CHANGEABLE ROSE OR THALKAMAL FLOWER

CHANGEABLE ROSE  OR  THALKAMAL FLOWER

Botanical name: Hibiscus mutabilis            Family: Malvaceae (mallow family)Common name: Changeable Rose, Chinese Rose, Confederate Rose, Cotton Rose • Hindi: स्थलकमल Sthalkamal •  Bengali: Sthalpadma • Tamil:  Semburutti • Kannada: Neladavare • Malayalam: Chinappratti •     Urdu: गुले अजायब  •                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            Native to China ,changeable  Rose is a large shrub or small multistemmed tree that grows to 15 ft high with about a 10 ft spread. Dropping its leaves in winter the shrub's slender stems seem to disappear among neighboring plants until midsummer, when it leafs out into a big bushy mass. The large leaves are 5 - 7 in, bright green, hairy on the undersides and deeply lobed. They impart a coarse texture that gives the plant a distinctive eye-catching appeal. Cotton rose is very iimposing when in full bloom starting in late summer and on into fall. The large double or single-flowered blooms that are 3-5 in acroos, open pure white and change color over a three-day period until they are deep pink and then as they die assume a dark "blue-pink" hue. The most notable characteristic of this flowering shrub is that flowers of three distinct colors appear on the bush simultaneously as the  blooms color cycle independent of one another. In fact, the species name mutabilis means,          changeable. After flowering, a round, hairy capsule forms which dries and releases fuzzy seeds, a trait that inspired one of the plants common names, cotton rose as the buds resemble the boll of   that famous member of the hibiscus family.                                                                                    

                                       Camera used in photography-Canon Power Shot SX150 IS