Cleome speciosa - Spiderflower

As you scroll down this page to look at the pictures of this interesting flower, you will be experiencing the marvels not just of nature but also of the 18X zoom of the Olympus camera that I was using.

More pictures

family: Cleomaceae

Common name: Spiderflower

Cleome speciosa - an unusual plant

I saw this unusual flower in somebody's garden and went near the front gate to get a closer look. A lady was standing at the door and I said to her that I was just admiring her flowers. She came out for a chat and told me the plant came from the Cameron Highlands in Malaysia and that the flowers looked their best in the evenings when it is cooler. I suppose that made sense since Cameron Highlands is a hill resort. If you look closely at the photo, you will realise that what appears to be leaves are actually seed pods. This is a most unusual plant. Sad to say I have never seen anything like it in the books that I have. Hopefully, someone will know its identity and let me know so that there is a name to this flower.

I have an identification of this plant. Please see comments by Funfun.

Family: Capparaceae