Crossandra Flowers

Crossandra Flowers

These are very common among the South Indian gardeners as these are used by the ladies as a decoration on their (braids) hair. Hence these flowers are cultivated in large farms for commercial purposes. One interesting thing about these  bushy plants is that they spread easily by propagating through their seeds. When the seedpods are dried or when they come in to contact with water or rainfall, the seedpods explode and release their seeds. This causes a little sound which attracts little kids attention (I used to pour water on these plants on purpose for this reason when I was a kid) and hence the name Firecracker Flower. 

Firecracker Flower Orange

Yellow Firecracker Flowers

Common Name:  Crossandra, Firecracker Flower

[In Tamil: Kanakambaram, கனகாம்பரம்]

Botanical Name: Crossandra infundibuliformis

Family: Acanthaceae (Barleria family)

More Crossandra Flowers: Photo Gallery