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- 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 

Even Plants Avoid Plastics

Are the plants and creepers more intelligent than us human beings?
Do they care more about the environment? 
Do creepers know how to avoid plastics?
The answer to all is yes.

Ghumakkad made this observation in his yard. To let the Karela करेला (Bitter Gourd) creeper climb up, we tied a small twine made of plastic. The creeper initially used the plastic twine to take a grip, albeit slowly and probably reluctantly. As it grew further, it bent sideways to find a natural grip of a branch or a leaf. And it succeeded. One step at a time. Read the picture story below.

If only we humans could be as discerning and intelligent as tiny plants and creepers, we could save our planet from ecological abuse and degradation.

Karela creeper had figured earlier in another story titled Jewel Bug. You may browse to marvel at Nature's another marvel. The bug had settled on a Karela leaf as shown below.

Nature continues to fascinate Ghumakkad. Does it fascinate you too?

Thanks for browsing.

     -  Harsh-the-Ghumakkad/ 28th March 2019

#nature #ecology #plants #creepers #plastics #environment #degradation #karela #ghumakkadhb #ghumakkadharsh #jewelbug

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