Thursday, 31 December 2020

FFF474 - BLANDFORDIA

Blandfordia grandiflora is a species of flowering plant native to south-eastern Australia. B. grandiflora is commonly known as the Large Christmas Bell because it generally flowers in December and January. It is a perennial herb, and has tubular, bell-shaped flowers. It is one of only four Blandfordia species.

The name Blandfordia honours the Marquis of Blandford and the name grandiflora means "large flowered". Of the four species of Blandfordia, B. grandiflora is considered the most robust, so the name grandiflora suits the plant. At one time, B. grandiflora went by the name B. flammea. 

Although Blandfordia grandiflora is only native to Australia, in the nineteenth century, many botanists grew it in Great Britain because it can easily be grown as a potted plant. B. grandiflora grows well in sandy soils. The wet coastal heaths of Australia, such as, New South Wales and Queensland have the sandy soil necessary for B. grandiflora to grow. In order for B. grandiflora to grow, the soil should be light and well-drained and the plant should not be in direct sunlight or in heavy shade. B. grandiflora is a very slow growing plant, so more aggressive plants easily swamp it in the wild.

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Thursday, 24 December 2020

FFF473 - 'DOUBLESCOOP' ECHINACEA

Echinacea × hybrida Double Scoop™ Orangeberry (Coneflower, USDA Zone: 4-9; Plant number: 1.196.520 =‘Balscoberr’) is a new series of Coneflower bred to produce well-branched, sturdy and compact plants with excellent hardiness. This selection produces large, double flowers with a raspberry centre cushion surrounded by orange flared petals. Ideal for sunny borders and growing in mixed containers. Attractive to butterflies. Excellent for cutting. 

Coneflowers begin blooming midsummer and continue for months if faded flowers are regularly removed. However keeping some dried flower heads on the plants in fall will provide food for wintering song birds. Dried seed heads also add interest to the winter garden (USPP#23145: unlicensed propagation prohibited).

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Merry Christmas!

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Thursday, 17 December 2020

FFF472 - GYMEA LILY

Doryanthes excelsa, known as Gymea Lily, is a flowering plant indigenous to the coastal areas of New South Wales near Sydney. The plant has sword-like leaves more than a metre long. It flowers in spring and summer, sending up a flower spike up to 6 m high, which at its apex bears a large cluster of bright red flowers, each 10 cm across. The name "Gymea Lily" is derived from a local Eora dialect. Doryanthes means spear-flower in Greek, and excelsa is Latin for exceptional. The Sydney suburbs of Gymea and Gymea Bay are named after the lily.

We are seeing more and more of these striking flowers being planted in Melbourne, and this specimen is growing in the City, near William St South, close to the North bank of the Yarra, just under the train overpass.

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Thursday, 10 December 2020

FFF471 - PINYURU

Eremophila cuneifolia, commonly known as pinyuru, is a flowering plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to the north-west of Western Australia. It is a spreading, sticky shrub with wedge-shaped leaves, coloured sepals and usually deep purple flowers.

The plant is a spreading shrub growing to a height of between 0.4 and 1.8 metres (1 and 6 ft) with hairy branches and with branches and leaves that are thickly covered with sticky, shiny resin. The leaves are arranged alternately and clustered near the ends of the stems, mostly 5–16 millimetres (0.2–0.6 in) long, about 3–14 millimetres (0.1–0.6 in) wide, wedge-shaped or heart-shaped but with a distinct small point at the tip. They are thick and stiff and the top surface of the leaves is glabrous while the lower surface is hairy.

The flowers are borne singly in leaf axils on hairy stalks 1–3.5 millimetres (0.04–0.1 in) long. There are 5 cream-coloured to pale reddish-purple, slightly overlapping, egg-shaped sepals differing in size from each other but mostly 8.5–26 millimetres (0.3–1 in) long. The petals are 16–26 millimetres (0.6–1 in) long and joined at their lower end to form a tube. The petal tube is usually deep purple on the outside, sometimes paler, and white inside with purple spots. There are scattered hairs on the outside of the tube and on the lobes but the tube is filled with long, soft hairs. The 4 stamens are fully enclosed within the tube. Flowering occurs mostly from June to October and is followed by fruits which are oval to cone-shaped, shiny and 5.5–9 millimetres (0.2–0.4 in) long.

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Thursday, 3 December 2020

FFF470 - CORNFLOWER

Centaurea cyanus, commonly known as cornflower, is an annual flowering plant in the family Asteraceae, native to Europe. In the past it often grew as a weed in cornfields (in the broad sense of the word "corn", referring to grains, such as wheat, barley, rye, or oats), hence its name. It is now endangered in its native habitat by agricultural intensification, particularly over-use of herbicides, destroying its habitat; in the United Kingdom it has declined from 264 sites to just 3 sites in the last 50 years.

In reaction to this, the conservation charity Plantlife named it as one of 101 species it would actively work to bring 'Back from the Brink'.  It is also, however, through introduction as an ornamental plant in gardens and a seed contaminant in crop seeds, now naturalised in many other parts of the world, including North America and parts of Australia.

Join me for Floral Friday Fotos by linking your flower photos below, and please leave a comment once you have done so. If you take part in the meme, please show an active link back to this site on your own blog post!

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