What's Blooming in My Yard

Lately I have had some of my plants blooming, some are blooming for the first time. One of my first timers is my Starfish Flower, Carrion Flower...Stapelia grandiflora is a flowering plant in theStapelia genus. It is commonly referred to as theCarrion Plant, Starfish Flower, or Starfish Cactus, although it is not related to cacti at all. The name "Carrion Plant" (due to the odor emitted by the flowers as a technique of attracting flies in areas where other pollinating insects are scarce) can also refer to similar Stapelia species as well as members of related genera, including Stapelia gigantea andOrbea variegata. Stapelia grandiflora sometimes also goes by the name of Stapelia flavirostris.

This gorgeous flower smells terrible, flies love it and have been all over it. I hope it gets pollinated.



Another stinky plant of mine that has bloomed for the first time is my Gonolobus Cyclophyllus:
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Gonolobus are in the Asclepiadaceae Family. They come from Mexico, from Jalisco to Oaxaca. The Gonolobus cyclophylla is cultivated mostly for its corky caudex. The flowers are 1 inch in diameter (2.5 cm) brown and, as many other asclepiads that use flies as pollinators, smelling like carrion. They come in summer. If they are pollinated they produced a seed pod. Take limited frost for a short period of time. Sun Exposure: They require Light shade.

They say if this little beauty is pollinated that it will produce a seed pod. I put it outside for the day and I hope it blesses me with a seed pod sometime in the near future.

Another plant flowering for me right now is my Shamrock, not stinky but very pretty. It is a great groundcover, even though I have it is a makeshift pot.

Shamrock aka Wood Sorrel is also good as an indoor plant.

My San Pedro Cactus is also flowering and I almost missed it. I just happened to look out my side window and there it was most of the blooms already spent. I did find a few still in bloom. They usually bloom one night only and they are gone for the year. It is almost always October that they bloom. 

Last but not least is a special little flower that many of us find and have no idea what it is or where it came from. Well this special little cutie is medicinal. It is called: CLAVILLIA I got this info for Clavillia from the internet..

Clavillia is a perennial herb that reaches a height of 50-100 cm from a tuberous root. Some cultivated hybrid species also can grow up to a meter in height. It produces beautiful flowers that usually open around 4 o'clock in the afternoon-hence its common name, four o'clocks. It is a popular ornamental plant grown worldwide for the beauty of its flowers (which can be white, red, pink, purple, or multicolored) and their sweet fragrance. It was officially botanically recorded in 1753 although it already had long been distributed as an ornamental plant throughout the tropics of the world. There is some disagreement about where it came from originally: Mexico, Chile, or India. Today, clavillia is naturalized throughout the tropics of South America, Latin America, France, and India. In Brazil the plant is known as clavillia, maravilha, or bonina; in Peru it is known as jalapa or maravilla. Hybrids of clavillia can be found in nurseries throughout the U.S. where they are sold as ornamental landscape plants.


TRIBAL AND HERBAL MEDICINE USES


The indigenous people of the Amazon enjoy the beauty of clavillia's flowers as much as city dwellers, and often plant it in their gardens. They employ the plant medicinally as well. Indigenous Peruvian people use a root decoction as a diuretic; the Shipibo-Conibo Indians put the flowers in baths to treat colds and flu. In Brazil, the Kayapo Indians inhale the powdered, dried flowers as a snuff for headaches, and use a root decoction to wash wounds and to treat such skin afflictions as leprosy. The Assuraní Indians in Brazil crush the seeds to use as a peppery condiment on foods, and grate the tuberous root into cold water and drink it for intestinal parasites. The tribal people of Orissa, India grind the roots of the plant into a paste with black pepper and take it orally for conjunctivitis. They also apply the juice of the leaves to fungal infections of the skin.


These indigenous practices impelled clavillia's presence in herbal medicine systems around the world. In Peru, the plant and/or tuber is used as a diuretic, laxative, and bowel cleanser. The juice of the flower is used to clear herpes lesions and for earaches. In Brazilian herbal medicine, a paste is made of the leaf and flower and applied to affections of the skin such as itchiness, eczema, herpes, skin spots, and skin infections. The juice of the root is dropped into the ear for earaches. Brazilians also use the root to combat worms, intestinal parasites, leucorrhea, edema, diarrhea, dysentery, abdominal colic, syphilis, and liver affections. In Mexico, the entire plant is decocted and used for dysentery, vaginal discharge, infected wounds, and bee and scorpion stings. In the United States, the plant is used for mumps, bone fractures, and as an uterine stimulant to hasten childbirth.

PLANT CHEMICALS


Chemical analysis of clavillia shows that it is rich in many active compounds including triterpenes, proteins, flavonoids, alkaloids, and steroids. Of particular interest to researchers is a group of amino acid-based proteins, called mirabilis antiviral proteins (MAPs). These chemicals have shown specific antiviral and antifungal actions. They are produced in the seeds, roots, and young shoots, and help the plant protect against various plant viruses and soil-borne fungi. In 1994, a Japanese tobacco company was awarded a U.S. patent on the MAPs in clavillia as being effective in protecting economically-important crops (such as tobacco, corn, and potatoes) from a large variety of plant viruses (such as tobacco mosaic virus, spotted leaf virus and root rot virus). Researchers in Hong Kong isolated another MAP in the roots of clavillia with the same antiviral actions, and also noted, "The MAP demonstrated to possess abortifacient [abortion-causing] activity in pregnant mice, inhibitory effects on cell-free protein synthesis, and antiproliferative effects on tumor cells." The MAPs found in clavillia have shown to inhibit cellular processes in viral cells.


The highest concentration of MAPs are found in the seeds of the plant, followed by the roots, then leaves. The seeds, however, are a significant source of other peptide chemicals with actions similar to the neurotoxic peptides found in spider venom. These peptides are in the same classification as (and act similarly to) another plant-derived toxic peptide, ricin (now being employed as a biological weapon). As compared with ricin, though, clavillia's peptides are only about 1/30th as toxic. Because of this toxicity, though, the seeds are not generally used in herbal medicine systems (despite researchers' documentation of the significant antimicrobial actions attributed to them).


Clavillia's main chemicals include: alanine, alpha-amyrins, arabinose, beta amyrins, betalamic acid, betanin, brassicasterol, beta-sitosterols, 2-carbosyarabinitol, campesterol, daucosterol, d-glucan, dopamine, hexacosan-1-ol, indicaxanthin, isobetanin, 6-methoxyboeravinone C, methylabronisoflavone, mirabilis antiviral proteins, mirabilis peptides, miraxanthins, n-dotriacontane, n-hentriacontane, n-heptacosane, n-hexacosane, n-nonacosane, n-octacosane, n-pentacosane, n-pentatriacontane, n-tetracosane, n-tetratriacontane, n-triacontane, n-tricosane, n-tritriacontane, oleanolic acid, stigmasterol, tartaric acid, trigonelline, tryptophan, ursolic acid, and vulgaxanthin I.


BIOLOGICAL ACTIVITIES AND CLINICAL RESEARCH


The plant and root have demonstrated other biological activities in addition to the antiviral actions of the MAPs. In 2001, researchers found new phenolic compounds in clavillia which demonstrated in vitro action against the yeast Candida albicans. A hot water extract of the flower, leaf, and root of clavillia has shown antifungal activity in another in vitro study. Other research on the leaf and branches of clavillia did not confirm any antimicrobial actions, therefore, these properties are probably attributed only to the root of the plant. In early research, the root of the plant (in water and ethanol extracts) also demonstrated mild uterine stimulant actions in rats, and antispasmodic actions in guinea pigs.

CURRENT PRACTICAL USES





Clavillia, the lovely, sweet-smelling ornamental, has also earned its place in herbal medicine practices around the world; its array of biological activities continue to support its use worldwide for viruses, fungi and yeast. As most research surrounding this plant's activity has occurred in the past ten years, more findings regarding clavillia's power and versatility will likely explain more of its indigenous uses and unearth new applications for it. Today, clavillia is generally employed as an antiviral herbal remedy for herpes, hepatitis, influenza and other upper respiratory viruses as well as for candida and yeast infections.





WORLDWIDE ETHNOMEDICAL USES


Brazil

for candida, chagas disease, colic, constipation, contusions, diarrhea, dysentery, earache, edema, eczema, freckles, herpes, hives, itch, intestinal parasites, liver problems, pain, skin problems, skin infections, syphilis, vaginal discharge, urinary insufficiency, wounds, worms


Cuba

for herpes, intestinal parasites


Guatemala

for abscesses, aches, boils, bruises, conjunctivitis, dermatitis, fungal infections, gonorrhea, inflammation, mucosal lesions, ringworm, scrofula, skin problems, sores, ulcers (skin), vaginal discharge, vaginitis, wounds


India

for conjunctivitis, edema, fungal infections, inflammation, pain, swellings


Mexico

for bee stings, dysentery, scorpion stings, vaginal discharge, wounds


Peru

for constipation, dermatitis, earaches, herpes, urinary insufficiency


U.S.A.

for abortions, bone fractures, childbirth, mumps


Elsewhere

for abscesses, arthritis, boils, bowel cleansing, burns, bruises, colic, constipation, diabetes, digestion stimulation, dropsy, dyspepsia, fungal infections, gonorrhea, hepatitis, herpes, hypochondria, intestinal gas, intestinal parasites, libido stimulation, liver problems, menstrual irregularities, muscle pains, piles, pimples, sores, splenitis, strains, syphilis, thrush, tonic, tumors, urinary insufficiency, urogenital inflammation, urticaria, wounds

Not that I expect anyone to try any information provided above, it's nice to know more about specific plants in general. I love plants. I bet you couldn't guess that now could you!!!!