Good Morning Friends,
How Are doing today? Hope everyone is in good health. On this occasion I would like to share with you five photos of beautiful Asoka flowers that were planted in a small garden on the roadside. Photos taken by me using iPhone's camera. Hopefully you like seeing them.
This is my entry for Flower Photo Challenge which is initiated by @bendotri
Everyone is welcome to join us in this Flower Photo Challenge and Below Are The Rules Of This Flower Photo Challenge:
Photos should be your own photos or taken by yourself
Use one of your tags #mydailyflower
Flowers By Day As Below:
Monday is Frangipani
Tuesday is Allamanda
Wednesday is Hibiscus
Thursday is Bougainvillea
Friday is Ashoka
Saturday is Canna
Sunday is Rose
Thank You For Seeing My Blog
Warm Regards,
annas58
Ixora is a genus of flowering plants in the family Rubiaceae. It is the only genus in the tribe Ixoreae. It consists of tropical evergreen trees and shrubs and holds around 544 species. Though native to the tropical and subtropical areas throughout the world, its centre of diversity is in Tropical Asia. Ixora also grows commonly in subtropical climates in the United States, such as Florida where it is commonly known as West Indian jasmine. Other common names include viruchi, kiskaara, kepale, rangan, kheme, ponna, chann tanea, techi, pan, siantan, jarum-jarum/jejarum, jungle flame, jungle geranium, and cruz de Malta, among others. The plants possess leathery leaves, ranging from 3 to 6 inches in length, and produce large clusters of tiny flowers in the summer. Members of Ixora prefer acidic soil, and are suitable choices for bonsai. It is also a popular choice for hedges in parts of South East Asia. In tropical climates they flower year round and are commonly used in Hindu worship, as well as in ayurveda and Indian folk medicine.
Although there are around 500 species in the genus Ixora, only a handful are commonly cultivated, and the common name, Ixora, is usually used for I. coccinea. I. coccinea is used in warm climates for hedges and screens, foundation plantings, massed in flowering beds, or grown as a specimen shrub or small tree. In cooler climes, it is grown in a greenhouse or as a potted house plant requiring bright light. I. coccinea is also grown in containers, looking very distinguished as a patio or poolside plant. This tight, compact shrub is much branched and tolerates hard pruning, making it ideal for formal hedges, although it is at its best when not sheared.
There are numerous named cultivars differing in flower colour (yellow, pink, orange) and plant size. Several popular cultivars are dwarfs, usually staying under 3 ft (0.91 m) in height. Nora Grant is a popular dwarf and Super King is a popular hybrid with much larger flower clusters. Many new cultivars and hybrids of I. coccinea have come to market in the last couple of decades, leading to a resurgence in popularity for the beautiful flame-of-the-woods.
The flowers, leaves, roots, and the stem are used to treat various ailments in the Indian traditional system of medicine, the Ayurveda, and in various folk medicines, in traditional Indian medicine the fusion of juice leaves and the fruit of Ixora coccinea is used to care for dysentery, ulcers and gonorrhea.
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Selain cantik, asoka adalah jenis bunga yang unik. Bunga ini mengeluarkan aroma wangi di malam hari, terutama pada bulan April hingga Mei.
Tanaman dengan nama latin Saraca asoca terbagi menjadi beberapa jenis, yakni pohon asoka yang dapat tumbuh menjulang tinggi tanpa ranting dan disebut sebagai glodokan tiang, serta pohon asoka biasa dengan percabangan atau ranting.
Di indonesia, tumbuhan asoka biasanya dijadikan tanaman hias dan dimanfaatkan untuk kegiatan penghijauan. Sementara di Eropa, orang menyebut tanaman asoka sebagai Flame of the Wood, artinya adalah “nyala api di hutan”. Julukan ini diberikan karena warna bunga asoka yang mencolok dan cerah, bagaikan nyala api.
Mitologi Bunga Asoka
Bunga asoka mempunyai kaitan erat dalam mitologi agama Hindu dan Budha. Nama “asoka” diambil dari bahasa Sansekerta, artinya adalah “tanpa duka”.
Dalam agama Buddha, dipercaya bahwa tokoh yang menyebarkan agama Buddha lahir di bawah pohon asoka. Selain itu, seorang raja penganut agama Buddha yang merupakan penguasa kekaisaran Maurya Gupta di tahun 273 – 232 SM juga disebut sebagai Raja Asoka.
Di India, bunga asoka dianggap sebagai tanaman yang suci. Hal ini karena umat Buddha dan Hindu percaya bahwa tumbuhan ini ada hubungannya dengan Yakshi. Yakshi adalah mahluk mitologi kepercayaan kedua agama tersebut.
Oleh karena itu, di masa India Kuno bunga asoka hanya bisa ditemukan di sekitar area kerajaan. Pada masa itu, tanaman ini tidak bisa ditanam sembarangan oleh masyarakat umum.
Bunga Asoka di Indonesia
Di Indonesia, pohon asoka dulu sangat mudah ditemukan di sekitar rumah. Tumbuhan ini sering disebut sebagai bunga soka. Dahulu anak-anak Indonesia sering bermain dengan bunga ini.
Bagian nektarnya yang manis sangat disukai oleh anak-anak. Mereka akan memetik kelopak bunga, kemudian akan ditekan-tekan hingga keluar cairan bening, kemudian mereka menghisap cairan manis mirip madu yang keluar dari bunga soka.
Cairan manis tersebut bukan air biasa, tetapi cairan bunga yang bercampur dengan nektar dan menghasilkan rasa manis seperti madu. Terkadang saat berusaha menghisap nektar yang manis ini, anak-anak harus bersaing dengan serangga seperti lebah dan lain-lain. Sehingga tak jarang banyak yang tersengat. Namun karena inilah, bunga asoka menjadi lekat dengan kehidupan anak Indonesia.
Bukan hanya menghisap nektarnya, anak-anak Indonesia biasa merangkai bunga asoka hingga menjadi gelang. Bahkan ada juga yang membuatnya menjadi mahkota. Biasanya kegiatan ini dilakukan oleh anak-anak perempuan di pedesaan.
Sumber