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Saturday, March 19, 2011

Turnera subulata - White Alder Flower (Lidah Kucing, Kembang Pukul Lapan)



Scientific name: Turnera subulata

Common name: White Alder, Sulphur Alder, Politician's flower, White Butter Cup, Dark Eyed Turnera

Malay name:
Bunga Lidah kuching (cat's tongue), Bunga Kembang Pukul Lapan, Bunga Delapan (8 O'clock flower)

Family: Turneraceae (Yellow Alder family)

Origin: Tropical American (Mexico, Jamaica, Brazil)
Category: Ever-flowering perennial herb

Photo Taken at: By the roadside of public garden in Bandar Bukit Tinggi, Klang

My post about this plant is here.

The flowers bloom in the morning and last only a day. They are usually closed by mid-day. The flowers attract a lot of bees and butterflies.

Tip:
Some new cultivars have flowers that remain opened for longer hours. Therefore, when buying Turnera, go during mid-afternoon to check if the flowers are still opened.


Notes in Bahasa Melayu:
  • Pokok renek yang cepat membesar, tumbuh meliar di tempat terbiar dan terutamanya tepi pantai
  • Bunganya mulai berkembang lehih kurang pada waktu 8 pagi dan menguncup selepas waktu tengah hari.
  • 5 kelopak bunga 
  • Bunganya berwarna putih atau kuning muda dengan warna gelap coklat di bahagian tengah. 
  • Daunya berbentuk bujur dan tepinya bergigi
  • Pembiakan: 
    • keratan batang / hujung batang yang diletak dalam air
    • ranting berdaun yang diletak hormon penggalak akar dan di tanam dalam medium pasir sungai
  • Tanah : Bersaliran baik dan sedikit berpasir
  • Cahaya : Dedahan cahaya matahari yang banyak
  • Air : Siraman 2 kali sehari
  • Baja : seminggu sekali
  • Mencantas 
    • untuk pokok yang terlalu tinggi
    • menggalakkan pertumbuhan tunas dan ranting baru
    • menggalakkan banyak berbunga
    • membentuk pokok menjadi lebih kemas

5 comments:

  1. Wow, beautifully detailed and photographed. Very pretty and thanks for the info.

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  2. I could have seen this when I visited West malaysia. They sure like to name flowers after cats. You see cat's whiskers?

    ReplyDelete
  3. What a delicate little flower, with a beautiful pattern in the middle.

    ReplyDelete
  4. So pretty! We have them here too.

    ReplyDelete

Yay! You like flowers too.