Count Your Blessings!

With love and passion, everyone can have a nice garden...Elaine Yim

Count Your Blessings!
Count The Garden By The Flowers, Never By The Leaves That Fall.
Count Your Life With Smiles And Not The Tears That Roll.
..... Author unknown.

Knowing me, Knowing you..... Aha.....!

Notice Board

Malaysian Flora USDA Zone 11
Welcome to our exotic world of everlasting summers and tropical rainforests!

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Turnera subulata (White Alder) - Wildflower of Malaysia


In Malaysia, Turnera subulata grows wild like a weed in open fields and sunny areas.
This native of Tropical America is very much at home in our equatorial climate.
The flowers open at about 8 O'clock in the morning and close before noon.

Some people plant it in their garden. It is also often planted in front of entrances to buildings and homes. I think it is better to plant it outside your homes because Turnera subulata attracts lots of wildlife. Just look at my pictures below. Bees may sting young children.

This is my entry for Wildflower Wednesday hosted by Clay and Limestone, link here.





Scientific name: Turnera subulata
Common name: White Alder, White Buttercup, Sulphur Alder, Politician's Flower, 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 shrub  



The above picture was taken at a public garden in my neighbourhood.

Turnera subulata (White Alder) - Wildflower of Malaysia”, a copyrighted post, was written for My Nice Garden blog by Autumn Belle @ http://www.mynicegarden.com/ on May 23rd, 2012.


With so many nectar producing flowers, the bushes are always full of activity.

They attract lots of honey bees and tawny coaster butterflies.


Even a wasp wants to join in the fun.


What's this? 
It looks like a cricket. If only this one could talk like Jiminy Cricket! 
These wildflowers are a magnet for wildlife.
The above picture was taken in an open area by the roadside.

The above flower has cream coloured petals.


This flower has light yellow petals.
Turnera subulata flowers have dark centres.
That's what differentiate them from T. ulmifolia (Yellow Buttercup).


The flowers were fully opened in the morning. Now they are all closed.

Last but not least, today I'd like to remember the BEE GEES, the music we (my dear DH and me) love. Now my children enjoy their melodies too. We have never seen them perform in real life, but the beautiful and timeless music they gave the world will live on forever in our hearts and minds. 

To Robin Gibb who passed away on 20 May 2012, RIP. 



How many countries are there in the world now?
To the 110,770 visitors from 196 countries who have visited My Nice Garden blog (Neocounter)
THANK YOU VERY MUCH!

21 comments:

  1. Lovely flower!
    Interesting that it is open only a few hours each day. With a choice of names, I would call it Cat's Tongue!
    We remember the Bee Gees, too.
    Have a wonderful day!
    Lea
    Lea's Menagerie
    Mississippi, USA

    ReplyDelete
  2. Very pretty and the butterflies sure seem to like it.

    Cher Sunray Gardens

    ReplyDelete
  3. I've never seen these attractive wild flowers before... you've captured them so well. Thanks for sharing, A.Belle!
    I'd like to convey my thanks and appreciation too for your warm thoughts and prayers during my recent illness.
    We love the Bee Gees, too. Eternal rest grant unto Robin Gibb, O Lord and may his soul rest in peace.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Seriously, I never seem to notice this flower or perhaps they were close each time I pass by them. The leaves somehow looks like cat whiskers though. Will try to get a glimpse next time. Thanks for sharing Ms Belle.
    I love the Bee Gees too. Condolence to their family.

    ReplyDelete
  5. What a cheery, lovely flower. It is always wonderful to see what is growing in all parts of this world.

    Thank you ~ FlowerLady

    ReplyDelete
  6. What a beautiful flower! You've captured it very well in your close-up, it just glows with that yellow center. And I love all the shots of bugs all over it.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Love seeing new plants and flowers - the blossom reminds me of an annual hibiscus I've grown - although it wasn't nearly as full and covered in blossoms as these were.

    ReplyDelete
  8. The little wild flowers are not only attractive to Mr. Cricket, they also give simple joys to gardeners like us :-)

    ReplyDelete
  9. Agree with you absolutely, yeah look at more greens good for the eyes. Kinda sad to hear about Robin Gibb which started the world crying. Hey you captured a pretty nice cricket.

    ReplyDelete
  10. That is a pretty flower and I would plant it nearby to see all the pollinators it makes happy. gail

    ReplyDelete
  11. Hi Autumn Belle,
    That is an awesome plant! I love it when plants get so full of blooms, and those are very pretty ones. When they draw in the bees, butterflies, and other critters, that's a bonus! That green insect may be a katydid. I see them on my daylilies, and don't mind sharing them with them, since they eat part of the bloom, but don't hurt the plant.

    I didn't know how many countries there are, but isn't it awesome to be connected by the internet?

    ReplyDelete
  12. Ooo, they are lovely en masse. That insect does look like a katydid - a bush cricket. They have long antennas, unlike grasshoppers. Most of them eat leaves and flowers, though.

    ReplyDelete
  13. We have them here too, it could be lovelier if they don't close fast. They maybe more sensitive to our hot/dry climate than the other more yellow turnera, which are still here despite the heat. I've not been posting for two weeks now, and i miss blogging.

    ReplyDelete
  14. What a dramatic difference in the photos of the flowers open and closed. You would never know how lovely they are if they were closed when you walk by. With so many blooms, they do attract a lot of wildlife.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Mimo iż się zamykają po południu, a właśnie dlatego ,że przyciągają różne owady posadziłabym go w moim ogródku. Nie jest to jednak kraj dla nich :-). Pozdrawiam.
    Although it closes in the afternoon, and that is why they attract various insects would give it in my backyard. This is not a country for them :-). Yours.

    ReplyDelete
  16. What a fresh looking flower. They're so pretty up close - surprising they're just out in the landscape like that!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Thsi is lovely flowers! I don't mind having them growing wold in my garden! ;)

    ReplyDelete
  18. One of the flowers which I have been eyeing to consider to the rescue & plant it in my garden but somehow it had eluded me.
    I realised that their blooming time has a lot to do with sunny days and my garden is very much shaded - it fairs badly as they will fail to bloom.

    Regardless it is a lovely flower to have and a pretty mystical name too (White Alder) sounds like the Harry Potter characters.
    I have seen another one with the same type - having a flower all in yellow. I wonder how many other species we have it wild in our country side.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Thank you for this post... this is a very pretty flower that I sometimes see in housing estates in Msia... they are very prolific, I think...

    ReplyDelete

Words are like the voice of the heart... Confucius

Note: If you are unable to comment on my latest post, click on the post title to reopen the post and try writing your comments again. Comments under "Anonymous" will be automatically treated as spam if no name is included.

LinkWithin

Blog Widget by LinkWithin