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Cockatoo of the Congo


Cockatoo of the Congo
Photo Information
Copyright: Janice Dunn (Janice) Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 3315 W: 148 N: 6113] (18648)
Genre: Plants
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2005-06-07
Categories: Flowers
Camera: Canon EOS 300D, Tamron 28-300 XR
Exposure: f/6.3, 1/80 seconds
More Photo Info: [view]
Photo Version: Original Version
Date Submitted: 2005-06-23 3:46
Viewed: 1247
Points: 48
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
Congo Cockatoo
Impatiens niamniamensis
Family: Balsaminaceae DC.
Country of Origin: tropical east Africa

Isn’t this a gorgeous plant?

I thought it was called an Impatience Bird of Paradise, but no, this is the Impatiens Congo Cockatoo. No wonder I couldn’t find anything about this plant looking under the word IMPATIENCE!!!

It has such glowing, multi-coloured red-yellow-and-lime blooms shaped like a hood with a curved spur (but others can see parrot (Cockatoo) shaped flowers), just beneath contrasting, shiny foliage in the deepest shade of green. This is an ever bloomer, literally come spring it is covered in flowers and they are constant all season long. It is an unusual frost-tender succulent shrub from tropical East Africa, this species grows to 3 ft (1 m) tall. Each flower has a curled spur and the colour changes along their length; the flower colour also varies from plant to plant.

Impatiens is one of 500 species in the family Balsamineaceae. It was originally called Impatiens sultana, for the Sultan of Zanzibar, and was later re-named Impatiens wallerana, after Horace Waller, a British missionary.

The common names of Impatiens are Busy Lizzy, and Touch-me-not and were given to this type of plant because the slightest touch will cause the ripe, full seed pods to burst open and impatiently scatter their seeds into the wind.

To me this Congo Cockatoo is quite "funky-looking" because they are shaped like sickles and the tips look as if they have been dipped in red paint. These flowers appear on black stems, so the appearance is quite striking.

www.plantsofperfection.com
www.botany.com/impatiens.html
thistle, dew77, TAZ, red45, AndyB, Fisher, sam224, Comandante, dsidwell, marhowie, Luc, chouette, magiqa, JeanMichel has marked this note useful
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Discussions
ThreadThread Starter Messages Updated
To magiqa: ImpatiensJanice 1 07-06 23:32
To red45: Edible?Janice 3 06-23 23:49
To malgosia: HelloJanice 1 06-23 23:35
To AndyB: ThanksJanice 1 06-23 07:12
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Critiques [Translate]

Hi Jancie. A lovely close up of this unusual plant. The exposure and sharpness are great and the colours and light gorgeous. It does seem to glow and it has a really striking form. Great shot, TFS :)

Great post Janice!
Very interesting note and superb photo. Details are perfect and colours really beautiful.
I like the photo very much.
VERY WELL DONE!

  • Great 
  • dew77 Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 4774 W: 294 N: 4020] (13209)
  • [2005-06-23 4:20]

Hello Janice!
Very nice colourful composition.Details,lighting,framing are perfect as well.Excellent work!TFS...:-)

Great colours Janice! Superb photo.
One of your best. really wonderful!!!

  • Great 
  • red45 Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2705 W: 74 N: 8864] (30243)
  • [2005-06-23 5:26]
  • [+]

Yes Janice, this plant is just GORGEOUS! I love it at first sight! Shapes and colours are amazing - especially red-yellow-green sequence - so intense and saturated. It is so nice that I would like to eat this ;-) Here in Poland we've got plant with similiar method of its seeds' distribution - it is called Niecierpek - Impatiens noli-tangere.

  • Great 
  • AndyB Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1391 W: 32 N: 1350] (3982)
  • [2005-06-23 5:53]
  • [+]

A beautiful shot Janice,
It looks so nice I could eat it,although thats probably not recommended :))
Lovely vivid contrasting colours and excellent detail.
Very well captured,

TFS

Interesting capture and well done on the composition. Excellent work.

Mike

Lovely colours and gorgeous shape... I like your capture. Good details and sharpness.. and excellent note. Bravo!

Hello Janice!
Wonderful shot.Vivid colors,lighting,framing and composition are excellent.Thanks for sharing.

  • Great 
  • Graal Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Silver Note Writer [C: 755 W: 31 N: 20] (5032)
  • [2005-06-23 11:12]

Hi Janice!
Here friends all told You. Great shot.
Regards,
Aleksander

hello Jancie:)beauty photo full of colours:) exellent shot:)great DOF:)
I love it:)

Malgosia

Gorgeous bloom. The lighting is great and the colors spectacular. The contrasting colors are very striking and are emphasized in this composition. Well done.

Unusual plant and an unusual composition of it, Janice. I love how you've focused only on one vital part of the flower and then faded focus softly. Very nice!

  • Great 
  • livios Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2156 W: 322 N: 4258] (16906)
  • [2005-06-23 17:41]

Janice, another colorful and very nice shot.

Excellent sharpness, composition and pov. I like the bg too.

Very well done.

  • Great 
  • TAZ Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2241 W: 47 N: 3167] (10926)
  • [2005-06-24 3:25]

Beautiful & interesting composition for this superb flower ! Great colors, good DOF and details ! Thanks for sharing Jancie.

Wow! Superb colors, excellent light and fantastic details. Great work!
TFS.

  • Great 
  • sAner Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1490 W: 72 N: 1427] (4744)
  • [2005-06-24 6:51]

Hello Janice,

This is beautiful. The colors are so vivid and so nice! Wonderful composition aswell. Well done & TFS!

Regards,
Pieter

Jancie, Wonderful blend of colors..Very good sharpness, details and light here. Very pleasing & interesting capture..Very good work!

  • Great 
  • Luc Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1873 W: 304 N: 4300] (14729)
  • [2005-06-26 11:51]

Hello Janice!
Personal assessment of the photo: great.
Strong visual impact.
Aptness of the photo for the site: excellent.
Personal assessment of the note: more than complete.
Thank you very much for sharing.
Have a good week!

Hi Jancie,
Very nice picture with beautiful colors! Nice composition, good details. Well done! TFS
Helene

This is a sort of Impatiens that I have never seen before. Beautiful and such a sharp photo!

Colors and composition are leaders in this beautiful shot where the flower is very well detailed. Echoing flowers are doing well also in the BG. Well done, Janice.

WOW!!
The colours are so sharp and vivid. I never saw such a plant before and it was very interesting to read the informative note. I also like to photograph plants and I have so much more to learn from you.
Thank you for sharing.
Regards,
Shelly.

Superb picture, congratulations.

Henry

Hi Jancie,
This truly is a gorgeous plant! The colours are wonderful, just like a cockatoo :P I especially like the blue in the background, because it contrasts well and really brings out the colour in the plants. Wonderful POV! Great job!
Claudia

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