'/> Fascinating Flowers: December 2014

Sunday, December 28, 2014

Flowers of Spring

A list of some popular spring flowers.

Flowers have always been a medium of expression and luckily Mather Nature has given us thousands of flower varieties. They come in different shapes, sizes, colors as well as fragrance. Also, they bloom all-year round (summer, spring or fall). Below is a list of some popular Spring flowers. Read on and enjoy.

Rose

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A rose is a group of erect shrubs or vines that comprises the family Rosaceae. There are over 100 species of them, with most species native to Asia. Rose comes in different colors and with one distinctive feature…its thorns. Known for its beauty and fragrance, rose plants come in variety of size such as miniature roses, compact roses to a vine that can grow up to 7 meters high. Due to hybridization, new species are now widespread around the world.

Lilac
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Lilac (Syringa) is a small tree or a deciduous shrub of about 20–25 species comprising the olive family Oleaceae. Lilacs are widespread in eastern Asia to southeastern Europe. Lilac plants can grow up 10 m tall, with stems reaching up to 30 cm in diameter and with simple or heart-shaped leaves. Flowers bloom in spring that come in variety of colors from light purple, white, pink, to pale yellow. Also, lilac plants range in sizes from a one foot shrub to a 20 ft high tree.

Jasmine

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Jasmine is a genus of vines and flowery shrubs comprising the olive family Oleaceae. Jasmine plants grow in tropical and warm temperate regions specially in Mediterranean countries. There are about 200 known species of this evergreen or deciduous plant. Most species bear white flowers but there are yellow flowered species. Jasmine has green long twigs, shiny and tubular leaves, and clusters of waxy-white fragrant flowers.

Peony

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Peony or peony is a flowering plant in the family Paeoniaceae. These herbaceous perennial plants are local to Asia, North America and southern Europe. There are about 40 known species of peony that can grow up to 1.5 m tall. Peony plants have deeply lobed compound leaves, and large flowers that come in variety of colors from white, pink, yellow or red. The flowers bloom in late spring and early summer.

Amaryllis

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Amaryllis or Belladonna Lily is a bulbous plant that is native to South Africa. Each bulb produces up to two leafless stems, and at the top of each stem is each a cluster of 2 to 12 funnel-shaped flowers. The large flower (about 6-10 cm diameter) comes in a variety of colors such as white, pink, purple, red, and orange. Also, there are several striped and multicolored varieties.

Cherry Blossom

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A Cherry Blossom is the flower of cherry trees that are native to many East Asian countries including Japan, Korea, China. Japan. One of the most beautiful flowers with more than 200 cultivars found, cherry blossoms come in bright colors. The large flowers are almost pure white, with rich pink petals.

Daffodil

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Daffodils fall under the genus Narcissus with about 50 species known and thousands of hybrids. Daffodils are native Europe, Asia and North Africa. Daffodil flowers have a trumpet-shaped corona at the center surrounded by a ring of petals. Typically, daffodils come in golden yellow. Daffodils range in sizes from a half-inch flowers on 2-inch stems to a 2 feet tall with 5-inch blooms. Daffodils often bloom in clusters.

Dahlia

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Dahlia is a genus of tuberous, perennial plants in the family Asteraceaegenus with about 36 listed species and thousands of cultivated hybrid varieties. This bushy plant is native to Mexico, Columbia and Central America. A national flower of Mexico, dahlia plants grow from 30 cm to 2.4 m tall. Most species have toothed or cut leaves. Flowers vary in size from a 2 inches or up to a foot in diameter and come in different colors such as red, white, pink, magenta, yellow, picotee.

Wax Flower

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Wax Flower (Chamaelaucium uncinatum) is a slow-growing, evergreen plant that belongs to the Myrtaceae family. It can grow up to 12 feet tall and produces blooms in spring and summer. The bloom is ovate-shaped about 2-3.5″ in diameter with hanging clusters of fragrant star-shaped white to light pink waxy flowers.

Hyacinth

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Hyacinth is a genus of bulbous flowering plants in the family Hyacinthaceae native to the eastern Mediterranean region, Turkmenistan, and west Iran. There are about 39 known species of hyacinth. The plant has fleshy, glossy green, strap-shaped leaves. The bulb produces a 15-30 cm tall compact spike of flowers. Flowers are bell-shaped flowers that come in tints of white, yellow, pink, peach, red, blue, orange, and purple.

Tulip

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A tulip is a hardy spring-blooming bulbous plant in the family Liliaceae. There are 109 known species that is native to Asia, southern Europe, and North Africa. Generally, the plant has 2 to 6 leaves and varieties range in height form short to very tall that can grow from 10 to 70 centimeters in height. Tulips bear colorful cup-shaped flowers with a typical three petals and three sepals pattern. Flowers can be double or single, perfumed or non-scented and come in all colors except blue.

Lily-of-the-valley

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Lily-of-the-valley (Convallaria majalis) is a perennial flowering plant in the genus Convallaria in the family Ruscaceae native to cooler regions of Asia and Europe. This woodland plant grows rapidly spreads through underground rhizomes. Pips (dormant stems) are formed in summer. The stems can reach 15-30 cm tall with leaves reaching 10-25 cm long. Flowers are sweetly scented, bell-shaped about 5–10 mm in diameter with white tepals.

Sweet Pea

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Sweet pea (Lathyrus odoratus) is an annual climbing plant in the family Fabaceae native to the eastern Mediterranean region. This flowering plant can reach 1-2 m in height. The flowers come in variety of colors like white, pink, purple, red, purple, and near blue.

Monday, December 15, 2014

The Unique Green Rose!

A compact description of a Green rose – a unique rose variety.

As the saying goes “A rose has a special place in a woman’s heart”, so what do roses have that led many to this strange fascination. Is it the various shades that symbolize different emotions or the unique fragrance some varieties proudly emit? No matter what the reason is, Green rose will perhaps never make it to the “Most sought-after rose” list. Why? Read on to know the reasons.

Green Rose

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Green rose (Rosa chinensis viridiflora) or commonly referred to as the “China rose”, is perhaps the oddest rose which exist on earth. What makes it an odd kind of rose is its bloom – having leaves as petals!

The sepals resemble leaves that cover the rose buds, thus, protecting them before opening. The two-inch apple green bloom is borne in small clusters with a spicy, peppery fragrance.

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Most rose experts say that this rose variety has been in cultivation since 1743. It became more popular when it was first put on sale in 1856, at the Paris Exposition Universelle. Green rose is asexual - the blooms have no stamens or stigmas, therefore, it cannot be hybridize.

Though rarely seen in nature, Green rose is a beautiful sight to behold and has typically symbolizes fertility, peace, and harmony.