Flowers
have long been a favored gift for birthdays, anniversaries or any
romantic holiday. As household plants, they enhance the aesthetic
of a room and emit a pleasant aroma, both of which contribute to the
overall comfort of the setting. People even wear decorative broaches
or corsages at formal occasions to signify elegance, class and beauty.
But knowing about the every different type of flower is nearly impossible,
so most of us can only recognize the typical favorites: daisies, roses,
tulips, sunflowers, etc. While this knowledge is sufficient in most
cases, there are literally thousands of exotic flowers that would
be a great substitute in any bouquet – which could amount to
a pleasant surprise for a loved one.
To expand our knowledge of exotic flowers, let’s take a look
at their basic anatomy. The sole purpose of any plant’s flower
is for reproduction. Like most living things, a flower can contain
male or female parts; most contain both. The male parts include the
stamen, which is made up of the filament and the anther. The anther
produces pollen and the filament supports the anther.
The pistil is the main girl part of a flower, which is made up of
the stigma, style and ovary. The stigma is a sticky bulb in the center
of most flowers; it receives the pollen grain where they germinate.
The style is just the long stalk that the stigma rests on and the
ovary has the seeds of a flower inside.
Petals are very important because pollinating insects and animals
are attracted to the vibrant colors and smells. They land on/in the
flower and get the pollen stuck to them, only to spread it on another
flower. Petals’ vibrant colors are usually the reason that we
buy them and revere them as decorations.
Now that we have some information to impress a loved one, what flowers
would be perfect in a bouquet? Besides common roses, try substituting
exotic flowers for roses or posies. Exotics can be rare and expensive,
but the surprise on the recipient’s face will be well worth
it.
Anthuriums are popular exotic flowers that are native to Columbia
and Ecuador and they’re sometimes called the flamingo lily.
They grow in many forms, but they commonly climb as epiphytes, meaning
they grow on trees or other plants–their roots often hang down
in the canopy of the rainforest. The waxy-red leaves usually have
a yellow spike that juts out of the middle.
Orchids are the most common exotic flowers; they can live in every
environment except glaciers and deserts. They’re commonly found
in the tropics–especially in Asia, South America and Central
America. Hundreds of subspecies make this the most diverse exotic
flower, but common petal colors include blue, white and purple. Orchids
are also very practical; perfumists often study the pleasing scent
of the flower and vanilla is among the orchid genus.