Double Pinwheel Tree Blossom

This was taken this morning.  My photo.

Double Pinwheel blossom Apocynaceae Tabernaemontana divaricata, Crepe Jasmine or Pinwheel Flower.

When we first moved into our Florida home, there were six Tavernaemontana divaricata trees growing just east of the front door.  With rich, lush dark green leaves, they were wonderful just by themselves.  In the summer, however, they continually blossomed with small, white, 5-petaled flowers.  Unfortunately they were already overgrown, too big for the space they had been planted in.  Greedy for sun, they pushed their branches up and outward, looking for all the world like trees bent by constant, gail-force winds.  

After a time, I had help digging them up, roots intact, and transferring them to a place in the back yard where they had lots of room to grow.  

Palm Beach Gardens, FL.  My photo.

One little sapling escaped our notice.  Sprouted from a seed, it gradually increased in size and beauty.  Once stunted by the primary cluster of trees, it is now alone, but very happily growing, at the corner of our house and the garage.  I keep it pruned down low--about 5 to 6 feet tall.  Usually it bears the plain flowers, like the one in the photo below.

From a site on-line: ZDNet.com.  The photo is credited to Image by rjackb via Flickr.  This post was originally published on Smartplanet.com 

This morning I found a single flower that surprised and delighted me.  I took a photo of it--the one at the top of this entry:  a double layered flower with two sets of petals set on top of one another.  It is still beautiful--nine hours after I picked it.  It doesn't wilt like the gardenia blossoms I pick and bring inside.  

I've never seen a flower like this on this particular tree before.  

I suppose it's a vote for genetic mistakes as a good thing.