A Striking Strelitzia
Which is a.k.a. Bird of Paradise Flower, of course. There must be thousands of photos of it on the internet. So why did I post? My backlit version turned out pretty well, and it is a plant with an interesting, multifaceted story:
-- First, Strelitzia reginae is hypo(non)allergenic because it does not self-scatter pollen. In nature it is pollinated only by sunbirds, who perch on the flower and get pollen on their feet. It is native to the far south of Africa, but has been exported and grown all over the world for centuries.
-- Second, it is named for Queen Charlotte (born Sophia Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz), 1744-1818. She was an amateur botantist.
Charlotte was a German and spoke no English when she married England's King George III in 1761. She learned quickly, but always spoke with a German accent. She and George liked German music, and in 1764, Mozart (aged 8) played for them at their court and amazed everyone; a well-known event in music history.
Charlotte became the first Queen of the UK (not just England) when England and Ireland united in 1801. She and George had 15 (!!) children. He eventually went insane, probably
due to having porphyria. Neither the English nor the Irish liked her much.
Ah, the long, convoluted story of the English and the Germans.
Location: Park behind Claraspital, Basel BS Switzerland.
In my album: Dan's Flower Power.
A Striking Strelitzia
Which is a.k.a. Bird of Paradise Flower, of course. There must be thousands of photos of it on the internet. So why did I post? My backlit version turned out pretty well, and it is a plant with an interesting, multifaceted story:
-- First, Strelitzia reginae is hypo(non)allergenic because it does not self-scatter pollen. In nature it is pollinated only by sunbirds, who perch on the flower and get pollen on their feet. It is native to the far south of Africa, but has been exported and grown all over the world for centuries.
-- Second, it is named for Queen Charlotte (born Sophia Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz), 1744-1818. She was an amateur botantist.
Charlotte was a German and spoke no English when she married England's King George III in 1761. She learned quickly, but always spoke with a German accent. She and George liked German music, and in 1764, Mozart (aged 8) played for them at their court and amazed everyone; a well-known event in music history.
Charlotte became the first Queen of the UK (not just England) when England and Ireland united in 1801. She and George had 15 (!!) children. He eventually went insane, probably
due to having porphyria. Neither the English nor the Irish liked her much.
Ah, the long, convoluted story of the English and the Germans.
Location: Park behind Claraspital, Basel BS Switzerland.
In my album: Dan's Flower Power.