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| TopTropicals.com— rare tropical plants for home and garden |
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| TopTropicals.com— rare tropical plants for home and garden |
The three major varieties 'Maid of Orleans', 'Belle of India' and 'Grand Duke' - differ from each other by leves shape and flowers structure. Sometimes, however, fluctuations occur (or what they call "sport"). The forth popular variety Mysore Mulli, as we consider, is a variation of the 'Belle of India'.
Three varieties are considered:
1. 'Maid of Orleans'
2. 'Belle of India' - 2 kinds: elongated petels ('Elongata') and regular petals
('Mysore Mulli').
3. 'Grand Duke'
Leaves
click on image to enlarge
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Left picture: On 'Belle of India' we saw leaves with rounded
as well as sharped tip on one and the same plant.
Leaves of 'Maid of Orleans' are all sharped and arranged opposite in pairs on the same plant |
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Whorled (3-4) leaves, with rounded tips on 'Grand Duke' |
Flowers
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Single with rounded petals - 'Maid of Orleans'
Semi-double or single (we saw both single and double flowers on the same plant) with elongated petails - "Belle of India" 'Grand Duke' - central flower |
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'Grand Duke' variety has clusters of flowers (sometimes single flower). Only central flower is truely double-rossete. Side flowers are semi-double, reminding rose flowers.
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These 3 pics are taken from same one "Belle of India" plant. As you
can see, there are oblong petals, as well as rounded on one plant. Some of them
are semi-double, others - single. According to Glenn Teves (HI County Extension
Agent of UH College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources), "the reddish
color showing in many of the pictures is actually damage from a flower midge.
Feeding damage from the midge causes the purpliing".
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Flower of 'Belle of India' starts its life as rossete. Petals are pointed. |
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'Belle of India': "Middle age crisis". Some of petales are "straight", others still curved. Semi-double flower. On the left - 'Grand Duke' - side flower. Not much difference, except round petailes shape.
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We have collected features you can use to determine plant type in one table. However exceptions (fluctuations) occur. We have whorled leaves on 'Belle of India plant', as well as on 'Grand Duke'. And we already mentioned a confusion regarding flowers.
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'Maid of Orleans'
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'Belle of India'
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'Grand Duke'
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| Leaves | Opposite leaves are arranged in pairs on the same plant | 4-ranked (decussate) - leaves arranged in pairs at alternate right angles | Whorled, laves in group of three around stem |
| Flowers | Single with rounded petails | Semi-double with elongated petails | Center flower is double. Side flowers are double or semi-double |
Petels and leaves
 Confusing petels of Belle of India on the same plant |
 Belle of India 'Elongata' buds |
 Belle of India 'Elongata' leaves |
 J.S. Arabian Nights - new variety. Petels like 'Maid of orleans' but flower is double, leaves like 'Elongata'. |
Belle of India Elongata flower |
©Top Tropicals LLC, 2003 - ©TTmagazine.info, 2007 - Using TopTropicals.com images
