Who can I.D. this flower?



As usual, we'll hold off on approving any follow up posts from you for a few days so everyone has a change to give their guess.
Enjoy!
-TBNet

Wow, we've only had one guess so far. Who else may know the name of this flower?

Not used to seeing it so up close and personal? Seems like just the right flower for Jamaica's 50th birthday....

National flower of Jamaica. Lignaeum vitae.

The five petalled blue variety inflorescence of Guiacum Officionale. Our National Flower, turgid with nectar.

Lignam Vitae.perhaps ,greatly enlarged..

Lignum Vitae.....

Ah, too obvious, eh? However, a few folks I showed this photo to thought it was a lily or something else. When I told them it was the flower of the Lignum Vitae they were surprised.

I think we tend not to realize how beautiful this flower really is. And as Sisterfire said, for Jamaica's national b'day it is appropriate for us to really see what a magnificent flower and country this is. We need to care for it better, make sure to protect and preserve it, and therefore guarantee it will be with us for many generations to come.

I've known a Landscape Contractor in Florida who was looking for a Lignum Vitae tree. I was amazed to find out that these Landscape Architects are designing using the Lignum Vitae trees. It grows in Miamai and the Florida Keys,in sizes from 3 gallon to 100 gallon pots and prices ranging from $25.00 to $450.00. How fortunate we are to have this beautiful tree as our national tree and people here (not Jamaicans) who are willing to buy them. This is truly a beautiful tree and should be protected and treated with respect. There should be a hefty fine for cutting them down.

Right-o, Rebecca.

I carried two lignum shoots from my property in Sandy Bank to my house in Florida last month (Don't tell Customs, or whatever those uniformed people call themselves these days). They are currently in a pot and looking pretty good. If lucky, my wife and I will have a big piece of Jamaica in the middle of our backyard in a few years --We'll see how it go!

I don't mean 'to rain on your parade' Arnie, but I heard that lignum vitae cause your yard to be barren. It kills all the grass from your lawn.

The lignum is now over three feet tall...WAY more healthy than I am, and has caused no damage to the lawn. I'm just trying to live well until it creates shade and blossoms. I also transported an ackee shoot from my old Sandy Bank house. That tree is now almost eight feet tall and doing really well here in Florida. You can take the boy out of Jamaica but never can take Jamaica out of the boy - Trust Me!