Despite its name, lily of the Nile, this plant isn’t native to Egypt or anywhere near the Nile. It is a native of the rivers and streams of Southern Africa in the coastal mountains of the Cape of Good Hope. The long dry season there … Read More →
Daily Archives: 25 Jul ’10
Artichoke
The origin of artichokes is unknown, though they are said to have come from the Maghreb (North Africa), where they are still found in the wild state; the seeds of artichokes, probably cultivated, were found during the excavation of Mons Claudianus in Egypt during the … Read More →
Red, Red Rose
The name rosa is the classical Latin name for the plant, literally translating as red., the most common color of the flower. In classical Greek, the rose appeared as rhodon, from which are derived the names rhododendron, literally rose trees, and Rhodes or Rodos, the … Read More →
In Blue
René Rapin eloquently explained the origin and habit of the cyclamen, a flower used to signify diffendence and distrust in the language of flowers: Cyclamens, which we now with pleasure know, To Gredian gardens their extraction owe, One species is with robes of silver born, … Read More →
Dahlia
Native to Central America, Mexico and Colombia, there are approximately 30 species and as many as 20,000 cultivars that no longer bear much resemblance to the original wild species–a simple single flower with a scarlet ray and yellow disk. Dahlias are named after the Swedish … Read More →
Of Love and Other Madness
While the flower symbolism associated with the tulip is both fame and perfect love, the tulip bulb itself was the coveted subject of a period of financial mayhem in the 16th century in the Netherlands, shortly after it’s introduction from the Ottoman Empire in the … Read More →