Hi guys. Just wanted to share with you this wonderful show that our garlic vine plant puts on annually. Even I was surprised to find the plant in full bloom without noticing it.
Well aside from the fact that its bloom begins as a very small and unnoticeable bud, most of them grow outside our fence so I don't get to observe them closely until they're almost fully bloomed.
Photo above is when I first observed the flowers to my surprise and delight. I took photos of them that day and then a few days after.
Garlic Vine or also called garlic creeper, purple garlic vine or false garlic is a species of tropical liana in the family Bignoniaceae. It is native to Northern South America, and has spread to Central America and Brazil. Among the mestizos of the Amazon rainforest it is known as ajo sacha, a Spanish-Quechua name that means "forest garlic" or "wild garlic".
Wikipedia
And indeed, if one gets close enough to this vine, he will really smell garlic. Even the leaves, when crushed, gives off that garlic smell. Some say this can be used as a seasoning just like sage or mint but I haven't tried it yet. So far, all that I did was harvest the flowers and place them in our altar. They make for a very beautiful and angelic display.
All for now. I hope you enjoyed the garlic vine show as much as I did. Until the next bloom. Take care everyone.