I took home the wrong plant! Last 2 months I went to a new nursery near my house and saw the plant misai kucing literally translated as cat's whiskers (Orthosiphon aristatus). Why its called cat's whiskers? Just look at the flowers with its characteristic of a cat's whiskers. I didnt want to take the already blooming ones, so I took the one nearest to it which showed no flower buds yet.
cat's whiskers (white)
cat's whiskers (purple) that were grown in a farm I shared with a friend in Jeram, to create a rock garden landscape
Musical Note Plant (Clerodendrum insicum) thank you to Yaomato for letting me know this plant's name
2 weeks ago, the plant started showing tiny green buds, then into white curly buds looking like big commas! I dont remember seeing such buds on any misai kucing before!
Then those buds started to bloom...LOL..I got a big surprise when they looked like that! A totally different flowers from cat's whiskers I thought it was!
they looked quite lovely, so small but very fragile, however, the rain the next morning, completely dismantled the whole flowers to pieces!
Then those buds started to bloom...LOL..I got a big surprise when they looked like that! A totally different flowers from cat's whiskers I thought it was!
they looked quite lovely, so small but very fragile, however, the rain the next morning, completely dismantled the whole flowers to pieces!
Im not so sure if its another type of cat's whiskers, which I have never seen before. Because when the plant was placed next to the blooming ones, the leaves looked exactly the same. So that was why I presumed it was the same one and without confirming it with the nursery boy, I happily took the plant home! But I dont regret it because it is a new plant and the flowers are so lovely. Now I have to find the cat's whiskers for my garden because of the many medicinal uses of the leaves. The plant and the leaves are very popular in Malaysia to treat ailments like gout, liver problems, bladder stone, urinary tract infection, rheumatism, diabetes, reduces blood pressure and cholesterol. It is said to have diuretic, antiallergic, antihypertensive and anti-inflammatory and mild antiseptic properties. The leaves are dried, boiled and drink like the tea. I seem to have more white flowers in my garden, maybe thats why there are no bees or lovely butterflies in my garden!
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20 comments:
But it is a very beautiful mistake.
This is very funny. From far, the flowers look like snowdrop. (3rd photo) I see that in many blogs these days. :) White flowers is nice actually. I have too many red and yellow.
Had a good laugh over this... still, as you said and I agree, the flowers are pretty... gardening is so full of surprises...
Greetings from Southern California :-)
I added myself to follow your blog. You are more than welcome to visit mine and become a follower if you want to.
God Bless You, ~Ron
Hi, I was a passer-by who loves reading your blog and have thus converted into an avid reader of your blog. :) In case you are still wondering the name of the plant you have wrongly acquired, it is Clerodendrum incisum aka the musical note plant. Btw, I love cat's whiskers too! Ciao!
I've never seen any type of cat whiskers plants before. I wonder what type of insects pollinate them ...
LOL! What a surprise. At least the flowers are still very pretty. The stamens even look a bit whiskery :) Thanks for visiting my blog, I'm glad I had the chance to come over to this beautiful garden, will be back often.
yes, with slightly different misai.... and too bad rain brought the flowers down.
Rainfield..yes it was such a beautiful mistake and a nice surprise!
One, I wish they are snowdrops which will be so amazing after seeing so many varieties in the Northern Hemisphere garden blogs! I want to add more reds and orange in my garden soon, hopefully!
Mr Lrong, I had a good laugh about my mistake too..but it turned out to a nice surprise after all!
The new plant is lovely both in bud (the Malaysian equivalent of a snowdrop per One!) and in flower with the lovely purple stamens. What a lucky mistake.
Hi Ron, thank you for being a follower. Im amazed you have such a HUGE following so you must be someone very special and a fantastic blog! I will be following you definitely. Take care!
Yaomato, God bless you and hugs from me! Thank you for the lovely compliments, Im very flattered! Thank you so much for letting me know the name of that lovely plant..Musical Note plant..no wonder, those big commas looked like musical notes indeed!
B-a-g, this cat's whiskers are found in most South East Asian countries and tropical Australia. The pollinators are mostprobably be bees and butterflies.
Thanks Shaz, you are most welcome! It was a nice surprise though an honest mistake, but its ok I love them! The whiskery stamens are a dark red colour but I like them when they are in the bud stage looking like big musical notes..which is their namesake.
Bangchik, indeed they have a different kind of misai, just like us, no two persons are the same..
Carolyn, the plant is indeed lovely in both stages, glad I took it home though by mistake!
A very beautiful plant and flower...a very happy mistake! Your photos are quite lovely, enjoyed your gardening post!
Hi Theanne thank you, glad you found my garden blog. Yes it was a very happy mistake!
"Misai kuching" is on my list of plants for my next visit to Sg. Buloh. My sis bought one the last time, yes this plant has many medicinal properties. And that is a really pretty mistake!
Hi Joy, mine too, since I made the mistake of taking another plant, luckily its a lovely plant!
Even mistake, it's still beautiful. I never seen this plant before and hope can find one, around my nursery area.
The flowers are delicate and beautiful! Misai kuching have many medical benefit? We just dry the leaf and make tea? I should hunt for it too then!
Butterfly? nice to have but their babies are something scary to think about! hahahaa...
Makarimi, thank you. They look exactly like the misai kucing without the flowers.
Malar, misai kucing has so many medicinal benefits, very popular esp among the Malays. You can find their seedlings in nurseries. I know, I want the beautiful butterflies but not the caterpillars!
It is a really cool plant.
Cher
Goldenray Yorkies
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