Brahma Kamal Nature's Magical Clock

Five days to go for the full moon on 26th May 2021. And lo, a bud sprouts today in our Brahma Kamal plant in Secunderabad!

How does Nature achieve this magical synchronisation? Come full moon and Brahma Kamal (scientific name Epiphyllum oxypetalum)  blooms. It blooms at night. You may browse our earlier story Brahma Kamal- The Plant With Intelligence to see sequence of pictures taken through a night.

For those readers who have not seen this magical flower, a fully formed bud before it blooms looks like this.

And when it first sprouts from the edge of a leaf, it looks tiny and not as spectacular. See the picture below, taken this evening.

Finally, it blooms at night. Picture below.

What amazes us is the clockwork synchronisation by Nature. Full moon give or take a day or two- and the flowers bloom. The magic continues. Here is another picture of a bud against the full moon in January 2021.

Postscript 22nd May 2021: While watering the plant today, I noticed that it is not one but four buds which are forming. Here is a short 30-sec video clip showing how the plant produces the other buds keeping the harsh summer Sun away.

Am sharing two more pictures showing 3 + 1 bud on different branches, but all the buds get natural sun shade in scorching heat of Secunderabad summer.

Postscript 23 May 2021: Another reader who is a keen gardener and an author sent the comment: "After reading your post on the Brahma Kamal I went to check on mine. There was a bud! 😱Waiting for the 26th". Thanks much Shyamola.

Postscript 27th May: Ek aur एक और , yes there was one more bud making it a sixer! Four bloomed on 27th, Full Moon +1, the remaining two will bloom on 28th i.e. two days after the full moon. Two other neighbours also had one bloom each on 27th. So, the full moon synchronisation seems to apply well. It was an overcast sky, so couldn't take a picture with the moon. Here is one of the six blooms at night, taken from different angles without flash gun.

Hope we were able to take your mind off the Pandemic. Even if it was for a few minutes, we are happy. 

Relax and enjoy the Nature around you.

Stay safe and stay healthy.

    -  Harsh-the-Ghumakkad with Neeta Bhargava/ Secunderabad/ 21st May 2021

#BrahmaKamal #Flowers #MarvelsOfNature #MidnightBloom #PlantWithIntelligence #GhumakkadHarsh #GhumakkadHB #epiphyllumoxypetalum #queenofthenight #fullmoon #hownaturesynchronises #nature #secunderabad

Brahma Kamal Sixteen and Counting

Brahma Kamal flower continues to amaze us.

Year after year, as the monsoon sets in it starts flowering. 

This July is special because the Brahma Kamal in our yard decided to delight us with a bumper crop of more than twenty flowers!

Sixteen of them flowering together! Video coming up to count the buds. Before that, how many buds do you see in the picture below?

Did you spot all thirteen in the picture? If not, count again and don't miss the edges of the picture!

Here is a 1:30 minute video counting the buds during the day time.

Same buds as seen as flowers at night around 9.30 pm. What a grand spectacle! See the short video clip.

Buds sprout from the edge of its long sturdy leaves and take few days to form. The stem curves itself in 'S' shape to hold the flower horizontal. See the picture.

As the sun goes down, the buds prepare to open. The show begins past 8.30 pm. More pictures follow.

By the time dawn breaks, the flowers start folding up. You can see early morning pictures in our earlier story.

Those who want to know how to plant a Brahma Kamal in your yard or a pot, do browse our previous stories listed below. These stories are based on our observations over last five years.

Plant with Intelligence- Brahma Kamal

Brahma Kamal- Queen of the Night 

Brahma Kamal- The Magic Continues

Those in Hyderabad/Secunderabad can reach us to get a sapling free of cost. The only condition is that you will share the pictures of first blooming! You can leave your mail ID in the comments. 

You will need filtered sunlight to grow the plant. Otherwise in hot months you have to protect the plant with a sunscreen. This summer, with a spate of showers and humidity, the buds sprang up suddenly. See the picture below taken in May 20. 

Hope we took your mind off Covid lockdown at least for a short while.

Relax. Admire Nature. Even if you don't have a garden of your own!

Stay safe, stay healthy. Thanks for browsing.

   Harsh-the-Ghumakkad with Neeta Bhargava/29th July 2020

   <hbindia@gmail.com>

#BrahmaKamal #Flowers #MarvelsOfNature #MidnightBloom #PlantWithIntelligence #GhumakkadHarsh #GhumakkadHB  #Bloomsonceayear #bloomsatnight #queenofnight #synchronisationbynature 

Every Day Is A Sunday

"Every day is a Sunday"!
Seems wrong? Because we all learnt in the school that everyday is not a Sunday.
But the prevailing global lockdown has changed it! Lockdown has also changed many other things like our lifestyle, need and consumption, family-first, health-first and so on!
Now locked up at home, it seems that every day is indeed a Sunday!

Ask yourself.
Is every lockdown day not similar?
Chirping birds wake you up. Even in metro cities!
Dawn. Glorious glow in the sky.
No pollution. Bright sunrise.
Home birding.
Morning exercise, yoga and meditation.
Breakfast, cleaning the dishes.
Composting the garden and kitchen waste.
House cleaning, mopping, garden cleaning, pruning.
Laundry, drying, folding, stowage.
Protecting the plants from intense heat.
Lunch preparation, eating, dishes.
Rest a while.
Back to garden- watering.
Golf chipping, putting.
Home birding.
Dinner, dishes.
Stroll on the roof.
Reading, writing, painting, music, other hobbies & calling the friends and family.
* WA and surfing the net during the intervening slots.

However, many people start and end their lockdown day with the starred activity above! They eat, sleep and dream with WA!

Whichever way, the whole routine repeats.
Now you decide, does it matter whether it is Sunday or Monday?
Yes for those working from home, the weekends mean more relaxation. But for veterans like Ghumakkad, every day is a Sunday.

Even the Coppersmith Barbet seems to agree with me. Every morning it perches on the tall Ashoka tree in our yard. See the picture.

Coppersmith can be heard more than it can be seen. It has a metronomic call that sounds similar to a coppersmith striking metal with a hammer. Tok tok tok tok. Listen to the 30-seconds video clip below. You may have to jack up the volume a bit.

Sunday or no sunday, Coppersmith is always there. See more pictures below of both male and female birds. Like many other bird species, but quite unlike the humans, God has given more beauty and colour to the males! It is also called crimson-breasted barbet.

Some of the plants like Brahma Kamal which are planted in the beds, can not be moved during summer. Instead of erecting a permanent green mesh for shade, I prefer to use my golf umbrella. It becomes part of the daily routine. See the picture below.

Lockdown has created more happiness all around except for a blow to the economy. The Earth is healing. You may browse our earlier posts on Covid Lockdown by clicking the links below:
'Lockdown Is...'
Staying Safe- What the Kittens teach us
Corona The Global Threat

Hope you are enjoying another Sunday during the lockdown.
Stay home stay safe.

Thanks for browsing.

    - Harsh-the-Ghumakkad with Neeta Bhargava/ 3rd May 2020

#lockdown #coronavirus #beattheboredom #stayhomestaysafe #enjoythelockdown #ghumakkadhb #ghumakkadharsh #homebirding #gardening #cooking #homegrownveggies #golfchippingathome #earthishealing #plantsarebestgifts #covid19 #sunday #everydayisasunday #coppersmithbarbet #powerofobservation

Brahma Kamal- The Magic Continues

Another monsoon month.
Another full moon night पूरणमासी। 
Brahma Kamal synchronises its blooming with full moon night mysteriously.
And magically too!

This year, we have more than 12 buds in our garden. One has bloomed tonight. Ghumakkad has tried to capture the full moon as well as the midnight bloom! Pictures for you.

 

Remaining buds will bloom over next two nights.

We had explained in detail the blooming pattern of Brahma Kamal flower in our earlier stories. Links are given below in case you haven't yet browsed it:
Brahma Kamal- The Queen of the Night
Brahma Kamal- The Plant with Intelligence

It is an easy to grow plant either in a flower bed or in a pot. Needs filtered light. Those in Hyderabad area can reach us to get one free of cost. No T&C :-)

Thanks for browsing.

    -    Harsh-the-Ghumakkad with Neeta Bhargava/ 15th August 2019

#BrahmaKamal #Flowers #MarvelsOfNature #MidnightBloom #PlantWithIntelligence #GhumakkadHarsh #GhumakkadHB  #Bloomsonceayear #bloomsatnight #queenofnight #synchronisationbynature 

Brahma Kamal- A Smart Plant

How does a plant know the lunar calendar a year in advance?
Sometimes three years in advance?
How does it work out the full moon in a monsoon month?
How does it know it is midnight?

These mysteries and many more are Nature's preserve. The more you observe the more you are baffled. Brahma Kamal ब्रह्म कमल is one such plant which has the answers to all the above questions. It bloomed last night in our garden after three years. On dot- on a full moon night in June, the monsoon month! Amazing isn't it?

You may browse our earlier story on Brahma Kamal- Queen of the Night posted three years ago. It has all the details about the plant, its shape, growth, climate for cultivation etc. In appearance, it resembles a rose when in bloom (for layered petals) as well as a lotus as a bud (for its conical shape). Its botanical name is Epiphyllum oxypetallum. In this story we bring you snapshots of the flower taken through the night till it folds itself again next morning. Enjoy the spectacle as it unfolds. 

As it blooms, the fragrance attracts bats and moths who help the plant in pollination.

We sign off with a hope that Brahma Kamal will keep its date with us next year. Or will it be after three years? Who knows!

Wouldn't you call Brahma Kamal a 'Smart' plant for possessing the intelligence? Like smart phones, smart TVs and even smart cities- Brahma Kamal beats them all! Its intelligence is natural and not man-made.

Thanks for browsing.

     -  Harsh-the-Ghumakkad/ 28th June 2018, Full Moon

Postscript:
30th June 2018: Dinesh Sharma a buddy and Nature lover, has sent a picture of another Brahma Kamal which bloomed the same full moon night in Pune on 28th June. The plant is reared by a BITSian Prabha Iyer Shankar in a shaded area. See the picture below. Thanks Dinesh.

It validates our observation of Brahma Kamal blooming at night around a full moon!

Another postscript: 2nd July 2018 from Miraj in Maharashtra. A reader and nature lover K Aishwarya sent us pictures of multiple blooms on 2nd July, few days after the full moon. Thanks Aishwarya.

Yet another Postscript: On 7th July, another nature lover and Naval buddy Lalit Khanna shared his experience of growing the Brahmakamal in his garden. Detailed observations by him are given in the comments section. He has also sent the following picture of pink flower of same cactus family. Thanks much Lalit.

#BrahmaKamal #Flowers #MarvelsOfNature #MidnightBloom #PlantWithIntelligence #GhumakkadHarsh #GhumakkadHB

Brahma Kamal Queen of the Night

Brahma Kamal ब्रह्म कमल 

Four years on dot.
Nature's magical calendar.
July 2015 to July 2019.
Full moon night and Brahma Kamal has bloomed again!

Ghumakkad is not repeating the earlier story. We have added four pictures taken today in our garden to highlight the magic of Brahma Kamal. It flowers once in a year and that too at night! How does it synchronise the blooming to a full moon night give or take a day? Read on.

End of postscript dated 16th July 2019.
___________________________________ 

The original story posted four years ago in July 2015.

A unique flower of the orchid cactus family which blooms at night.
Peculiarities of this flower shot in our garden in Secunderabad, India during July-- the monsoon month are as follows:

• Plant has long leaves, 12 to 24 inches long and about two inches wide with few longitudinal projections. Best planted in area getting filtered sunlight.

• Buds sprout from the edge of the leaves.

Tall slender leaves can be cut and planted in water to take root and then shifted to a pot.

• Buds take 7 days or so to grow and bloom.

• Blooming takes place in dark hours at night.
• The bloom lasts only one night.
• The lotus like petals open up fully around midnight and then fold up around sunrise. The flowers appear like a cross between multiple layers of petals as in a rose and conical shaped buds and flower as in a lotus.

• After blooming, the retracted buds hang lifelessly and wither away.

• Maximum number of blooms occur around full moon पूरणमाशी 
• Pollination is done by bats and moths which are attracted by the aroma of the flower.

Enjoy the beauty of Brahma Kamal from close range.

It is a native of Himalayas as well as Sri Lanka where it is called 'kaduphul'. It also grows in other parts of India. It is considered auspicious for the house where it grows.

Part of above research is by observation in our garden and the rest came from Indian Botanists site. Its botanical name is Epiphyllum oxypetallum.

Parting shot of a Brahma Kamal.



Thanks for browsing.

    Harsh-the-Ghumakkad/ 9th July 2015