Lady of the night..

              No, not Brassavola nodosa, if you think the title refers to..! Cause this is no orchid..just a blooming white lily at the back of my orchid shade..secretly I was fond of this kind of flower too..! but they are not very popular here in my country..I've read somewhere that orchids and lilies shared the same ancestry in plant evolution..correct me if I'm wrong..!I have collected a few species and hybrids, but never attempted to search their names or origins whatsoever..just grew them casually.. while looking at my orchids tonight, I was attracted to the strong heady smell wafting around the surrounding, it turns out to be from the blooms of this white lily..I never thought that it has such a nice smell kinda vanilla-ish..During the day the smell was not so obvious and the petals do not open wide..Now I know that they are night bloomers.. At night time they are in their full glory..Searching on the internet, I've found the names and its origin..that is Crinum jagus or the local name St. Christopher Lily.

              Plants is native to tropical Africa. There are many forms, sometimes given variety names, although these variety names have not been published. Crinum jagus is a tender perennial bulb in the Amaryllis family that is native to tropical Africa. Tulip-like white flowers bloom in clusters in summer atop leafless stalks typically rising to 2-3’ tall from a clump of strap-shaped green leaves. Some flowers are fragrant, but other have little aroma. Crinum bulbs typically taper into elongated necks.

              Kalau baca tajuk pos kali ni, bukan Brassavola nodosa..yang memang dikenali dengan 'nickname' tu.. Cuma 'title' ni juga nak bagi untuk sejambak bunga lili putih yang sedang berkembang di belakang rumah orkid OC (sekarang nak bahasakan diri, OC iaitu singkatan 'OrchidCraze'..)..walaupun bukan orkid tetapi ada OC pernah terbaca yang orkid dan lili ni adalah dari kelompok famili tumbuhan yang sama..Betulkan kalau silap..! Pokok ni buat tak peduli  pun biar saja dia tumbuh, tak ingat dah dapat dari mana..Sebenarnya dalam diam-diam OC juga suka bunga jenis-jenis bebawang ni, OC tak ada lah kumpul banyak ada lah sikit..spesis dan hybrid..tak pernah pulak rasa nak cari nama ke, asal-usul dari mana datang..hanya 'suka-suka' tanam saja..Masa jenguk-jenguk orkid malam tadi datang pula satu bau wangi yang menusuk hidung..toleh dari arah mana bau tu datang rupanya-rupanya dari bunga lili ni lah..Tak sangka pulak baunya kuat juga nak macam vanilla sikit pun ada..Masa waktu siang baunya tak kuat pun, kelopak pun macam kuncup sikit, rupa-rupanya baru OC tahu yang pokok ni kembang waktu malam..kira  malam ni 'dia' promosi habis-habisan..! lebih kurang macam bunga buah naga atau sesetengah pokok kaktus..(pokok buah naga tu pun sejenis kaktus juga.!)..Bunga teratai pun ada yang kembang waktu malam..Jadi sajalah OC pun cuba cari dalam internet jumpalah nama dan asal-usul spesis ni..iaitu Crinum jagus atau St. Christopher Lily..

          Berasal dari kawasan tropika Afrika. Terdapat banyak varian yang diberi nama, walaupun tidak secara rasmi. Tergolong dalam kategori tumbuhan berbawang dalam keluarga Amarilis. Umumnya pokok ini mengeluarkan tangkai bunga setinggi 2 atau 3 kaki dari rumpun pokok yang berdaun hijau, lurus dan panjang. Ada jenis yang bunganya berbau wangi dan ada yang tidak.

        

            This variety known as vanillodorum has very attractive, broad, wavy foliage & grows best in moist soils with some protection from hot sun. The very fragrant flowers smell similar to vanilla which is not entirely unique amongst C. jagus types, however this is strongly so. Though this may be one of the most attractive Crinums for its foliage, it also has exquisite fragrant flowers.

            Varian yang ada di rumah orkid OC ini dikenali sebagai  vanillodorum. Sebab tu baunya wangi macam vanilla sikit..Satu lagi yang menarik tentang pokok ini ialah bahagian tepi daunnya yang beralun.

Close up..The flowers open wide at night.

Pandangan dekat. Bunganya terbuka dengan luas pada waktu malam.

This is the plant during the day. See the flowers are slightly nodding waiting to bloom fully at night. They doesn't last long. The most are 3 days..but it bloom many times a year.

Ini pokoknya pada waktu siang. Bunganya tunduk sedikit menanti malam hari sebelum kembali kembang sepenuhnya. Bunganya tak lama dalam 3 hari saja..Tapi boleh berbunga banyak kali setahun.

The splendor of the rose and the whiteness of the lily 

do not rob the little violet of it's scent nor the daisy of its simple charm. 

If every tiny flower wanted to be rose, 

spring would lose its loveliness. 

- Therese of Lisieux