Adenium obesum (Forssk.) Roem. & Schult.

Vernacular name:  Sabi Star,  Desert-rose, Adenium

Nativity: West Tropical Africa to Arabian Peninsula and Tanzania (POWO, 2019)

Common Characteristics: Succulent shrub. Leaves simple, entire, spirally arranged. Flower pink with white shade inside, trumpet shaped.

Flowering period: March to August

Propagation Methods: Propagated by stem cutting (Dave’s Garden)

Photographed @ Ta Colony

Allamanda blanchetii A.DC.

Vernacular name:  Cherry allamanda

Nativity: Northeast Brazil (POWO, 2019)

Common Characteristics: Shrubby climber. Leaves whorled, ovate-oblong, densely hairy. Flowers solitary axillary or in few flowered terminal cluster, campanulate, pink to brownish.

Flowering period: April to December

Propagation Methods: Propagated by stem cuttings, layering, and from seed. (Dave’s Garden)

Photographed @ GS

Allamanda cathartica L. 

Vernacular name:  Yellow allamanda, Golden Trumpet

Nativity: Central America to Tropical South America (POWO, 2019)

Common Characteristics: Woody climber. Leaves simple, opposite or in whorl of 4 or 5, shortly petioled. Flowers in few flowered axillary cymes, tubular, yellow.

Flowering period: July to December

Propagation Methods: Propagated by cutting (Dave’s Garden)

Photographed @ Gandhi Park 

Alstonia scholaris (L.) R. Br. 

Vernacular name: Blackboard tree, Chatiyan wood, Devil's tree (English); Chitvan, Shaitan ka jhar

Nativity: Tropical and Subtropical Asia to North Australia (POWO, 2019)

Common Characteristics: Evergreen tree. Leaves simple, whorled, oblanceolate to ovate, glabrous, margin entire. Flower in umbellate cymes.

Flowering period: October

Propagation Methods: Propagated by seed (Dave’s Garden, 2019)

Photographed @ GS

Carissa carandas L.

Vernacular name: Karamada (English); Karonda (Hindi)

Nativity: India and Bangladesh (POWO, 2019)

Common Characteristics: Evergreen shrub. Leaves oval rounded at both ends, opposite. arrangement. Paired spine at base of young branches. Fruits ovoid, purple when ripe.

Flowering period: March to May

Propagation Methods: Propagated from budding, air layering; and from seed (Dave’s Garden)

Photographed @ HRC 

Cascabela thevetia (L.) Lippold

Vernacular name:  Yellow oleander, Lucky Nut (English); Peeli kaner (Hindi)

Nativity: Mexico to South Tropical America (POWO, 2019)

Common Characteristics: Small tree or large shrub. Leaves linear- lanceolate, acute, leathery. Flowers funnel shape, yellow or light orange.

Flowering period: March to September

Propagation Methods: Propagated by stem cutting (Dave’s Garden)

Photographed @ CAg 

Catharanthus roseus L. (=Vinca rosea L.)

Vernacular name:  Cape periwinkle, Periwinkle, Sadabahar (Hindi)

Nativity: Madagascar (POWO, 2019)

Common Characteristics: Herbs. Leaves obovate to oblong, shining glabrous. Flower in axillary cyme, salver shaped.

Flowering period: whole year

Propagation Methods: Propagated by seeds (Dave’s Garden)

Photographed @ CBSH 

Plumeria obtusa L.

Vernacular name: Frangipani, Plumeria, Temple tree (English); Champa, Golachin (Hindi)

Nativity: Florida, Caribbean Islands, Southeast Mexico to Guatemala (POWO, 2019)

Common Characteristics: Shrub or small tree. Leaves large, oblanceolate, obtuse or emarginated. Flowers in axillary cymes towards distal end of branches, salver-shaped, white, with yellow throat.

Flowering period: Throughout the year

Propagation Methods: Propagated by stem cuttings and air layering (Dave’s Garden)

Photographed @ GS 

Plumeria rubra L.

Vernacular name: Frangipani, Graveyard tree (English); Champa (Hindi)

Nativity: Mexico to Venezuela (POWO, 2019)

Common Characteristics: Small trees. Leaves large, clustered on the distal end of branches, alternate, tapering at both the end, acuminate. Flowers in cymes, corolla rounded and overlapping to the left, pinkish to white.

Flowering period: March to October

Propagation Methods: Propagated by cuttings, and air layering (Dave’s Garden)

Photographed @ GS 

Tabernaemontana divaricata (L.) R.Br. ex Roem. & Schult.

Vernacular name:  Butterfly gardenia, Crape jasmine, Pinwheel flower (English); Chandani (Hindi)

Nativity: Himalaya to China (POWO, 2019)

Common Characteristics: Evergreen small tree or shrub. Leaves lanceolate, shiny from above, acute or acuminate. Flowers in cymes, salver-shaped, white.

Flowering period: Almost throughout the year

Propagation Methods: Propagated by cuttings (Dave’s Garden)

Photographed @ road near CAg