This summer the gardens in Satara were alive with the beautiful blooms of the Wild Parasol Flower bushes and the insects they attract.
Wild Parasol Flower bush in Satara
Wild Parasol Flower bloom
Wild Parasol Flower blooms
Wild Parasol Flower bloom
Wild Parasol Flower blooms
Wild Parasol Flower blooms
Carpenter Bee on Wild Parasol Flower bush
Wild Parasol Flower bloom
Wild Parasol Flower bloom
Karomia speciosa
The Wild Parasol Flower is a shrub or small tree growing up to 6m tall, and usually found on rocky mountain slopes and along rivers in the bushveld regions of extreme northern Kwazulu-Natal, eastern Mpumalanga, and Eswatini. They are deciduous and carry the characteristic bi-coloured flowers from November to April. This plant is a great addition to the summer garden, but no other or traditional uses are known.
DeWetsWild 
Beautiful!
Isn’t it!?
Thanks for the flowers as a follow up post, Dries. The monkey and bird one got to me.
Monkeys have a dark side too, it seems. And we think we’re better than them…
Now that you mention it …
Dit is darem die pragtigste blommetjies!
Hulle trek nogal die aandag!
Gorgeous photos. 😀 😀
Thank you very much, Cee!
What a gorgeous flower!
As I scrolled down and admired the blossoms, I thought, “They look a little like hydrangeas…’ and then I thought, “The leaves remind me of Mock Orange…” so then did a search and discovered (yay) that mock orange is in the hydrangea family, and I think that I read that your parasol flowers are also related to the hydrangeas. It’s one in the morning, and I so wish to have time to keep researching, but it’s probably best that I stop now, and hold the parasol flowers in my memory as a worthy punctuation to this day.
Wow, Lisa, a real night owl! We really are grateful that you’re spending so much time here!
I miss having that free time from earlier years – and the museo has asked if the show can be extended until —— october! so now i’ll be doing a few extra things each month to try to always have something new for repeat visitors… am also working on this bird study of the area which has been a nice change of attention… i should be working on it now, but as stephen covey advised in ‘7 Habits of Highly effective People,’ we need to remember to sharpen the saw… which I am doing right now! The giraffes – ah, such unique creatures on this planet!
Wishing you every success with that lengthy commission!
a lovely respite!
Ek kan nie onthou dat ek hierdie bos met blomme al voorheen gesien het nie. Die pers en pienk blommetjies is pragtig. Ek lees dat dit in Afrikaans die sambreelboom genoem word (dis ‘n mooi naam).
Regtig besonders mooi om hulle vol in blom te kon sien!
These ones haven’t made it into my Field Guide to Wilde Flowers of South Africa, so you have sent my antennae shooting right up and twitching 🙂
It’s a real beauty this one, Anne, and I thought perhaps you might have recognised it from your days in Barberton, as that part of the world seems to be right in the middle of its limited distribution range.
I’ve never seen or heard of them before and I’ve obviously been missing something beautiful. Love them!
I wish you could see a bush in real life, Janet. It is spectacular – even to my colour-blind eyes!
Maybe some day but for now I’ll enjoy it through your lenses.
So pretty and aptly named. I’ve never seen them in the US, although I see they grow in our most southern states. Another introduction by Dries. 😃🌸
Wow, Jane, and now I learn something from you! Were they introduced to the USA (escapes from gardens, perhaps) or is it a close relative that grows wild there?
The quick search I did said origins in South Africa, so introduced, I assume. By the way, your posts came up on the top of the Google search which is great!
Oh wow! Thank you for that, Jane!
Parasol flower, what a great name!
Very descriptive, I think! Nice to see you here again, Linda. Hope you are well?
I’m well thank you!
Dankie vir die fotos en beskrywing. Het weer iets geleer hier by jou. Ek sien dit is regtig ‘n SA plant, baie interessant.
Plesier, Ineke! Interessant dat dit net in so klein deeltjie van ons land voorkom. Die blommetjies het my aandag getrek selfs al is ek kleurblind.
Dis nog interessanter omdat jy tog die kleur sakerings kon opmerk.
What a pretty flower! We have a plant here called ‘Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow.’ It blooms dark purple, then lighter purple, then white. But that’s over a couple days–not at the same time like this little beauty!
I know the “Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow” very well – my Mom has one bush in her garden since I was a little boy and it is still flourishing!
Mine is in my backyard. I planted it around 25 years ago and it is still blooming! How cool that we have the same plant!?!