Flowers part 2- up close by Siwa

A Zinnia, like others of the aster family these flowers are actually made up of two kinds of flowers, disk florets and ray florets. The disk florets are the bigger star shaped gold ones toward the middle. The ray florets are made up of the petals and the smaller hair like golden parts.

This species of rose is my favorite because of the scent. It has a sort of fruity smell that reminds me of pears. I like that smell much more than that of  the store bought varieties.

One of our three varieties of bougainvillea. The pink parts in the picture are not in fact petals but are called bracts, which are a special kind of leaf. Another example of bracts are the red parts of the Christmas plant, Poinsettia. The actual flowers are the little whiter ones in the center of the bracts.

Rock rose (Aptenia cordifolia) a hardy little plant. It can live for a very long time without water by drawing on the water it stores in its thick leaves.

Sensitive plant ( Mimosa pudica) is a common low growing weed covered in tiny, sharp thorns. It is sold as an ornamental in some places because of its leaves which will close at night or when touched.  We call it Sleeping Grass or in Samoa, Vao Fefe (scared grass).

Pink wood sorrel. This plant and its smaller yellow flowered relative are often mistaken for clovers or shamrocks. Another name for this family, though its mostly used when referring to the yellow flowered variety, is Sour Grass because if eaten it has a lemony flavor due to high amounts of oxalic acid. Do not eat any plants unless positively identified.