With more than 22,000 known species (and roughly 800 more discovered each year), the orchid is the largest family of flowering plants. It is a cosmopolitan flower, capable of growing nearly anywhere, from deserts to glaciers. However, this elegant flower is most commonly found in tropical regions, such as Central and South America as well as throughout Asia.

Because there are so many varieties of orchids, you’ll notice many different features when looking at pictures of orchids. Still, some common traits emerge, including bilateral symmetry and, most obviously, the presence of a single modified petal, called the “labellum.” Apart from that, orchids can take on any number of appearances, including bright purple, red, orange, white with lavender touches, or mottled colorations that resemble flames or brushstrokes.

Some orchid flowers feature the evolutionary perk of being shaped like the insects that pollinate them. Since there are thousands of unique varieties, orchids are hungrily collected and cultivated by enthusiasts around the globe. Of course, orchids are also used in many cultures for practical purposes—not just admiring their delicate beauty. For instance, orchids are used to produce vanilla, scents for perfume, and, in Turkey, flavoring for ice cream and a hot traditional beverage called “salep.”

But it is the orchid’s fragile beauty and exotic allure that have made the flower a popular gift, as a potted plant and as fresh, cut flowers. What do orchids mean, when given as a gift? These flowers carry many meanings, but the strongest associations are love, beauty, wealth, and strength. A quick look at the cultural history of the flower explains why. The ancient Greeks saw the orchid as an emblem of virility, while the flower became known as a signifier of social clout and opulence in Victorian England.

And from the ancient Aztecs up to modern China, cultures valued the orchid for its medicinal purposes, viewing it as a restorative and healing entity. Taken together, one can see how the orchid has accrued its meanings: It is a rare, elegant, and cherished not only for its beauty, but also as a symbol of strength and prosperity. As such, the gift of an orchid is an appropriate gift for all occasions.

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The Hyacinthoides non-scripta, or simply the Bluebell is a type of flower belonging to the Hyacinthaceae family, a lavender blue flower which appears in the spring. One should not confuse this flower, which is usually referred to as the “common bluebell” or the “English Bluebell”, with the classical Hyacinth or even with the harebell. We’re talking about different species that share only a few similarities of appearance and that should be clearly distinguished by the flower connoisseurs.

Easily recognizable by its blue or white flowers in the shape of a bell, these plants are very popular not only because of their beauty, but also because of their strong and revitalizing scent. They are known to spread quickly and to form impressively large colonies if the soil is appropriate. They usually occur starting with the month of April and are bulbous perennial plants with stems that can reach almost a 30 cm height and which tend to bent at the top because of the abundance of the blossoming flowers. The common bluebells do not possess a thick and resistant stem, they are delicate plants which, even though they appear in large colonies, they are very vulnerable and susceptible to damage.

A field with common-bluebells is nothing less that a masterpiece of nature and vegetation, as you stay there surrounded by hundreds of bluebells, each emanating a comforting and peaceful scent.

The bluebell colonies usually are formed by blue bluebells, but the color variations also include white or pink. The seeds of these bluebell flowers are quite resistant, the bluebells can occur even after many years of absences depending on the weather conditions or the soil’s qualities.

The amazing frequency with which these bluebell flowers occur have given birth to extensive hybridization, creating exemplars that can resist to various conditions and which are not confined to weather or to the properties of a certain soil. Although they are known to form even larger colonies that the original bluebells, they do not emanate a scent as strong as the bluebells. Sites in Great Britain show how these amazing hybrids can adjust to conditions in which a normal, original bluebell could never occur.

The colonies they form are often referred to as “bluebell woods” and are most popular in Great Britain, although many bluebell woods have been reported to occur in many north –western European countries as well.

The bluebell is protected in Great Britain by the Wildlife and Countryside Act adopted in 1981 and it enjoys an amazing notoriety worldwide. Famous singers have named their daughters Bluebell, while ice cream companies have chosen this name to represent their brand.

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Is it that the white rose is a symbol of love, purity, innocence and chastity, or is it that the white rose is considered to be the original rose? There are a lot of interesting legends associated with the white rose and if you want to know what is the significance of a white rose, read on to get a better idea about what is the significance of a white rose.

It is a long held believed that the white rose was the original rose. However, when the world was torn in war and there was a lot of bloodshed around, the white rose turned red after blood was splashed on it. If you are trying to find out what is the significance of a white rose, this will add an important result to your finding as it shows the significance of the white rose in respect to war and world peace.

Speaking of peace, the white rose is also significant as it symbolizes peace. The word peace has long been associated with the white rose and this is why the white rose is a favored flower for funerals and memorial services. It signifies peace and resting. This trend was stared at the end of the First World War, when departed soldiers were remembered with white roses. So while trying to find out what is the significance of a white rose, we find out quite a few interesting legends associated with the white rose.

If you ask anybody, what is the significance of a white rose, you may hear that the white rose is a symbol of innocence and purity. As a result, white roses are almost always used as wedding flowers and it is common for the bride to have a bouquet of white roses. White roses signify purity, chastity and innocence, aspects that are linked to young love and consequently to the overall concept of marriage.

Therefore. It can be seen that the white rose has a very important and interesting significance. It has long stood as a symbol of all the virtues related to the heart and soul of a young lover and has also been used as a symbol of peace and purity. So if you really want to know what is the significance of a white rose, you must believe that the white rose signifies love, purity and peace and that too in the best manner possible.

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BULB (bulb). A bulb is a thick, fleshy bud that usually grows underground. In many plants, such as the tiger lily, it grows above ground, in the spot where the leaves branch from the plant stem. Bulbs are of two types: the scaly and the tunicate. The scary type bulb as in most lilies is made up of a short central core inside of thick, fleshy, scale like leaves. The tunicate bulb, such as the onion, has fleshy leaf bases in smooth and continuous layers. If an onion is cut in half, the inside looks like thickened bands or circles of tissue. Roots generally grow from the base of the bulb. The bulb serves as a storage place with enough food and water to supply the plant during winter or a dry period.

The bulb is also a storehouse for new stems, leaves and flowers, after the plant first flowers. In fact, the bulb has in it a new stem and often the beginnings of flowers and leaves as well. These are protected within the bulb by the bulb scales. These scales or leaves are a food storehouse for the plant. The food stored in the bulbs during one season is used for the beginning of the growth of the stem, leaves and flowers during the next season. A number of different kinds of bulbs such as the onion are used for food. Some other examples of the bulb are the lily bulbs, the tulip bulbs, and the hyacinth.

Bugbane is a tall, perennial plant with large, broad leaves divided into many leaflets. It has clusters of small white flowers. Bugbanes live throughout the north temperate regions of the earth. The name originally referred to a kind of bugbane that grows in Asia and eastern Europe. It has an unpleasant odor, and people thought it would keep bed bugs away.

Scientific classification. Bugbane belongs to the crowfoot family, Ranunculaceae. It makes up the genus Cimicifuga. The bugbane is a tall plant with large, broad leaves. This perennial plant grows clusters of small white flowers.

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ARTICHOKE. Artichokes are vegetables that have a very delicate flavor. There are three different kinds of artichokes: the globe, the Jerusalem, and the Chinese or Japanese. The globe and the Jerusalem artichokes are members of the Composite family like the aster, daisy, and sunflower.

The globe artichoke is also called the French or bur artichoke. A native of the Mediterranean region, today it is grown chiefly in the United States and Europe. California produces most of the United State crop, but some are grown in the southern states.

The plants are gray-green and look like this-das. They have long prickly leaves large clusters of white or lavender flowers. The plant parts that are eaten are the tender base of the flower bud (often three to four inches in diameter) and the thick, soft parts of the leaves around the bud. These parts are cut while the buds are still tightly closed.

They are sold fresh or canned, and are eaten boiled, baked, fried, stuffed, or in salads or soups.

New plants usually are grown from sprouts or shoots from older ones. Plants may live for many years, but those raised for sale usually are replanted every three or four years.

The Jerusalem artichoke may grow 12 feet tall, and has yellow, sunflower like blossoms. It grows wild in eastern and central North America. Sometimes it is a troublesome weed because it reproduces from seed and from many small, underground, potato like tubers. The tubers are eaten raw or prepared like potatoes. In France the plant also is used as feed for stock.

The Chinese or Japanese artichoke, a member of the Mint family, comes from eastern Asia. Its tubers may be eaten, but it is not an important crop in the United States.

ARBUTUS. Indian legend tells a pretty story about that loveliest of spring flowers, the trailing arbutus. Each year when the winter spirit, Peboan, fell asleep, his discarded furs turned to icy leaves. Coming across these one spring day, Segun, the summer spirit put them in her hair. Immediately they came to life. Then Segun planted them in the earth and breathed upon them. At the touch of her warm breath, flowers appeared, flushed pink, and gave out a spicy perfume. “When the children find these,” she said, “they will know that Segun has been here, and that Peboan has gone away.” In one of his poems, John Greenleaf Whittier also tells us that the dainty arbutus was the earliest flower to greet the Pilgrims after their first fearful winter at Plymouth. They called it the Mayflower, and as the state flower of Massachusetts, it is still known by that name.

Although the name arbutus is given to several evergreen plants, all belonging to the heath family and ranging in size from the tiniest plant to a tall tree, the most common species is the trailing arbutus. Its fragrant clusters of waxy white blossoms, often tinged with pink, make it one of North America’s most attractive wild flowers. The tough, heart-shaped leaves and the hairy brown stems contrast strikingly with the dainty blossoms. The arbutus is becoming scarcer each year because thoughtless pickers uproot the plant in their attempt to gather long stems with the blossoms. Growing throughout the eastern and Middle Western United States, as far south as Florida, and even in Canada, the arbutus grows best in sandy or rocky soils, especially in pine woods, where it creeps along the ground, almost hidden beneath dry needles and leaves.

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