekengi var. franchetii. In midsummer the plant is covered in small creamy-white flowers that contrast with the oval green foliage. Later in the year they become full of berries that are inside bright red-orange papery calyces that look like Chinese lanterns. If left on the plant over winter the berries, which have been hidden inside, become visible as the calyces slowly skeletonize and end up, on frosty winter days, looking like gilded cages surrounding the berries.
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Physalis alkekengi, Fruit

Physalis alkekengi, Fruit
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Physalis alkekengi, Fruit

Physalis alkekengi, Fruit
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Physalis alkekengi (Chinese lantern)

Physalis alkekengi (Chinese lantern)
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Physalis alkekengi (Chinese lantern)

Physalis alkekengi (Chinese lantern)
Left image: Physalis alkekengi var franchetii
Right image: Illustration of Physalis alkekengi

Lantern tree

Lantern tree is a common name for several plants and may refer to:
Crinodendron hookerianum, or Chilean lantern tree
Dichrostachys cinerea, or Chinese lantern tree, native to Africa and widely introduced
Hernandia nymphaeifolia, or Chinese lantern tree, native to coastal areas throughout the tropics
Nymania capensis, or Chinese lantern tree, native to southern Africa
(Wikipedia)

Crinodendron hookerianum (Chilean lantern tree)

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Crinodendron hookerianum (Chilean lantern tree)
Crinodendron hookerianum, known as the Chilean lantern tree, is an evergreen tree in the family Elaeocarpaceae. It is endemic to Chile, where it occurs from Cautin to Palena (38 to 43°S). It grows near streams and in very humid and shady places.
The flowers are hermaphrodite, solitary and axillary, pinkish to red. (Wikipedia)

Lantern Tree (Crinodendron hookerianum) In the Branklyn Garden.

Dichrostachys cinerea (Chinese lantern tree)

Left image: Dichrostachys cinerea, near Pemba town, northern Mozambique
Right image: Dichrostachys cinerea (Sickle Bush, Chinese lantern tree), at Thotlakonda in Visakhapatnam
Dichrostachys cinerea, known as sicklebush, Bell mimosa, Chinese lantern tree or Kalahari Christmas tree (South Africa), is a legume of the genus Dichrostachys in the Fabaceae family.
Other common names include acacia Saint Domingue (French), el marabu (Cuba), Kalahari-Weihnachtsbaum (German of former South West Africa), kéké or mimosa clochette (Réunion).
The generic name Dichrostachys means 'two-colored spike', referring to its two-colored inflorescence. (Wikipedia)

Dichrostachys cinerea (Chinese lantern tree) in Hyderabad, India.

Hernandia nymphaeifolia (Chinese lantern tree)

Left image: Hernandia nymphaeifolia (Chinese lantern tree, Fotulona)
Right image: Hernandia nymphaeifolia, Chinese lantern tree, (fotulona) on Tongan beach
Hernandia nymphaeifolia (Chinese lantern tree)
Hernandia nymphaeifolia is a species of plant in the Hernandiaceae family. Its common name is Lantern Tree.
The flowers are white or greenish, hermaphrodite, with fragant odour; male and female are separated. The fruit is fleshy, waxy red or white. (Wikipedia)

Link - flickr.com/Ahmad Fuad Morad: multiple images of Hernandia nymphaeifolia

Nymania capensis (Chinese lantern tree)

Nymania capensis (Chinese lantern tree)
Left image: Ripe and unripe (red) seed capsules, South of Oudtshoorn, South Africa.
Right image: 호롱불나무 (학명 Nymania capensis / 영명 chinese lantern tree)
Nymania capensis is known in English as "Chinese Lantern" because of the shape of its bright, colourful fruit, and in Afrikaans as "klapper" (meaning "firecracker" because children sometimes pop the capsules for fun). It is a spare, scrubby, woody shrub or small tree, typically ) 0.5–3 m tall. It is endemic to South Africa and some closely bordering territories, especially inland regions in central, northern and eastern parts. (Wikipedia)

Chinese Lantern (Nymania capensis)
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Abutilon pictum (Redvein Abutilon, Redvein Chinese lantern)

Abutilon pictum — commonly known as Redvein Abutilon, Red Vein Indian Mallow, Redvein Flowering Maple, Chinese-lantern or Red vein Chinese lanterns, is a species of Abutilon in the Malvaceae family. It is native to southern Brazil and Argentina, and Paraguay and Uruguay. The plant has become naturalised in Central America, and common in horticulture.
The yellow to orange-red bell shaped flowers have prominent dark red veining, with five petals 2–4 cm long.
(Wikipedia)

Abutilon pictum (Redvein Abutilon, Redvein Chinese lantern)

Left image: Abutilon pictum — Redvein abutilon, Redvein Chinese lantern
Right image: Abutilon pictum — from Brasilia, Brasil

Abutilon hybridum (Flowering maples, Chinese lantern, Chinese bellflower)

Abutilon hybridum is a species name used for a wide variety of different types flowering plants of uncertain origin in the genus Abutilon. Because of the uncertainty surrounding the name, they are often considered a cultivar group: Abutilon x Hybridum Group or Abutilon Hybridum Group. They are cultigens, not occurring in the wild. As with the larger Abutilon genus generally, they have been referred to by the common names Chinese lantern, and parlour maple. (Wikipedia)
Flowering Maple Any tropical shrub of the malvaceous genus Abutilon, esp A. hybridum, having lobed leaves resembling those of a maple (Acer spp.) and brightly coloured flowers. Abutilon flowering maple is also sometimes referred to as the Indian mallow and parlor maple.

Left image: Abutilon × hybridum, cultivar 'Patrick Synge'
Middle image: Abutilon × hybridum, 'Patricia' at the San Francisco Botanical Garden
Right image: Abutilon × hybridum 'Red Monarch' at City Farmers Nursery, San Diego, California, USA.

Abutilon flowering maples
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Weird and Beautiful Flowers and Plants

Calceolaria uniflora (Darwin's Slipper Flower)

Calceolaria uniflora (syn. Calceolaria darwinii, known as Darwin's slipper) is a perennial plant of the genus Calceolaria, known as the slipperworts. It is originally from Tierra del Fuego in the southern part of South America.
Calceolaria uniflora is a mountain plant growing only to 10 cm (4 in) tall. The flowers are a compound of yellow, white and brownish red. (Wikipedia)

Left image: Calceolaria uniflora, Torres del Paine, Chile Right image: Calceolaria uniflora

Calceolaria uniflora, Torres del Paine National Park, Chile
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Calceolaria uniflora (= C. darwinii) was discovered by Charles Darwin in his voyage around South America. It is an evergreen, perennial species that makes a rosette of small, tongue-shaped leaves. Over time the plant multiplies into a small colony. The genus name Calceolaria means "little shoe", referring to the slipper-shaped blooms. These unusual flowers appear throughout the summer. The pouch-like blooms are about 2 inches tall, and are suspended from 4-5 inch tall stems. They have a white band across the open "mouth", with burgundy markings above and below it. A local species of bird likes to eat the white part of the blooms. This is a good thing, because it's how the flowers get pollinated! (strangewonderfulthings.com)

Like other true alpine plants, Calceolaria uniflora have a shallow root system and grow tight to the ground reaching no more than 4-5 inches tall.
The pouch-like blooms are about 2 inches long, and appear throughout the summer suspended from tall slender stems that rise from a rosette of small, tongue-shaped leaves.
The flowers are orange-yellow with varying amounts of deep garnet-red to bright chestnut freckling or shading in the throat and on the outside of the vertical lower lip.
Each bloom has a white band across an open 'mouth', with burgundy markings above and below it.
The white section is offered out as though it is on a tray and attracts a local species of bird. The bird eats this section of the flower and in doing so collects pollen on its head. As soon as the bird eat from another flower it too becomes pollinated. (seedsofeaden.com)

Rebutia

Rebutia is a genus in the family Cactaceae, native to Bolivia and Argentina. They are generally small, colorful cacti, globular in form, which freely produce flowers that are relatively large in relation to the body. They have no distinctive ribs, but do have regularly arranged small tubercles. They are considered fairly easy to grow and they may produce large quantities of seeds that germinate freely around the parent plant.
Rebutia minuscula is a species of cactus from northern Argentina. It is the type species of the genus Rebutia.
(Wikipedia)

Left image: Rebutia wessneriana (Rebutia minuscula var. wessneriana)
Middle image: Rebutia minuscula (syn. R. senilis)
Right image: Cactus Flowers

Cactus Flowers

Videao and Image source: www.youtube.com
Watch additional videos of Cactus Flowers at www.youtube.com www.youtube.com www.youtube.com

Skeleton flower (Diphylleia grayi)

Diphylleia is a group of small herbs in the Berberidaceae family described as a genus in 1803. It is native to the eastern United States and eastern Asia.
Diphylleia grayi, also known as the skeleton flower, has white petals that turn translucent with rain. When dry, they revert to white. (Wikipedia)

Left image: Diphylleia grayi Right image: Diphylleia grayi turns translucent with rain

Diphylleia grayi

Cleome hassleriana

Cleome is a genus of flowering plants in the family Cleomaceae. Previously it had been placed in the family Capparaceae, until DNA studies found the Cleomaceae genera to be more closely related to the Brassicaceae than the Capparaceae. The APG II system allows for Cleome and the other members of the Cleomaceae to be included in the Brassicaceae.
Cleome hassleriana, commonly known as spider flower, spider plant, or pink queen, is a species of flowering plant in the genus Cleome of the family Cleomaceae, native to southern South America in Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, and southeast Brazil. (Wikipedia)

Left image: Cleome hassleriana (Spider Flower) in Gavi, Kerala, India. The flowers are purple, pink, or white, with four petals and six long stamens. Flowering lasts from late spring to early fall. It is commonly cultivated in temperate regions as a half-hardy annual.
Right image: Detail of a purple spider flower

Billbergia nutans (Queen's-Tears)

Billbergia nutans (Queen's-Tears) is an epiphytic bromeliad native to Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, and Argentina.
This plant is often used as an ornamental plant, and it is probably one of the most common bromeliads grown. It is a durable house plant because this bromeliad can often withstand several periods of neglect. Being epiphytic, bromeliads can grow almost anywhere - on the side of a tree or planted in the ground. They have few roots, just enough to anchor them, and they get their moisture and nutrients from the air like the name suggests. They like humidity and, when it rains, their cups fill with water. (Wikipedia)

Left image: Billbergia nutans Right image: Billbergia nutans

From left to right:
Diphylleia grayi Diphylleia grayi Diphylleia grayi Diphylleia grayi

Ceropegia

Ceropegia is a genus of plants within the family Apocynaceae, native to Africa, southern Asia, and Australia. It was named by Carl Linnaeus, who first described this genus in volume 1 of his Species plantarum, which appeared in 1753. Linnaeus thought that the flowers looked like a fountain of wax. From this the scientific name was derived: ‘keros’ meaning wax and ‘pege’ meaning fountain (Pooley, 1998). They have many common names including lantern flower, parasol flower, parachute flower, bushman’s pipe, string of hearts, snake creeper, wine-glass vine, rosary vine, and necklace vine. (Wikipedia)

Left image: Ceropegia haygarthii var. distincta
Right image: Ceropegia haygarthii

From left to right:
Ceropegia racemosa (Ceropegia affinis) Ceropegia rhynchantha Ceropegia sandersonii Ceropegia woodii

Trichosanthes cucumerina (Snake Gourd)

Trichosanthes cucumerina is a tropical or subtropical vine, its variety T. cucumerina var. anguina raised for its strikingly long fruit, in Asia eaten immature as a vegetable much like the summer squash, and in Africa, the reddish pulp of its mature fruit is used as an economical substitute of tomato. Common names of the cultivated variety include snake gourd, serpent gourd, chichinda, and padwal (not to be confused with Trichosanthes dioica, the parwal, another gourd edible when immature).
Trichosanthes cucumerina is found in the wild across much of South and Southeast Asia, including India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar (Burma), and southern China (Guangxi and Yunnan). It is also regarded as native in northern Australia. and naturalized in Florida, parts of Africa and on various islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. (Wikipedia)

Left image: Snake Gourd (Cucurbitaceae family Trichosanthes cucumerina)
Right image: snake gourds In the process of ripen they become elongated, twisted and red-orange.

Left image: Snake Gourd (Trichosanthes anguina)
Right image: Trichosanthes cucumerina var. anguina "snake gourd" or "serpent gourd". Immature fruits hanging from the plant (top left), immature fruits at the market (bottom left), flower (top right), ripening fruit (bottom right).

Trichosanthes cucumerina (Snake Gourd) Flower

From left to right:
1. Snake Gourd (Trichosanthes cucumerina) Flower de Poochipara area of Silent Valley National park.
2. Trichosanthes cucumerina flowers
3. Trichosanthes anguina
4. Trichosanthes cucumerina Flower

Callistemon (Bottle brush Flower)

Callistemon is a genus of shrubs in the family Myrtaceae, first described as a genus in 1814. The entire genus is endemic to Australia but widely cultivated in many other regions and naturalized in scattered locations. Their status as a separate taxon is in doubt, some authorities accepting that the difference between callistemons and melaleucas is not sufficient for them to be grouped in a separate genus. (Wikipedia)

From left to right:
1. Red bottle brush flowers and tree
2. Callistemon pallidus
3. Bottlebrush (Callistemon) in partial bloom found in Kelantan, Malaysia
4. Blooming bottlebrush (Callistemon) found in Kelantan, Malaysia

From left to right:
5. Callistemon viminalis (Melaleuca viminalis) Weeping bottlebrush at Coín, Spain
6. Callistemon viminalisr
7. Callistemon Purple Splendour Bottle Brush Purple Splendour
8. Callistemon kenmorrisonii Callistemon 'Betka Beauty'

From left to right:
9. Callistemon cultivar 'Country Sprite' Australian National Botanic Gardens, Canberra, Australia
10. Callistemon 'Violaceus' (Myrtaceae) in the Cambridge University Botanic Garden.
11. Callistemon cultivar 'Eureka' Maranoa Gardens, Balwyn, Victoria, Australia
12. Callistemon pachyphyllus 'Smoked Salmon' Australian National Botanic Gardens, Canberra, Australia

Melaleuca is a genus of nearly 300 species of plants in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae, commonly known as paperbarks, honey-myrtles or tea-trees (although the last name is also applied to species of Leptospermum). They range in size from small shrubs that rarely grow to more than 1 m (3 ft) high, to trees up to 35 m (100 ft). Their flowers generally occur in groups, forming a “head” or “spike” resembling a brush used for cleaning bottles, containing up to 80 individual flowers. They are superficially like Banksia species, which also have their flowers in a spike, but the structure of individual flowers in the two genera are very different.

From left to right:
1. Melaleuca squarrosa Langwarrin Flora and Fauna Reserve, Victoria, Australia
2. Melaleuca linariifolia) Tree to 10m- white flowers in fluffy spike
3. Melaleuca calothamnoides near Kalbarri
4. Melaleuca pulchella ("claw flower") - (cultivated) Royal Botanic Gardens Cranbourne, Victoria, Australia
5. Melaleuca trichophylla (cultivated) Maranoa Gardens, Balwyn, Victoria, Australia

Proteaceae

The Proteaceae are a family of flowering plants predominantly distributed in the Southern Hemisphere. The family comprises 83 genera with about 1,660 known species. Together with the Platanaceae and Nelumbonaceae, they make up the order Proteales. Well-known genera include Protea, Banksia, Embothrium, Grevillea, Hakea, Dryandra, and Macadamia. Species such as the New South Wales waratah (Telopea speciosissima), king protea (Protea cynaroides), and various species of Banksia, Grevillea, and Leucadendron are popular cut flowers, while the nuts of Macadamia integrifolia are widely grown commercially and consumed. Australia and South Africa have the greatest concentrations of diversity. (Wikipedia)

From left to right:
1. Protea cynaroides at the San Francisco Botanical Garden
2. The King Protea, Protea cynaroides in the South African Fynbos.
3. South Africa King Protea Nick Roux
4. King Protea (Protea cynaroides), flower bud.

From left to right:
5. Protea neriifolia Narrow-leafed protea
6. Leucadendron tinctum flower Kirstenbosch Gardens Cape Town South Africa
7. Waratah
8. Waratah - Telopea speciosissima at Suellen's Garden

From left to right:
9. Bellendena montana Hartz National Park, Tasmania, Australia
10. Flower of Lambertia formosa on Princes Rock walking track in Wentworth Falls, Blue Mountains.
11. Banksia flowers plantr
12. Red Banksia menziesii flower bud

Leucospermum

Leucospermum (or Pincushion) is a genus of about 50 species of flowering plants in the family Proteaceae, native to Zimbabwe and South Africa, where they occupy a variety of habitats, including scrub, forest, and mountain slopes.
They are evergreen shrubs (rarely small trees) growing to 0.5-5 m tall. The leaves are spirally arranged, tough and leathery, simple, linear to lanceolate, 2-12 cm long and 0.5-3 cm broad, with a serrated margin or serrated at the leaf apex only. The flowers are produced in dense inflorescences, which have large numbers of prominent styles, which inspires the name. (Wikipedia)

From left to right:
13. Leucospermum Reflexum at Kirstenbosch, South Africa
14. Leucospermum reflexum
15. Leucospermum cordifolium Helderberg Nature Reserve, South Africa
16. Leucospermum cordifolium red (Red pincushion protea)

From left to right:
17. Pincushion -Leucospermum 'Veld Fire' Flower Bud
18. Leucospermum conocarpodendron in the UCSC Arboretum, Santa Cruz, California
19. Leucospermum cultivar Leucospermum conocarpodendron Waratahs White.
20. Leucospermum cultivar Leucospermum glabrum × L. tottum 'Scarlet Ribbon' cultivar in Tasmania.

Banksia

Banksia is a genus of around 170 species in the plant family Proteaceae. These Australian wildflowers and popular garden plants are easily recognised by their characteristic flower spikes and fruiting "cones" and heads. When it comes to size, banksias range from prostrate woody shrubs to trees up to 30 metres tall. They are generally found in a wide variety of landscapes; sclerophyll forest, (occasionally) rainforest, shrubland, and some more arid landscapes, though not in Australia's deserts. (Wikipedia)

Left image: Banksia serrata (A saw banksia/old man banksia flowering cone) Photographed in the Blue Mountains, New South Wales, Australia.
Right image: Banksia marginata (Silver Banksia) B. marginata flower spike before and after anthesis - Immature Spike Left, Mature Spike Right

Left image: Banksia cunaeta Quariading Banksia or Matchstick Banksia
Middle image: Banksia dallanneyi (Couch Honeypot) at w:Kalamunda National Park in Western Australia
Right image: Banksia coccinea flower Banksia Farm, WA.

Grevillea

Grevillea is a diverse genus of about 360 species of evergreen flowering plants in the family Proteaceae, native to rainforest and more open habitats in Australia, New Guinea, New Caledonia, Indonesia and Sulawesi. It was named in honour of Charles Francis Greville. The species range from prostrate shrubs less than 50 cm (20 in) tall to trees 35 m (115 ft) tall. Common names include grevillea, spider flower, silky oak and toothbrush plant. Closely related to the genus Hakea, the genus gives its name to the subfamily Grevilleoideae. (Wikipedia)

From left to right: 1. Grevillea longistyla Maranoa Gardens, Balwyn, Victoria, Australia.
2. Grevillea 3. Grevillea 4. Grevillea thyrsoides Burnley Gardens, Victoria, Australia

From left to right: 5. Grevillea cultivar 'Canberra Gem' at the UBC Botanical Garden
6. Grevillea cultivar 'Long John' in the Water Conservation Garden at Cuyamaca College, El Cajon, California, USA. 7. Grevillea cultivar 'Honey barbara' 2 x 3 m bush with striking double-coloured flowers. 8. Grevillea cultivar 'Peaches and Cream' in Peter Olde's garden, Oakdale, NSW

From left to right: 21. Protea cultivar Flower Festival at Groot-Bijgaarden castle
22. Protea cultivar Flower Festival at Groot-Bijgaarden castle
23. Protea cultivar 'Jardin exotique de Roscoff' 24. Protea Cultivar 'Pink Ice'

Borage (Borago officinalis)

Borage (Borago officinalis), also known as a starflower, is an annual herb in the flowering plant family Boraginaceae. It is native to the Mediterranean region and has naturalized in many other locales. It grows satisfactorily in gardens in the UK climate, remaining in the garden from year to year by self-seeding. The leaves are edible and the plant is grown in gardens for that purpose in some parts of Europe. The plant is also commercially cultivated for borage seed oil extracted from its seeds. (Wikipedia)

Borago officinalis Borago officinalis

Starflower (Borage) Borage 琉璃苣

Blue borage White borage

Borago officinalis Borago officinalis

Borage (Borago officinalis) Borage, starflower (Borago officinalis)

Borago officinalis Borago officinalis

Phacelia tanacetifolia

Phacelia tanacetifolia is a species of phacelia known by the common names lacy phacelia, blue tansy or purple tansy. (Wikipedia)

Phacelia tanacetifolia (Flowering Phacelia), Ritschenhausen/Thüringen, Germany Phacelia tanacetifolia

Phacelia tanacetifolia Phacelia tanacetifolia

Phacelia tanacetifolia

Left: Phacelia tanacetifolia at the Regional Parks Botanic Garden, Berkeley, California
Right: Phacelia tanacetifolia

Left: Phacelia tanacetifolia Right: Phacelia tanacetifolia

Phacelia

Phacelia (phacelia, scorpionweed, heliotrope) is a genus of about 200 species of annual or perennial herbaceous plants, native to North and South America

Phacelia scariosa Phacelia sericea (Silky Phacelia)

Phacelia

Phacelia purshii Phacelia pedicellata