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Colourful firecracker
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The orange flowers of the firecracker plant brighten up gardens
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The firecracker flower is commonly known as Kanakambaram in Tamil Nadu
THE ORANGE-RED flower `Kanakambaram' (in local parlance) may not attract one's attention immediately in a garden, as it is not considered to be on a par with jasmine, lily and chrysanthemum.
But the firecracker flower, as it is popularly known, has its own charm.
An evergreen, erect sub-shrub, Crossandra infundibuliformis is native to India and Sri Lanka and belongs to the family Acanthaceae.
The plant has slender stems and ovate to lance-shaped, glossy green leaves 5 to 10 cm long with wavy margins and fan shaped, orange-yellow to salmon-pink flowers 3 cm across.They are usually borne in axillary cone-shaped four-cornered spikes 10 cm long with downy bracts.
The plant grows up to a height of one metre and flowers throughout the year. It is a small pot plant for homes and blooms for long in gardens, when planted in warm places. In the warmer months, it may be put outside, but well sheltered.
Provide moderate to high humidity. During the growth period, water freely and apply a balanced liquid fertilizer every month. Water sparingly in winter, only enough to prevent drying out. Pinch out growing points when young to encourage bushy growth. Grow in fertile, humus rich, well-drained soil in full sun. Threehours of direct sun during the day is required.
Propagation is by seeds or by semi-rip cuttings after every flowering.
Flowers liven up gardens and are used to adorn the hair.
CHITRA RADHAKRISHNAN
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