炮仗花 flame vine / firecracker vine (pyrostegia venusta)

本來是過年時寫的，一直耽擱到現在，幸而近日周圍還是看到花開。香港不少公園，喜歡用炮仗花種植在座椅亭上蓋，到了冬春之際，就會出現喜氣洋洋的景象，於是城市中連公園都充滿過年氣氛。 i draft about this plant much earlier, when this species started the flowering season almost a month ago. i knew being busy is not a good excuse not to finish this writing. so finally got me together to complete this post before the end of the boom. the english common name is flame vine...

快影：藍花楹花季開始了 snaps: the blue flower season arrived (jacaranda mimosifolia)

縱然年年花開，每次遇上藍花楹的花季，心動又心悸。 因為花美，又因為那花的色調如此勾魂哀怨。 even though it is a common gardening tree in hong kong, even though i wrote about it many times on this blog. the blossoms are spellbinding. the blue is almost haunting. if melancholy is a colour, this is it. 藍花楹 jacaranda (jacaranda mimosifolia) – plantae kingdom 植物界 | clade 演化支: angiosperms 被子植物 | clade...

炮仗花 fire-cracker vine/flamevine (pyrostegia venusta)

過年遇著炮仗花，就是喜慶，不得不立文特表。此花常見，也就更要多認識。 此花原生於南美，但經已廣泛成為花園種植品種。 來到了亞洲中國人的地方，更被擁護為喜氣的象徵。事實是，春夏之間，此藤本植物一到花期，真的嘩啦嘩啦一發不可收拾地盛放，攀滿園地山坡。 觀其細節，深綠葉對生，部分葉會發展成三叉卷鬚。花筒橙紅色，橙黃花柱與花絲伸出。花絲絲狀，花藥叉開。花柱柱頭舌狀扁平。 flame vine or more commonly known in hong kong as fire-cracker vine is a south amercian native. this species however now is generally a garden species. in hong kong as well as being used in gardening, very often you see them in the wild. it was chinese new year holiday and...

藍楹紅影 the blue and red of early summer

每年都會追逐兩樹的花季，今年在五月遇到藍花楹和影樹(鳳凰木) 花季交疊。她們的花期相近，暫且不跳進氣候紊亂的懷疑。 every year i chase the flower seasons of jacaranda and flame of the forest. this year seems to be the first the two are overlapping. for now i’d prefer not to jump into blaming climate change as the two flowering seasons are in fact quite close to each other. 香港大學荷花池附近的藍花楹開花不盛，只是寥落的藍花。有點失意。 the jacaranda not...