CALLIANDRA (RED POWDER PUFF): Seasons of Growth & Rebirth
The Calliandra reminds me of Christmas season in New Zealand when the flowers of Pohutukawa trees, also known as New Zealand's Christmas tree, are in full bloom.
My daily uphill walk to work was such a breeze seeing these flowers along the way, with my enthusiasm dampened only by the thought of returning home due to the worldwide recession.
That was the time when companies closed for the holiday season and some never reopened. Many migrants lost work opportunities in favor of returning Kiwis who likewise lost their jobs elsewhere.
Hopping into a bus where at times you can be the lone passenger was a soothing way to beat the doldrums, when you could see these flowering trees blooming and adorning the roads around the city.
The Pohutukawa trees hold a prominent place in Maori mythology and are considered sacred.
Credits to: AKL Botanic Gardens
CALLIANDRA AND POHUTUKAWA
The name Calliandra is a Latin word which means "beautiful stamens." Its numerous, long and slender stamens caused it to be called 'Red Powder Puff' or 'Fairy Duster.'
While the Calliandra and the Pohutukawa do not belong to the same family of plants, they look similar because of their vibrant, red flowers made up of stamens. The stamen is the pollen producing part of a flower. It is made up of the filament that holds the anther which in turn produces pollen grains that houses the sex cells needed for plant reproduction.
Pohutukawa flower Credit to: pixabay.com
A TIME FOR EVERY SEASON
Returning to one's home country after one and a half years of hopeful existence away from the family can be emotionally draining. But believing that 'there is a time for everything under the heavens,' faith and resilience got the better of me.
It was a bit slow and difficult to re-integrate into the human resources industry when your mind still thinks in foreign currency. Nonetheless, the local job market opened its doors with a competitive, welcoming package. In time, I recovered not only my travel and immigration costs but also my confidence and self-worth as a person.
Truly, when a door closes, a new window opens. And you will never know what lies ahead until you take a peek, try and discover it for yourself.
In the meanwhile, the captivating and virginal beauty of New Zealand and its Pohutukawa flowers remained an unfinished dream in my memory.
Calliandra haematocephala
PROPAGATING CALLIANDRA IN LIEU OF POHUTUKAWA
Thus, when Covid Delta subsided, I quickly bought a pot of Calliandra as soon as I spotted it in the local market nearby. The vendor informed me that it can only be reproduced by marcotting, justifying its expensive cost.
After three months, I successfully marcotted two new stems and they are now growing and blooming healthily in my garden.
Marcotted Calliandra
When the rainy days came last August, the branches grew more rapidly with tiny leaves and auxiliary buds coming out of the stems.
I trimmed some stems about ten inches long to keep the mother plant in shape, scraped off the epidermis three nodes from the bottom, and planted it in a pot of mixed loam soil, coco peat and vegetable compost.
Propagation by Stem-cutting
Watering it with growth hormone once a week helped to keep the stems from rotting. Voila! The stems were rooted after less than a month under the shade faster than the stems I marcotted at the same time. On the other hand, the stems without auxiliary buds did not survive.
Propagation by Marcotting
Once stable, I placed them under the morning sun, and a month after, under full sun the whole day. The Calliandra loves bright, direct sunlight for 6 to 8 hours a day for it to flower abundantly.
UNIQUE FLOWERING STAGES
If there is one interesting thing about the Red Powder Puff, it is the flowering stages.
It starts as a tiny bud in green color, develops into a group of small conical buds of pale pink, grows into bigger buds of light red color, and then finally into a beautiful bunch of hair-like red stamens that look like a fairy wand.
Each day of a blooming Calliandra flower is like a mystery unraveling itself in suspense.
GROWTH AND REBIRTH
More than the act of giving, the Calliandra is symbolic of my struggles and challenges as a migrant professional in a nature-filled, corruption-free country of courteous and friendly people - during my golden years - and how I re-emerged still feeling a winner.
Coming home with unfinished business was a realization - that not all things are meant to happen as you want it; that better times are yet to come after things do not work out right; that standing up and starting all over again is the key to survival; that if you die to one's self, no efforts are left wasted and unrewarded in the end, in more ways than one.
May you bloom where you are planted in 2025! Happy New Year!
Message me at greencraftivist@gmail.com or write down your comments below.
Apple Bleza -Morales
About the Author:
Apple is passionately interested in community greening and beautification, organic and ornamental gardening, environment protection and preservation as well as related arts and crafts. She shares her professional, personal and travel experiences to spread knowledge and information in these areas which may not be accessible to all who are similarly interested. Apple aims to inspire others to develop and create new ideas from her blogs and to share life lessons on values for living.
Apple holds a Master's degree in Industrial Relations from the University of the Philippines. She held leadership roles in Human Resources during her employment with the private sector, developing and implementing HR and Organizational systems that help employees to grow their careers and for employers to achieve a mutually beneficial engagement.
Photos by: MBMorales - Manila, Philippines: December 2024
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