Anyone Interested in (Fragrant) Tropical Plants?

[M Farooq]

ASA, thanks all for the information:

Arif sahab: Currently I can only do online search for Kevra and collaborate with interested gardeners here for these. The Bauhinia which I showed is quite rare as, there so many varieties and shades but this looks like a true orchid. As far as I know there is only one specimen growing in Karachi University in the botany department.

Khabbab shb: You are right, wood rose is Merrimia or Ipomoea tuberosa. I had this vine but the flowers are not fragrant as you just said. The woody flowers look wonderful. I guess it is still worth having one sample, but keep in mind that it would grow really tall...easily to any 2 storeyed house :-)

Abro shb: That would be great. Hope our search for kevra is fruitful :-)

Has anyone smelled Michelia?

Regards,
Farooq

[M Farooq]

Ylang ylang vine is easily available in pattoki and in lahore too. I got one specimen flowering for me right now. But it is yellow flower, small , drooping one.

The Ylang Ylang vine as sold in Pakistan is I guess Artabotrys odoratissmus. I believe it has very characteristic hooks that help the vine to climb the trees. I saw it in Shalimar nursery 5 years ago, where he was selling it at such an expensive price i.e. 3000 rupees for a pot! The flowers had a pineapple like fragrance and a deep yellow flower. Does your plant have hooks?

And then as Arif sahib had stated long time ago, there is another "naag champa" sold by nurseries - it is one of the most useless fragrant topical tree! The flowers are almost odorless but they look almost identical to the ylang ylang vine you are referring to.

The yalng ylang picture I posted is that of Cananga odorata. I haven't seen a real flower before but someone had gifted its essential oil to me. It had a very unique oriental fragrance- sweet but not fruity. I have heard that the essential oil from the flowers is used in Chanel no. 5 perfume. That speaks volumes about its fragrance.

[Nice]

Wood rose seeds are available at chiltern seeds UK but i doubt if it is fragrant. I assume wood rose you mean Ipomoea tuberosa. If it is fragrant, i will try seeds in next purchase.

Ylang ylang vine is easily available in pattoki and in lahore too. I got one specimen flowering for me right now. But it is yellow flower, small , drooping one.

Michelia champaca is in the booklet of lawrence gardens but it is not growing there per my knowledge. Doc amir has a a huge plant in his garden, got from a local nursery. Perhaps magnolia figo is more famous for its fragrance (now easily available in lahore) plus figo is a bush not tree.

There are lots of variants of bauhinia purpurea and variageta flowering in lawrence gardens lahore.

Khabbab Sahib from where can I get Michelia figo in Lahore.

[M Farooq]

Khabbab Sahib from where can I get Michelia figo in Lahore.

I am afraid that you mixed two trees being discussed here: One is Michelia champaca and the other one Magnolia figo. Both are said to be very fragrant.

Does anyone know about Magnolia figo's availability in Karachi as well?

Thanks.

[khabbab]

Yes mine has got hooks. Figo should be available in karachi specially diamond.

[M Farooq]

Yes mine has got hooks. Figo should be available in karachi specially diamond.

That's good to know. The presence of hooks confirms that it is Artabotrys not Cananga (true yalng ylang). But you are lucky to have the vine version of Artabotrys which is very fragrant as well!

[Munir]

Yes mine has got hooks. Figo should be available in karachi specially diamond.

That's good to know. The presence of hooks confirms that it is Artabotrys not Cananga (true yalng ylang). But you are lucky to have the vine version of Artabotrys which is very fragrant as well!

Is it also known as Har Singhar ? If not this, then what is Har Singhar, which too is supposed to be fragrant?

[Farhan Ahmed]

Is it also known as Har Singhar ? If not this, then what is Har Singhar, which too is supposed to be fragrant?

Nyctanthes arbor-tristis...Its a Tree, and it has lovely fragrance indeed

[Farhan Ahmed]

It can survive easily in zone 9B.

[M Farooq]

Is it also known as Har Singhar ? If not this, then what is Har Singhar, which too is supposed to be fragrant?

Nyctanthes arbor-tristis...Its a Tree, and it has lovely fragrance indeed

Oh yes...this is a must in every garden. I have one tree as well. Easy to grow, pest free! And flowers are noctural. In the morning you will find a carpet of white flowers - hence its name arbortritis = "sad tree", as if the tree had cried all night. And the orange part of the flower can be used to colour rice...rather than the orange textile dyes we add in the pulao/ biryani these days. With that I would discourage people from adding those orange dyes to food which come openly in the market without any identity.