Europe

Pictures of Flowers Catkin Pictures and Catkin Kind

By Pictures of flowers

on February 14, 2009

Pictures of Flowers Catkin Pictures and Catkin Kind

Catkin is a flower cluster that consists of numerous small flowers arranged around a long central axis. Catkins have no petals or inconspicuous petals. Catkins are found in many plant families. Catkin bearing plants include many other trees or shrubs such as birch, willow, sweet chestnut, sweet fern and few herbaceous plants. Catkin is also called as ament.

Each flower of catkins lacks a petal unlike many other wild flowers. Since there are no petals, grayish or yellowish-green catkins are rarely thought of as flowers. Each catkin is either staminate (male, producing pollen) or distillate (female, producing seeds). Wind pollinates female catkins. In Salix species, the pollination occurs by insects. Pussy willow is the most familiar catkin. Majority of catkins are long and drooping. Catkins contain many, usually unisexual, flowers that are arranged closely along a drooping central stem. Catkins can be found in many plant families. Catkins appear on the branches of willows, birch and many other plants long before other spring flowers blossom.

Pictures of Flowers Catkin Pictures and Catkin Kind

Pictures of Flowers Canterbury Bell Pictures and Canterbury Bell Kind

By Pictures of flowers

on February 14, 2009

Pictures of Flowers Canterbury Bell Pictures and Canterbury Bell Kind

Canterbury Bell or bell flower is an annual or biennial flowering plant with attractive bell shaped flowers with a flat base. Flowers come in blue, purple, mauve or white colors. Bell flowers produce huge spikes of extremely long lasting blooms. The plant grows to about 2-3 feet tall. The plants are best in borders or among shrubs in the gardens. Flowers are 2-3 inches long and widely spaced on a single flowering stem. Leaves grow at the base of the plants and are about 10 inches long. Leaves that grow on the flowering stems are usually shorter.

Canter Bell plants can grow best in cool or warm zones and are not suitable for tropics, dry or hot regions. It takes about 14-21 days for the seeds to germinate. The plant thrives in sunny and shaded locations in well drained soils. Bell flowers grow nicely in flower beds, borders and containers. Canter bell flower work well in floral arrangements. Many beekeepers use bell flowers for making potently sweet honey. Canter bells are native to Southern Europe.

Pictures of Flowers Canterbury Bell Pictures and Canterbury Bell Kind

Pictures of Flowers Calla Pictures and Calla Kind

By Pictures of flowers

on February 13, 2009

Pictures of Flowers Calla Pictures and Calla Kind

Calla or calla lily is a beautiful garden flower of the arum family. It is native to cool temperate regions of Northern Hemisphere, Northern Asia, North America and Central, Eastern and Northern Europe. Calla is an herbaceous perennial flowering plant that grows in bogs and ponds. 6-12 cm long leaves are round to heart shaped. The greenish-yellow inflorescence is produced on a spadix about 4-6 cm long enclosed in a white spathe. The fruit of calls is a cluster of red berries, berry containing several seeds.

Calls plant is very poisonous when fresh because of high oxalic acid contents. However, the rhizome is edible after drying, grinding, leaching and boiling. Calla grows from a bulb that must be planted in rich and well-watered soils. Often, it is planted in the soil mixed with manure. In many parts of North America, calla is grown indoors or in a greenhouse. In California and Texas, it can be grown outdoors in gardens and flowerbeds.

Pictures of Flowers Calla Pictures and Calla Kind

Pictures of Flowers Belladonna Pictures and Belladonna Kind

By Pictures of flowers

on February 13, 2009

Pictures of Flowers Belladonna Pictures and Belladonna Kind

Belladonna is a perennial herbaceous plant, which is well known for atropine drug. The drug is produced from the foliage, which along with the berries are extremely toxic and possess hallucinogenic properties. The species are native to Europe, North Africa and Western Asia. It has also been naturalized in few parts of North America where it can often be found in shady, moist areas with limestone rich soil. The name comes from the Italian word, which means beautiful woman. In the past, it was used by women to enlarge the pupils of their eyes.

Belladonna is also often grown in gardens for its beauty. The plant grows about 2-3 tall with drooping bell shaped flowers that are bluish-purple or dull red. Many people have died ignorantly eating belladonna berries. Belladonna is an important antidote for poisoning with certain insecticides and mushrooms. Belladonna is sometimes used for relief from cough and stomach problems. It is also used for relaxing the eye muscles and expanding the pupil.

Pictures of Flowers Belladonna Pictures and Belladonna Kind

Pictures of Flowers Buckwheat Pictures and Buckwheat Kind

By Pictures of flowers

on February 6, 2009

Pictures of Flowers Buckwheat Pictures and Buckwheat Kind

Buckwheat is a crop plant. Despite the common name and the grain-like use of buckwheat, it is not a grass or cereal. It is often referred to as pseudo-cereal to emphasize that it is not related to wheat. The name buckwheat or beech wheat comes from its triangular seeds that resemble with the much larger seeds of the beechnut from the beech tree. Buckwheat was first cultivated in Southeast Asia from where it spread to Europe, Central Asia and Tibet.

Fruit of buckwheat is an achene, similar to sunflower seed with a single seed inside a hard outer hull. Starchy endosperm is white and makes up most or all of buckwheat flour. Coat of the seed is tan or green that darkens buckwheat flour. Hull is dark brown or black, some of which may be included in buckwheat flour as dark specks. Buckwheat noodles are used in plenty in Japan, Korea and Northern Italy. Buckwheat groats are often used in Western Asia and Eastern Europe. Buckwheat pancakes raised with yeast are also often eaten in several countries. Buckwheat is a good honey plant that produces a dark and mono floral honey. Buckwheat also finds its use in medicines.

Pictures of Flowers Buckwheat Pictures and Buckwheat Kind

Pictures of Flowers Eucalyptus Pictures and Eucalyptus Kind

By Pictures of flowers

on December 29, 2008

Pictures of Flowers Eucalyptus Pictures and Eucalyptus Kind

Eucalyptus is a diverse genus of trees and few shrubs that dominate the tree flora of Australia. Eucalyptus is a tall, hardy and heavily leaved tree that has been successfully cultivated throughout the tropics and subtropics in Europe, India, Middle East, China, Algeria, Egypt, South America and southern United States. Majority of the more than 700 species of Eucalyptus are native to Australia except few found in the adjacent parts of New Guinea and Indonesia. Eucalyptus is a fast growing source of wood and its oil finds immense applications as a cleansing agent and natural insecticide besides its use in many other fields. Eucalyptus is commonly known as water suckers, as they require a great amount of water.

Eucalyptus is divided into different categories as per the habitat and size such as forest trees, woodland trees and shrubs, among others. Eucalyptus has a tall and straight trunk. Leaves are large, green, smooth-edged and unusually striking in its appearance. Leaves are covered with oil glands. Flowers are small, white and ball shaped, which change into a cup shaped fruit filled with tiny seeds. The sizes of Eucalyptus vary depending upon the categories, ranging from 10 meter for small trees to more than 60 meters for very tall trees.

Pictures of Flowers Eucalyptus Pictures and Eucalyptus Kind

Posted in: Pictures of Flowers

Pictures of Flowers Iris Pictures and Iris Kind

By Pictures of flowers

on December 29, 2008

Pictures of Flowers Iris Pictures and Iris Kind

Iris is a flowering plant with showy flowers that is sometimes confused with lily. The name iris comes from a Greek word for a rainbow and thus referring to a wide variety of colors among its diverse species. In Egypt, iris was regarded as a Greek Goddess of rainbow. Iris belongs to a quite different family from lily. Iris family has 200-300 members including wild iris. Iris plant is native to land north of the equator and widely distributed throughout the temperate zones. Iris habitats are considerably wide ranging from cold regions to grassy slopes, meadowlands and riverbanks of Europe, Middle East, Northern Africa, and Asia and across North America.

Irises are a perennial shrubs growing from creeping rhizomes or from bulbs in drier climate. Irises have long, erect and flowering stems, which may be simple or branched, solid or hollow and flattened or with a circular cross section. They have flat upright leaves with three brightly colored and drooping sepals and three inner petals, which stand upright in some of the species. Bulbous species have cylindrical basal leaves. Iris fruit is in the shape of a capsule that has numerous seeds. Irises are grown as ornamental plants in home or botanical gardens. Florence, Italy has the most famous and largest Iris garden and museum and holds most famous Iris Breeders competition every year.