Flowers of Bali

Balinese name: Alamanda
Indonesian name: Alamanda
Latin name: Allamanda cathartica L.
Family: Apocynaceae

The Allamanda is a popular hotel plant and is frequently used in hedges. Although the flowers are beautiful, they are not often used in offerings. The entire plant is poisonous, but the vapor from its leaves is said to have cathartic value, good for curing coughs. It is a native of tropical America and its scientific name is derived from the Brazilian naturalist, Allamanda, who popularized it in the early 1800s. He indicated that an infusion made from its leaves served as a good laxative. The plant can be found all over Bali.

Description

A woody vine often winding through hedges or up trees. Depending on its support, it can reach 3 to 6 meters. Plants of the genus are evergreen trees shrubs, or vines. They contain a white latex. The leaves are opposite or arranged in whorls of up to 5. The blades are generally oval and smooth-edged, and some are leathery or lightly hairy. The inflorescence is a compound cyme. The flower has five lobed sepals and a bell- or funnel-shaped corolla of five petals, yellow in most species. The fruit is a schizocarp containing two to four seeds.

Flowers

Bright yellow, bearing five rounded petals fused into a short funnel at their base. The entire flower is about 8 to 10 cm across. At the junction of  the petals and the funnel there is often a large white spot and the petals are sometimes striped. Deep within the funnel is a fuzzy star bearing two hairy stamens and a green stigma on a long, white style. The flower has no noticeable fragrance.

Leaves

Bright green and glossy on top, pale green underneath, usually pointed ovals up to 15 by 5 cm. They grow in clusters of four with very short stems.

Plant care

• Add top soil (or organic peat moss) and cow manure to the hole when you plant.
• Trim as needed to shape and cut back in spring (late March or early April) for size.
• Water on a regular basis, but don't keep this plant overly wet.Let it dry out a bit between waterings.
• Fertilize 3 times a year - in spring summer and autumn - with a quality granular fertilizer.