Lipstick plant
 

I had this a long time and it never bloomed for me. I bought it bec the foliage was nice even without the blooms. Now I know why its called a Lipstick plant. :D.

http://oi47.tinypic.com/25pocc0.jpg
theres the pollen cap inside the lip. Orchids even helped me learn the flower parts..

http://oi46.tinypic.com/34eook8.jpg
here what a capsule looks like just before it opens.

http://oi48.tinypic.com/xgilgn.jpg
they look like little purple fuzzy cowbells.
its fun to grow different kinds of plants that bloom on occasion


I have a Black Pagoda lipstick plant that bloomed earlier this year but the blooms were rather insignificant to be kind. They were off-yellow and transparent. Not very exciting either was I only had 4 little tiny weakly blooms:biggrin:

oh wow - that's really cool! :wtg: My Dieffenbachia once surprised me with a bloom - nothing too exciting, but I thought it was rather cool.

I dont have much else that not orchid that blooms. I buy lots of things and they dont die they just dont bloom like they supposed to..Being outside full time now is making the difference in blooming these and just growing them :)...its eats everyone else up too bec they kill em fast with too much water. I learned that from orchid growing too..When you get better with orchids everything else just seems to fall into place.

That's neat!! The name is certainly appropriate. Non orchids have taken the back seat in my collection, sadly enough. I was a plant person before getting into orchids, and all the non orchids died from neglect...

My other plants do better since I've been growing orchids, just mostly due to the fact that they don't get neglected like they used to for periods. Or in my flower planter that I used to water well once a week - now since I am outside watering orchids - I give those flowers water more often, and low and behold! Plants I thought just grew and bloom in spring, actually grow and bloom tru fall now that they get more water in summer :p Putting in the Gerbera daisies also helped with that - they get wilty when they want water, so I can actually SEE that I need to water those.

That's neat Ron! I have never heard or seen that plant/flower before.

I have about 20 odd house plants, the only flowering ones is a Medinilla Magnifica, a couple Sphacelatums and a couple christmas cacti ..

OK. Vamos ! lipstick tree. I bring fruit to the house rather often and blame..... nevermind;)
This is a tree used to make lipstick and color aroz con pollo.:)

I like Annatto / Achiote (Bixa orellana) seems a beautiful plant.. was looking for seeds in Mexico but found none . I have a Lipstick plant in a 2" pot for $2 from the Union sq Farmers' Market. I saw one large specimen in bloom on a branch. at the Montreal Botanical Gardens and it was really a beautiful view

I would like to find Bombax ellipticum too.

Yucatan Flora:* Mayan Forest and Mayan sacred trees, fruits, flowers, and palms - article by Adventure Eco-Travel Guide - Chichen Itza, Yucatan, Mexico