The comforting Hibiscus

Pangs of homesickness often strike when settling down in an alien country with an alien culture and alien language. A local flora that matches the one in ones native land often provides a sense of belonging, a sense of ease and a sense of stability.

The hibiscus - jaswanda जास्वन्द/ gudhal गुडहल/ jawakusum जवाकुसुम/ jasood જાસૂદ - a very common flower in India; a flower deeply ingrained in religion as the favourite of Ganapati Bappa; a flower that is reverred in the traditional medicine of India also happens to be a very much loved native of Hong Kong.

The very common red hibiscus lining all streets and adorning all country parks with its dense green foliage and striking red flowers

One look at the structure of this flower often makes me regret not having pursued botany - but the realisation hits hard soon enough that I am better off being a layperson admiring the beauty of the flower than being a bad botany student unable to memorise complicated words!

A yellow red variant of the hibiscus flower - its beauty stuns! Brighter the day, the brighter the flower shines.

The orange stigma resembles the glittery pom poms that are so popular with kids. The yellow anthers look like mini-blooms themselves. A closer look at the stigma will reveal pollen deposited on it. This is not something that the naked eye generally reveals. I was surprised to see this detail captured by my camera phone. Well done boy!

A professional photographer with a real camera will be able to do wonders with this wonder of nature.

A variant that I haven't seen much of - the regular flower that I am familiar with has five petals in a single layer. This one has multiple layers of petals. Everything else remains the same.

This beauty - the sleeping beauty - the "sleepy hibiscus" or कळी जास्वन्द. The plants bloom all through the year. The flowers never open fully. The perfect alignment of the petals, the placement of the sepals, the texture of the petals and the attractive droop of the flowers make the flower laden plants a delight to have around.

I have been looking for the spider hibiscus - कात्री जास्वन्द. I have seen it in Hong Kong. But don't recollect where. Hoping to find it soon and add it to my album.