Mickey Mouse Bush

 
 
 
 
 

Would you believe it if someone were to tell you that there is a plant called Mickey Mouse Bush? Yes, there is, though it has another common name called Bird's Eye Bush. I don't know how the plant got the catchy name Mickey Mouse Bush but it seems that the plant's bright-red sepals resemble the face of Mickey Mouse. I can't see the semblance though. 

This shrub is an ornamental plant, with fragrant yellow blossoms that appear around 2 cm in diameter. The petals usually drop soon after they bloom. Five or six fruits grow from the plant, which are attached to the sepals. While the fruit is developing, the sepals enlarge and turn bright red, in most cases turning the whole plant red. The fruit pale green turn black at a later stage. The whole bush looks colourful at this stage, with bright yellow flowers and bright red sepals dotted with green fruits.

Bees and butterflies are attracted to the flowers, while the birds tend to eat the fruits from the plant. The movements of the birds among the bush leaves cause some seeds to fall while others are released by the impact of the rains. Hence, the continued propagation.