I know that I haven't done any Photo Friday thing for forever, but when I saw that the prompt was 'pink' I just couldn't help myself.
First of all, I just love pink.
Secondly, I have this awesome-cool plant with Dr. Seuss-like pink flowers growing in my kitchen and I just love the chance to show it off.
I say Dr. Seuss-like because the flowers grow out of the center of the flower below it. Weird and wonderful.
Actually, they are not flowers at all, officially, but bracts. Who is the joy-killer that had to assign the word bract to a perfectly good flower-like object? Some high-flying botanist/fuddy-duddy, not doubt...
Anyway, I went on the web to find out what this marvie plant is, exactly. It is called a 'crown of thorns' (it does have a thick thorny stem); latin name Euphorbia milii. It is from Madagascar.
Euphorbus was the Greek physician of King Juba II (approx. 50 BC to 19 AD) of Numidia (now Algeria). King Juba is the first to have cultivated the plant and he named it after his physician. Odd, since the when you cut the stem, the 'latex' that drips out is poisonous, and was used on poisoned arrows or to stupify fish (I assume one put this stuff in the water with the fish...anyone?). Anyway, more than you wanted to know but still wonderful stuff.
I have had this plant for about 3 years and it blooms continuously. Really. I forget to water it and voila, tortured plant = happy, blooming plant. This is about the only kind of houseplant that can survive around me. I kill everything else. Odd, since my outdoor garden is quite nice and does not consider me an assassin.
Ah well, Pink...
Hello old friend!
Is this a plant that flowers most during a dry spell? African violets are like that, too. They need some time away from smothering love in order to bloom.
Metaphor, much? :D
Posted by: Keet | Sunday, January 22, 2006 at 08:45 PM
The perfect pink!
Posted by: Kim C | Sunday, January 22, 2006 at 12:50 PM
Hiya, I would love to have a tiny bouquet of those bracts, they are lovely. Look like flowers to me!
You popped by my blog and mentioned the speculaas. You were right, they weren't American. the picture was taken in Paris!
Also, just a note, the link you have to this site on your blogger page is not working. I retyped it into my browser with www and then it worked.
Have a great Sunday.
Posted by: shelagh | Sunday, January 22, 2006 at 05:15 AM
Oh, what a lovely flower! Pink is my favourit colour, and I enjoy your info on it too!
Posted by: Hanna | Sunday, January 22, 2006 at 04:06 AM
nice pic! I STILL can't find anything to post for 'Pink' but then it IS 43 degrees celcius and even breathing is becoming a chore.
Posted by: faith | Sunday, January 22, 2006 at 02:36 AM
Great photo, and I loved the commentary too.
Posted by: NB | Saturday, January 21, 2006 at 07:28 AM
I agree, they DO look like Mary Englebreit flowers (which I love)...maybe they were her inspiration?
Posted by: violetismycolor | Friday, January 20, 2006 at 08:34 PM
They make me think of Mary Englebreit's "fried egg" flowers.
Posted by: Barbara W. Klaser | Friday, January 20, 2006 at 07:29 PM
very cool plant! i would love to have one, as plants tend to falter under my care, too, but pink (one of my favorite colors...don't get me wrong...^-^) doesn't quite fit my yellow and blue decor... darn....
Posted by: leslie | Friday, January 20, 2006 at 04:57 PM
How "pretty in pink" & I love a houseplant that thrives no matter what!
Posted by: tinker | Friday, January 20, 2006 at 04:15 PM