TREE DAHLIA

Dahlia imperialis or Bell tree dahlia is an 8-10 metre tall member of the Dahlia genus native to Mexico, Central America and Colombia. It is a plant of the uplands and mountains, occurring at elevations of 1,500–1,700 metres, and its leaves are used as a dietary supplement by the Q'eqchi' people of San Pedro Carchá in Alta Verapaz, Guatemala.

It is a tuberous, herbaceous perennial, rapidly growing from the base after a dormant winter period, developing brittle, cane-like, 4-angled stems with swollen nodes and large tripinnate leaves, those near the ground soon being shed. The pendant or nodding flowerheads are 75-150mm across with ray florets lavender or mauvish-pink in colour. This species is fast-growing, the growth spurt being linked to shorter daylight hours, and usually comes into flower in autumn before the first frost. 

Propagation is by seed or by stem cuttings of some 30 cm long having at least two nodes, laid horizontally below the soil. Some Dahlia species were brought from Mexico to Europe in the 16th century. D. imperialis was first described in 1863 by Benedikt Roezl (1823–1885), the great Czech orchid collector and traveller, who, ten years later in 1872–73, went on his odyssey through the Americas.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme

MILTONIA

Miltonia, abbreviated Milt. in the horticultural trade, is an orchid genus formed by nine epiphyte species and eight natural hybrids inhabitants of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest, one species reaching the northeast of Argentina and east of Paraguay. This genus was established by John Lindley in 1837, when he described its type species, Miltonia spectabilis. Many species were attributed to Miltonia in the past, however, today the species from Central America and from cooler areas on northwest of South America have been moved to other genera.

Miltonia species have large and long lasting flowers, often in multifloral inflorescences. This fact, allied to being species that are easy to grow and to identify, make them a favourite of orchid collectors all over the world. Species of this genus are extensively used to produce artificial hybrids. Despite the fact that Miltonia is now a well established genus, most of its species were originally classified under other genera as Cyrtochilum, Oncidium, Odontoglossum, and Brassia. All were discovered between 1834 and 1850 with the exception of M. kayasimae, discovered only in 1976.

These epiphytic orchids occur from Central to Southern Brazil down to Argentina. These orchids have two leaves, arising from a pseudobulbs, covered with a foliaceous sheath. The inflorescence consists of waxy, nonspurred flowers. The lip is large and flat and lacks a callus at its base. They possess a footless column with two hard pollinia. The flowers have a delicate, exotic scent, some compare to that of roses. They are named after Charles Wentworth-Fitzwilliam, 5th Earl Fitzwilliam, formerly Viscount Milton, an English orchid enthusiast.

The species in this genus are sometimes referred to as the "pansy orchids", but it is the Miltoniopsis orchids that have flowers that closely resemble the pansy. Almost everyone except for the most serious orchid hobbyists use the name pansy orchids interchangeably, which may cause confusion. Miltonia looks more like Oncidiums than the other pansy orchids. The most "pansy-like" a Miltonia can get is the species Miltonia spectabilis. The one shown here is "Miltonia Lavender Glade" ( Milt. spectabilis var. moreliarta X "Milt Belle Glade"). Easy to grow, has a nice scent and is free- flowering. It is a plant that will give much pleasure and few hassles!

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

NATIVE LILAC HIBISCUS

Alyogyne huegelii is a flowering plant found in the Southwest botanical province of Western Australia, extending along its entire coastline. A large flowered shrub, the species favours the sands of coastal shrublands and heath. The large flower, highly variable in colour, is similar to that of Hibiscus. It was previously placed in that genus, and is commonly named "Lilac Hibiscus". It is widely cultivated as a flowering plant for the garden, but the varieties and cultivars previously published are no longer formally recognised.

Alyogyne is a shrub to four metres with many alternate branches, although lower ones may be sparse. Bright green leaves are divided in three to five in outline; margins are irregular, lobate to toothed; pubescent and strongly veined lobes are coarse in shape. The flowerstalk at the leaf axil is long, tilting at the single flower. The flowers have five luminous petals up to 70 mm long, these are overlapping and have slight ridges. The colour is cream or mauve, or the lilac of the name by which it is traded. The staminal tube structure contains numerous whorled anthers, these are yellow. The five styles of this are fused until the tip, which is composed of swollen and apparently divided stigma. This is supported on a five-lobed calyx, within an arrangement of up to 10 partly fused bracts.

As with all the Malvales, the flowers last around a day – becoming deeply coloured and papery when spent. They are numerous in the long flowering period in Australia being between June and January.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

EASTER ASTER

Aster Novi-Belgii 'Henry III Purple' is a double-flowering aster that blooms in Autumn, in time for a Southern Hemisphere Easter. The plant blooms profusely and makes for quite a show in the garden. It can also be used as a long-lasting cut flower.

The pollen on open Aster flowers often attracts bees. Plant in a location with at least a half-day of full sun with good soil drainage and air flow. Not recommended to plant near decks, patios or other social locations since they attract bees. Plant in landscape at same soil level as existing container. Water well after planting. Do not fertilise when plant is in bloom. Do not cut back old flowers and stems until the following spring.

If you are celebrating Easter this weekend,

Best wishes for a peaceful and happy holiday!

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

FAIRY FAN FLOWER

Scaevola aemula (Fairy Fan-flower or Common Fan-flower) is a small shrub in the family Goodeniaceae, native to southern Australia. It grows to 50 cm in height and produces white or blue flowers in spikes up to 24 cm long from August to March in its native range. These are followed by rounded, wrinkled berries to 4.5 mm in length. The species occurs in Western Australia, South Australia, Victoria and New South Wales.

This species is thought to be the most commonly cultivated of the genus Scaevola, and a large number of cultivars have been developed. Most of these are mat-forming to a height of 12 cm and spreading up to 1 metre in width. It prefers a sunny or partially shaded, well-drained position and tolerates salt spray and periods of drought. Pruning and pinching of tip growth may be carried out to shape the plant. Propagation is from cuttings or by layering.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

GARDEN PANSIES

The garden pansy is a type of large-flowered hybrid plant cultivated as a garden flower. It is derived by hybridisation from several species in the section Melanium ("the pansies") of the genus Viola, particularly Viola tricolor, a wildflower of Europe and western Asia known as heartsease. Some of these hybrids are referred to as Viola × wittrockiana Gams ex Nauenb. & Buttler. For simplicity, the older name Viola tricolor var. hortensis is often used.

The garden pansy flower is 3-10 cm in diameter and has two slightly overlapping upper petals, two side petals, and a single bottom petal with a slight beard emanating from the flower's centre. These petals are usually white or yellow, purplish, or blue. The plant may grow to 20 cm in height, and prefers sun to varying degrees and well-draining soils.

The name "pansy" is derived from the French word pensée, "thought", and was imported into Late Middle English as a name of Viola in the mid-15th century, as the flower was regarded as a symbol of remembrance. The name "love in idleness" was meant to imply the image of a lover who has little or no other employment than to think of his beloved. The name "heart’s-ease" came from St. Euphrasia, whose name in Greek signifies cheerfulness of mind. The woman, who refused marriage and took the veil, was considered a pattern of humility, hence the name "humble violet"

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

PENNYROYAL

Mentha pulegium, commonly (European) pennyroyal, also called squaw mint, mosquito plant and pudding grass, is a species of flowering plant in the family Lamiaceae native to Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East. Crushed pennyroyal leaves exhibit a very strong fragrance similar to spearmint. Pennyroyal is a traditional culinary herb, folk remedy, and abortifacient. The essential oil of pennyroyal is used in aromatherapy, and is also high in pulegone, a highly toxic volatile organic compound affecting liver and uterine function.

Pennyroyal was commonly used as a cooking herb by the Greeks and Romans. The ancient Greeks often flavoured their wine with pennyroyal. A large number of the recipes in the Roman cookbook of Apicius call for the use of pennyroyal, often along with such herbs as lovage, oregano and coriander. Although it was commonly used for cooking in the Middle Ages, it gradually fell out of use as a culinary herb and is seldom used as such today. The fresh or dried leaves of the plant were used to flavour pudding.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

BUTTERFLY AND WALLFLOWERS

Erysimum cheiri syn. Cheiranthus cheiri (common name "wallflower") is a species of flowering plant in the family Brassicaceae (Cruciferae), native to Europe but widespread as an introduced species elsewhere. It is also widely cultivated as a garden plant. It is known as giroflée and revenelle in French, Goldlack in German, alhelí in Spanish and violacciocca in Italian.

This is a popular ornamental plant, widely cultivated for its abundant, fragrant flowers in spring. Many cultivars have been developed, in shades of yellow, orange, red, maroon, purple, brown, white and cream. It associates well in bedding schemes with other spring flowers such as tulips and forget-me-nots. It is usually grown as a biennial, sown one year to flower the next, and then discarded.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme,
and also part of the Nature Footsteps Winged meme.

MALLOW

Malva is a genus of about 25–30 species of herbaceous annual, biennial, and perennial plants in the family Malvaceae (of which it is the type genus), one of several closely related genera in the family to bear the common English name mallow. The genus is widespread throughout the temperate, subtropical and tropical regions of Africa, Asia and Europe. The plant shown here is Malva sylvestris.

The word "mallow" is derived from Old English "malwe", which was imported from Latin "malva", cognate with Ancient Greek μαλάχη (malakhē) meaning "mallow", both perhaps reflecting a Mediterranean term. A number of species, previously considered to belong to Lavatera, have been moved to Malva.The leaves are alternate, palmately lobed. The flowers are from 0.5–5 cm diameter, with five pink or white petals.The colour mauve was in 1859 named after the French name for this plant.

This post is part of the I Heart Macros meme.

BRUNFELSIA

Brunfelsia australis (syn: bonodora) is a species of flowering plant in the family Solanaceae, the nightshades. It is endemic to Brazil, and it is grown in cultivation. Its common names include "yesterday-today-and-tomorrow", "morning-noon-and-night", and "Brazil raintree". The genus name Brunfelsia (often incorrectly spelt Brunsfelsia) commemorates sixteenth century German monk, Otto Brunfels. The species name, australis  implies an origin in the Southern Hemisphere, while bonodora, is from the Latin, and means 'sweet-smelling'.

It is an evergreen shrub which grows slowly to around 2-4m tall and 2m wide. The foliage is dense and medium green in colour. The young leaves are often purplish in cool weather. The flowers are very sweetly perfumed and appear from September to late November in Melbourne. When they first open they are a violet colour, fading to lavender blue and then white, with the three colours present on the bush at the same time, hence the common name.

The only downside is that the plant is poisonous and the brown berries have been known to poison dogs. Symptoms include fever, vomiting, muscle tremors, staggering and seizures. If you have a dog, remove the berries from the plant every year.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

OSTEOSPERMUM - CAPE DAISY

The name Osteospermum is derived from the Greek osteon (= bone) and Latin spermum (= seed). Osteospermums belong to the daisy family (Asteraceae), hence their common names: African Daisy or South African Daisy, Cape Daisy and Blue-eyed Daisy.

They mustn't be confused with the annual Dimorphotheca. Although most commercial Osteospermum species are labelled as annuals they are in fact half-hardy perennials or subshrubs. This means they are not entirely hardy and will therefore not survive persistent frosts. However, they can be propagated by cuttings or overwintered in a frost free environment.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

CONVOLVULUS SABATIUS

Convolvulus sabatius, or blue rock bindweed, is a species of flowering plant in the family Convolvulaceae, native to Italy and North Africa, and often seen in cultivation. It is a woody-stemmed trailing perennial plant, growing to 20 cm in height. It has slightly hairy leaves and light blue to violet flowers, often with a lighter centre, which are 2.5–5 cm in diameter.

This species is often sold under the synonymous name C. mauritanicus. Although a perennial, it is best treated as an annual in colder climates. It is suited to window boxes and containers and prefers a sunny situation with good drainage. Tip pruning encourages new growth and flowering. It has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.