Published by Daniel Mosquin on January 23, 2019
Scientifically described in 1990, Crocus rujanensis is native to southern Serbia and adjacent Macedonia in oak-hornbeam forests, mixed Hungarian-Turkey oakwoods, Dianthus meadows, degraded shrublands, and grasslands.
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Published by Daniel Mosquin on November 2, 2018
Scarlet river lily and crimson flag lily are two of the many common names used for Hesperantha coccinea. This species was previously featured on Botany Photo of the Day in 2006: Hesperantha coccinea.
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Published by Daniel Mosquin on October 5, 2018
Aptly named “butterfly flower” in Chinese for its appearance, Iris japonica is native to Japan, Myanmar (Burma) and China. Other common names for this species include fringed iris and shaga.
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Published by Daniel Mosquin on July 5, 2018
A relative of irises, Sisyrinchium is composed of about 80 species primarily (and perhaps exclusively) native to the Americas and Hawaii. The Flora of North America entry for Sisyrinchium explains the name as follows: [Greek] sys, pig, and rynchos, snout, alluding to swine grubbing the roots for food.
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Published by Daniel Mosquin on June 13, 2018
Peacock flower or Mexican shellflower is native to México, Guatamemala, El Salvador, and Honduras. It has also escaped cultivation as an ornamental plant, and naturalized in parts of central America and South America.
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Published by Daniel Mosquin on October 3, 2017
The true Iris variegata, or Hungarian iris, is named for the variegated patterns on the flowers. However, variegated-leaf cultivars of other species exist (e.g., Iris pallida ‘Variegata’. Tempering one’s expectations is warranted when purchasing an “iris variegata” from a nursery due to confusion, in particular if one is buying rhizomes.
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Published by Daniel Mosquin on July 6, 2017
This is an after-hours photograph from a couple evenings ago in Nitobe Memorial Garden. The Japanese irises (kakitsubata) have only recently started blooming, so visitors in the next week or two should be able to enjoy the display.
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