Torch Ginger Archives | InsideJourneys

One of the best things about the tropics is the profusion of flowering plants. They spill out from gardens, line country roads and overhang private walkways, and paint my surroundings in vibrant red, yellow, purple, and white.

During the past year, I’ve written several times about the tropical flowers I’ve been reacquainted with and those I’ve been introduced to, and I’m still finding more new (to me) flowers. Here are a few:

Tropical Flowers – Queen Achmea Bromeliad

If you make only one flower in your lifetime, like the Queen Achmea does, it would have to be your masterpiece. Don’t you agree that this is?

I discovered the Queen Achmea bromeliad at Ahh…Ras Natango earlier this year. Tamika, one of the owners, had posted a photo on their Facebook page. My eyes popped open when I saw it. I thought initially, that she had tied a pink ribbon on the plant. When I clicked the photo, I noticed that the ‘ribbon’ was part of the plant. I called Tamika right away and told her I wanted to see it. The beauty of this flower left me speechless. I stared at it for a long time… Although it can take a year, when the plant finally blooms, it lasts for up to two months.

Note: Bromeliads include the pineapple.

Tropical Flowers – Torch Ginger

Tropical Flowers, slightly opened Torch Ginger — Torch Ginger

The color is what drew me to this torch ginger, which grows in the backyard at my stepmother’s. I was fortunate to see this slightly opened one and then later to get a photo of one that was fully opened. The torch ginger is known by several different names and also comes in pink. They are used in floral arrangements and, in south-east Asia, used in salads.

Tropical Flowers, fully opened torch ginger — Torch ginger

Tropical Flowers – Jade

I noticed this flower at the home of family friends. She’s the gardening enthusiast. (Their entire yard is a blanket of flowers – from hibiscus to orchids – several varieties – to bromeliads and impatients and lily ponds. There are even benches that encourage you to stop and contemplate the beauty around you. I could have done a few posts entirely from the flowers I photographed in their backyard.)

The jade plant I’m used to is the one commonly called the money tree. It’s a succulent and has thick shiny leaves. They make great house or office plants. I had one for many years. This jade flower is used to make leis. Can you imagine the beautiful it makes?

Tropical Flowrs – Night Blooming Cereus

The night blooming cereus blooms once a year and only at night when it attracts a special moth which pollinates it. When that happens, the flower begins opening slowly around 10:00 p.m. While its blooming, it perfumes the air with a gentle fragrance. I took this photo around midnight on the night it bloomed.