Tillandsia
View allAll Photos Tagged trichomes
While watering my little plant today, I thought it was sick with mold, mildew, or a fungus! But checking online, I was relieved that it's ok. Those white particles are "trichomes".
"Trichomes are small hairs on the leaves of the the air plants which help them absorb water, airborne minerals, and helps them to regulate their temperature. Trichomes are important since air plants do not grow in soil and have traditional root systems. Trichomes can absorb moisture directly from the air, even without the plant having to get damped by rain, mist, or morning dew."
airplantshop.com/blogs/air-plant-care/what-are-trichomes
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How to resist the charm of the furry succulents? Although these are adaptations to life in hot and dry environments, the combination of plump leaves covered with a delicate down result in small plush plants. This is the case of Echeveria setosa, perhaps the most famous succulent species with a velvety appearance. The scientific name derives from the word arrow, which means bristle, short hair, in Latin. For this reason, one of the popular names for this plant is silky stone rose.
In fact, many succulents belonging to the genus Echeveria are generically called stone roses, thanks to the appearance of their leaves arranged in the form of rosettes. This group of species was named after the Mexican botanist Atanasio Echeverría y Godoy.
Like several other species of the genus, Echeveria setosa is originally from Mexico, being natively found in the cities of Puebla and Oaxaca. It is a succulent whose habitat is formed by sandy and rocky soils, under full sun, in semi-desert climate regions.
In English-speaking countries, Echeveria setosa is popularly known as Mexican firecracker, a kind of firework, thanks to the colorful and festive appearance of its inflorescences, which mix warm shades of red, orange and yellow, appearing at the apex of long stems upright.
The succulent Echeveria setosa belongs to the botanical family Crassulaceae, which also includes other furry succulents of ornamental interest, such as the bear paw, Cotyledon tomentosa, cat ear, Kalanchoe tomentosa, and Echeveria pulvinata.
There are several varieties of Echeveria setosa, which were described recently, in the 1990s. The best known is Echeveria setosa var. deminuta, with a more compact size and smaller leaves. Echeveria setosa var. ciliata has slightly larger dimensions, with a less dense coat of hairs.
Echeveria setosa provides sprouts of new seedlings from the base of the main plant, forming very ornamental clusters. Alternatively, these structures can be removed to grow into new seedlings. Its flowering occurs during spring and summer. In winter, some varieties can assume a discreet reddish setting, at the tips of the leaves, especially when the succulent is grown in a place with plenty of light.
Like all species of the genus, Echeveria setosa needs generous exposure to sunlight, so that it can develop in a compact and attractive way. In very shaded places, the plant tends to erode, becoming taller, with greater spacing between the leaves. Furthermore, under these growing conditions, their rosettes become less symmetrical.
Although Echeveria setosa has this coverage of trichomes as a protection against excessive sunstroke, it is advisable to protect the plant from the most intense sun, during the hottest hours of the day, especially in summer.
For those who can't resist a plant that looks like a stuffed animal, the succulent Echeveria setosa is an excellent option. It is even possible to make a collection of hairy species, although these are not very numerous.
Southwestern Florida
USA
Now for something closer to home. Zebra longwing photographed in my backyard.
From Wikipedia - The Zebra Longwing or Zebra Heliconian (Heliconius charithonia) is a species of butterfly belonging to the subfamily Heliconiinae of the Nymphalidae. The boldly striped black and white wing pattern is aposematic, warning off predators.
The species is distributed across South and Central America and as far north as southern Texas and peninsular Florida; there are migrations north into other American states in the warmer months.
Zebra longwing adults roost communally at night in groups of up to 60 adults for safety from predators. The adult butterflies are unusual in feeding on pollen as well as on nectar; the pollen enables them to synthesize cyanogenic glycosides that make their bodies toxic to potential predators.
Caterpillars feed on various species of Passionflower, evading the plants' defensive trichomes by biting them off or laying silk mats over them. – Wikipedia.
The Bromeliaceae (the bromeliads) are a family of monocot flowering plants of 51 genera and around 3475 known species native mainly to the tropical Americas, with a few species found in the American subtropics and one in tropical west Africa, Pitcairnia feliciana. They are among the basal families within the Poales and is the only family within the order that has septal nectaries and inferior ovaries. These inferior ovaries characterize the Bromelioideae, a subfamily of the Bromeliaceae. The family includes both epiphytes, such as Spanish moss (Tillandsia usneoides), and terrestrial species, such as the pineapple (Ananas comosus). Many bromeliads are able to store water in a structure formed by their tightly-overlapping leaf bases. However, the family is diverse enough to include the tank bromeliads, grey-leaved epiphyte Tillandsia species that gather water only from leaf structures called trichomes, and many desert-dwelling succulents. The largest bromeliad is Puya raimondii, which reaches 3–4 m tall in vegetative growth with a flower spike 9–10 m tall, and the smallest is Spanish moss. Bromeliads are plants that are adapted to various climates. Foliage takes different shapes, from needle-thin to broad and flat, symmetrical to irregular, spiky to soft. The foliage, which usually grows in a rosette, is widely patterned and coloured. Leaf colours range from maroon, through shades of green, to gold. Varieties may have leaves with red, yellow, white and cream variations. 32415
The genus Polylepis contains about twenty species that are distributed across the Andes. It is in the rose family, Rosaceae. The genus belongs to the tribe Sanguisorbeae, which mainly comprises herbs and small shrubs. Although the relationship of Polylepis to other genera of Sanguisorbeae is largely unknown, the analysis of Torsten Eriksson et al. (2003) showed evidence of a close relationship between Polylepis and Acaena, which shows tendencies towards having fused stipular sheaths, reddish, flaking-off bark, and axillary, somewhat pendant inflorescences, features otherwise characteristic of Polylepis. There are several characteristics that are important taxonomically to distinguish between species of Polylepis, for example: 1) The amount of leaf congestion, 2) presence or absence of spurs and their size and vestiture, 3) presence or absence and type of trichomes, (4) size, shape, thickness and vestiture of leaflets. The most important taxonomic character, however, is the leaflets.
Studies suggest that repeated fragmentation and reconnection of páramo vegetation, caused by the Pleistocene climatic fluctuations, had a strong influence on the evolution and speed of speciation in the genus Polylepis as well as the páramo biota as a whole.
The universe of succulent plants is full of playful elements and figures that take us to realms other than the vegetable. This is the case of the succulent bear paw, the star of today's post, whose scientific name is Cotyledon tomentosa. Previously, I had already presented other plants that also look like a stuffed animal. Interestingly, in all cases, it is not necessary to use a lot of imagination to actually see these anatomical details in plants.
Abroad, the succulent bear paw receives the same nickname, bear's paw. Whenever we find a plant with the term tomentosa in its scientific name, such as Cotyledon tomentosa, we can be sure that it is a hairy plant. This is because the term is derived from the word tomentum, which in Latin means wool or fur.
Here in the gallery, I have already posted photographs of other examples of succulent plants that have their leaves covered with hair, such as Echeveria pulvinata, with smaller and more delicate hairs, capable of giving a velvety appearance to the plant.
Technically, the hairs that cover the leaves of the succulent bear paw, as well as the other examples mentioned above, are called trichomes. These structures are modifications of the plant tissue, whose objective is to reduce the loss of water through evaporation, in arid environments and under full sun, to which these succulents are adapted.
The species Cotyledon tomentosa is originally from the African continent, occurring more specifically in the region of South Africa.
Although the bear paw is often sold in small pots as young seedlings, it can grow to a larger, shrubby size when well cultivated. The species Cotyledon tomentosa usually presents between 30 and 70 cm in height, in its original habitat. Over time, its stems will branch out, giving the plant the appearance of a small shrub.
As if the photo format of its leaves were not enough, the succulent bear paw is even better with the reddish finish at the ends of these structures, which resemble painted nails. This color becomes more evident when the plant is grown in bright places. It is also under these growing conditions that the bear paw can flower, typically in spring, producing inflorescences bearing orange bell-shaped flowers, with the typical appearance of blooms presented by representatives of the genus Cotyledon. It is interesting to note that even the stems, flowers and flower buds of Cotyledon tomentosa have delicate trichomes on their surface. The plant is all hairy.
The bear paw is a very versatile succulent. It can be grown outdoors in full sun, making it perfect in desert-inspired rock gardens. In addition, this plant works well in pots, whether plastic or terracotta, as long as the frequency of watering is adjusted according to the material chosen.
Clay pots, for being more porous, allow the soil inside them to dry more quickly. On the other hand, the plastic pot tends to retain moisture for a longer time, so the watering should be more spaced when this material is used. The succulent bear paw is able to store a lot of water in its leaves, so watering doesn't have to be frequent. Regardless of the number of times a week, the important thing is that watering only takes place when the land is very dry. Excess water in the roots of Cotyledon tomentosa causes its decay, leading the plant to death in a short period of time.
Although it is difficult to resist the charms of this succulent treat, it should be noted that the bear paw is a toxic plant if it is inadvertently ingested by children or pets. As their appearance is harmless and cute, the risk of accidents is even greater. However, when cultivated in places beyond the reach of these curious little ones, the succulent bear paw makes a cute show. Whenever I see it, I want to squeeze its plump, furry leaves.
Plumbago is a genus of 10–20 species of flowering plants in the family Plumbaginaceae, native to warm temperate to tropical regions of the world. Common names include plumbago and leadwort (names which are also shared by the genus Ceratostigma). The species include herbaceous plants and shrubs growing to 0.5–2 m tall. The leaves are spirally arranged, simple, entire, 0.5–12 cm long, with a tapered base and often with a hairy margin. The flowers are white, blue, purple, red, or pink, with a tubular corolla with five petal-like lobes; they are produced in racemes. The flower calyx has glandular trichomes (hairs), which secrete a sticky mucilage that is capable of trapping and killing insects; it is unclear what the purpose of these trichomes is; protection from pollination by way of crawlers (ants and other insects that typically do not transfer pollen between individual plants), or possible protocarnivory. 49843
Taken in our garden earlier this summer.
Echinacea /ˌɛkɪˈneɪsiə, ˌɛkɪˈneɪʃiə/ is a genus of herbaceous flowering plants in the daisy family. It has ten species, which are commonly called coneflowers. They are native only in eastern and central North America, where they grow in wet to dry prairies and open wooded areas. They have large, showy heads of composite flowers, blooming in summer. The generic name is derived from the Greek word ἐχῖνος (ekhinos), meaning "hedgehog", due to the spiny central disk. These flowering plants and their parts have different uses. Some species are cultivated in gardens for their showy flowers. Two of the species, E. tennesseensis and E. laevigata, were formerly listed in the United States as endangered species; E. tennesseensis has been delisted due to recovery and E. laevigata is now listed as threatened.
Echinacea purpurea is used in traditional medicine. Although commonly sold as a dietary supplement, there is insufficient scientific evidence that Echinacea products are effective or safe for improving health or treating any disease.
Echinacea species are herbaceous, drought-tolerant perennial plants growing up to 140 cm (4 ft 7 in) in height. They grow from taproots, except E. purpurea, which grows from a short caudex with fibrous roots. They have erect stems that in most species are unbranched. Both the basal and cauline (stem) leaves are arranged alternately. The leaves are normally hairy with a rough texture, having uniseriate trichomes (1–4 rings of cells), but sometimes they lack hairs. The basal leaves and the lower stem leaves have petioles, and as the leaves progress up the stem the petioles often decrease in length. The leaf blades in different species may have one, three, or five nerves. Some species have linear to lanceolate leaves, and others have elliptic- to ovate-shaped leaves; often the leaves decrease in size as they progress up the stems. Leaf bases gradually increase in width away from the petioles or the bases are rounded to heart shaped. Most species have leaf margins that are entire, but sometimes they are dentate or serrate.
The flowers are collected together into single rounded heads at the ends of long peduncles. The inflorescences have crateriform to hemispheric shaped involucres which are 12–40 mm (0.47–1.57 in) wide. The phyllaries, or bracts below the flower head, are persistent and number 15–50. The phyllaries are produced in a 2–4 series. The receptacles are hemispheric to conic. The paleae (chaffs on the receptacles of many Asteraceae) have orange to reddish purple ends, and are longer than the disc corollas. The paleae bases partially surrounding the cypselae, and are keeled with the apices abruptly constricted to awn-like tips. The ray florets number 8–21 and the corollas are dark purple to pale pink, white, or yellow. The tubes of the corolla are hairless or sparsely hairy, and the laminae are spreading, reflexed, or drooping in habit and linear to elliptic or obovate in shape. The abaxial faces of the laminae are glabrous or moderately hairy. The flower heads have typically 200–300 fertile, bisexual disc florets but some have more. The corollas are pinkish, greenish, reddish-purple or yellow and have tubes shorter than the throats. The pollen is normally yellow in most species, but usually white in E. pallida. The three or four-angled fruits (cypselae), are tan or bicolored with a dark brown band distally. The pappi are persistent and variously crown-shaped with 0 to 4 or more prominent teeth. x = 11.[4]
Like all members of the sunflower family, the flowering structure is a composite inflorescence, with rose-colored (rarely yellow or white) florets arranged in a prominent, somewhat cone-shaped head – "cone-shaped" because the petals of the outer ray florets tend to point downward (are reflexed) once the flower head opens, thus forming a cone. Plants are generally long lived, with distinctive flowers. The common name "coneflower" comes from the characteristic center "cone" at the center of the flower head.
For more information please visit en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Echinacea and www.rhs.org.uk/plants/echinacea
Plumbago is a genus of 10–20 species of flowering plants in the family Plumbaginaceae, native to warm temperate to tropical regions of the world. Common names include plumbago and leadwort (names which are also shared by the genus Ceratostigma). The species include herbaceous plants and shrubs growing to 0.5–2 m tall. The leaves are spirally arranged, simple, entire, 0.5–12 cm long, with a tapered base and often with a hairy margin. The flowers are white, blue, purple, red, or pink, with a tubular corolla with five petal-like lobes; they are produced in racemes. The flower calyx has glandular trichomes (hairs), which secrete a sticky mucilage that is capable of trapping and killing insects; it is unclear what the purpose of these trichomes is; protection from pollination by way of crawlers (ants and other insects that typically do not transfer pollen between individual plants), or possible protocarnivory. 33172
Plumbago is a genus of 10–20 species of flowering plants in the family Plumbaginaceae, native to warm temperate to tropical regions of the world. Common names include plumbago and leadwort (names which are also shared by the genus Ceratostigma). The species include herbaceous plants and shrubs growing to 0.5–2 m tall. The leaves are spirally arranged, simple, entire, 0.5–12 cm long, with a tapered base and often with a hairy margin. The flowers are white, blue, purple, red, or pink, with a tubular corolla with five petal-like lobes; they are produced in racemes. The flower calyx has glandular trichomes (hairs), which secrete a sticky mucilage that is capable of trapping and killing insects; it is unclear what the purpose of these trichomes is; protection from pollination by way of crawlers (ants and other insects that typically do not transfer pollen between individual plants), or possible protocarnivory. 52797
Plumbago is a genus of 10–20 species of flowering plants in the family Plumbaginaceae, native to warm temperate to tropical regions of the world. Common names include plumbago and leadwort (names which are also shared by the genus Ceratostigma). The species include herbaceous plants and shrubs growing to 0.5–2 m tall. The leaves are spirally arranged, simple, entire, 0.5–12 cm long, with a tapered base and often with a hairy margin. The flowers are white, blue, purple, red, or pink, with a tubular corolla with five petal-like lobes; they are produced in racemes. The flower calyx has glandular trichomes (hairs), which secrete a sticky mucilage that is capable of trapping and killing insects; it is unclear what the purpose of these trichomes is; protection from pollination by way of crawlers (ants and other insects that typically do not transfer pollen between individual plants), or possible protocarnivory. z2 387
The Bromeliaceae (the bromeliads) are a family of monocot flowering plants of 51 genera and around 3475 known species native mainly to the tropical Americas, with a few species found in the American subtropics and one in tropical west Africa, Pitcairnia feliciana. They are among the basal families within the Poales and is the only family within the order that has septal nectaries and inferior ovaries. These inferior ovaries characterize the Bromelioideae, a subfamily of the Bromeliaceae. The family includes both epiphytes, such as Spanish moss (Tillandsia usneoides), and terrestrial species, such as the pineapple (Ananas comosus). Many bromeliads are able to store water in a structure formed by their tightly-overlapping leaf bases. However, the family is diverse enough to include the tank bromeliads, grey-leaved epiphyte Tillandsia species that gather water only from leaf structures called trichomes, and many desert-dwelling succulents. The largest bromeliad is Puya raimondii, which reaches 3–4 m tall in vegetative growth with a flower spike 9–10 m tall, and the smallest is Spanish moss. Bromeliads are plants that are adapted to various climates. Foliage takes different shapes, from needle-thin to broad and flat, symmetrical to irregular, spiky to soft. The foliage, which usually grows in a rosette, is widely patterned and coloured. Leaf colours range from maroon, through shades of green, to gold. Varieties may have leaves with red, yellow, white and cream variations. 24102
The Bromeliaceae (the bromeliads) are a family of monocot flowering plants of 51 genera and around 3475 known species native mainly to the tropical Americas, with a few species found in the American subtropics and one in tropical west Africa, Pitcairnia feliciana. They are among the basal families within the Poales and is the only family within the order that has septal nectaries and inferior ovaries. These inferior ovaries characterize the Bromelioideae, a subfamily of the Bromeliaceae. The family includes both epiphytes, such as Spanish moss (Tillandsia usneoides), and terrestrial species, such as the pineapple (Ananas comosus). Many bromeliads are able to store water in a structure formed by their tightly-overlapping leaf bases. However, the family is diverse enough to include the tank bromeliads, grey-leaved epiphyte Tillandsia species that gather water only from leaf structures called trichomes, and many desert-dwelling succulents. The largest bromeliad is Puya raimondii, which reaches 3–4 m tall in vegetative growth with a flower spike 9–10 m tall, and the smallest is Spanish moss. Bromeliads are plants that are adapted to various climates. Foliage takes different shapes, from needle-thin to broad and flat, symmetrical to irregular, spiky to soft. The foliage, which usually grows in a rosette, is widely patterned and coloured. Leaf colours range from maroon, through shades of green, to gold. Varieties may have leaves with red, yellow, white and cream variations. 23064
Taken in our garden earlier this summer.
Echinacea /ˌɛkɪˈneɪsiə, ˌɛkɪˈneɪʃiə/ is a genus of herbaceous flowering plants in the daisy family. It has ten species, which are commonly called coneflowers. They are native only in eastern and central North America, where they grow in wet to dry prairies and open wooded areas. They have large, showy heads of composite flowers, blooming in summer. The generic name is derived from the Greek word ἐχῖνος (ekhinos), meaning "hedgehog", due to the spiny central disk. These flowering plants and their parts have different uses. Some species are cultivated in gardens for their showy flowers. Two of the species, E. tennesseensis and E. laevigata, were formerly listed in the United States as endangered species; E. tennesseensis has been delisted due to recovery and E. laevigata is now listed as threatened.
Echinacea purpurea is used in traditional medicine. Although commonly sold as a dietary supplement, there is insufficient scientific evidence that Echinacea products are effective or safe for improving health or treating any disease.
Echinacea species are herbaceous, drought-tolerant perennial plants growing up to 140 cm (4 ft 7 in) in height. They grow from taproots, except E. purpurea, which grows from a short caudex with fibrous roots. They have erect stems that in most species are unbranched. Both the basal and cauline (stem) leaves are arranged alternately. The leaves are normally hairy with a rough texture, having uniseriate trichomes (1–4 rings of cells), but sometimes they lack hairs. The basal leaves and the lower stem leaves have petioles, and as the leaves progress up the stem the petioles often decrease in length. The leaf blades in different species may have one, three, or five nerves. Some species have linear to lanceolate leaves, and others have elliptic- to ovate-shaped leaves; often the leaves decrease in size as they progress up the stems. Leaf bases gradually increase in width away from the petioles or the bases are rounded to heart shaped. Most species have leaf margins that are entire, but sometimes they are dentate or serrate.
The flowers are collected together into single rounded heads at the ends of long peduncles. The inflorescences have crateriform to hemispheric shaped involucres which are 12–40 mm (0.47–1.57 in) wide. The phyllaries, or bracts below the flower head, are persistent and number 15–50. The phyllaries are produced in a 2–4 series. The receptacles are hemispheric to conic. The paleae (chaffs on the receptacles of many Asteraceae) have orange to reddish purple ends, and are longer than the disc corollas. The paleae bases partially surrounding the cypselae, and are keeled with the apices abruptly constricted to awn-like tips. The ray florets number 8–21 and the corollas are dark purple to pale pink, white, or yellow. The tubes of the corolla are hairless or sparsely hairy, and the laminae are spreading, reflexed, or drooping in habit and linear to elliptic or obovate in shape. The abaxial faces of the laminae are glabrous or moderately hairy. The flower heads have typically 200–300 fertile, bisexual disc florets but some have more. The corollas are pinkish, greenish, reddish-purple or yellow and have tubes shorter than the throats. The pollen is normally yellow in most species, but usually white in E. pallida. The three or four-angled fruits (cypselae), are tan or bicolored with a dark brown band distally. The pappi are persistent and variously crown-shaped with 0 to 4 or more prominent teeth. x = 11.[4]
Like all members of the sunflower family, the flowering structure is a composite inflorescence, with rose-colored (rarely yellow or white) florets arranged in a prominent, somewhat cone-shaped head – "cone-shaped" because the petals of the outer ray florets tend to point downward (are reflexed) once the flower head opens, thus forming a cone. Plants are generally long lived, with distinctive flowers. The common name "coneflower" comes from the characteristic center "cone" at the center of the flower head.
For more information please visit en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Echinacea and www.rhs.org.uk/plants/echinacea
Plumbago are everywhere and the flowers are such a pretty shade of mauve, but what grabbed my attention was the forest of little green 'hairs' with their sticky droplets along the bottom of the stems of each flower. They are so willowy and delicate. Nature is amazing.
Macro Mondays - "Less than an inch"
7 Days With Flickr - "Free Theme" (Mondays)
Pumpkins are barging their way in and over my Gold Coast hinterland garden. The plants are not so photogenic but there's beauty in the detail. I am not sure of evolutionary advantage of trichomes but it seems they differ in length and profusion on different parts of the plant. This male flower is about twenty millimetres long.
NO PHOTOSHOP!
Heliconius charithonia, the zebra longwing or zebra heliconian, is a species of butterfly belonging to the subfamily Heliconiinae of the family Nymphalidae.The boldly striped black and white wing pattern is aposematic, warning off predators.
The species is distributed across South and Central America and as far north as southern Texas and peninsular Florida; there are migrations north into other American states in the warmer months.
Zebra longwing adults roost communally at night in groups of up to 60 adults for safety from predators. The adult butterflies are unusual in feeding on pollen as well as on nectar; the pollen enables them to synthesize cyanogenic glycosides that make their bodies toxic to potential predators. Caterpillars feed on various species of passionflower, evading the plants' defensive trichomes by biting them off or laying silk mats over them.
Mass spraying of Naled has decimated the zebra longwing population in Miami-Dade County, Florida. There has been mass collapse of the colonies with impacts on the balance of the ecosystem. Further studies are desperately needed to evaluate any potential for recolonization.
Zebra Longwing butterfly, from Butterfly Pavilion Natural History Museum. Los Angeles. California.
Ipomoea nil is a species of Ipomoea morning glory known by several common names, including picotee morning glory, ivy morning glory, and Japanese morning glory. It is native to most of the tropical world, and has been introduced widely.
Native to Central America and Mexico, the plant is a climber with twining stems up to 5 m long and is densely to scattered with long hairy trichomes. The finely hairy, emerald green leaves are ovate to almost circular, 5 to 14 cm long. The base is heart-shaped, the edge is entire or lobed three to five times, the leaf lobes are pointed or tapering.
The funnel-shaped, colorful flowers (blue to reddish purple, with whitish tube) are quite showy and are individually up to five in often dense cymose groups, in which fully developed flowers and developing buds stand together. They open in the morning and close by the afternoon. The long, thorny hairy sepals have a length of 15 to 25 mm, they are long lanceolate and have a linear-lanceolate tip. The crown is blue, purple or almost scarlet red. The throat is often colored white. The crown tube has a length of 3 to 5 cm, the crown hem has a width of 4 to 5 cm.
The fruits are almost spherical to spherical capsule fruits with a diameter of 8 to 12 mm. The seeds are pear-shaped and densely covered with short trichomes.
Uninvited intruder on homeboy. A Japanese beetle munches on a native black-eyed Susan wildflower.
Trailhead Community Park of the East Decatur Greenway
Decatur (Winnona Park), Georgia, USA.
9 June 2023.
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▶ "Rudbeckia hirta —commonly called black-eyed Susan— is a flowering plant in the family Asteraceae, native to eastern and central North America.
Rudbeckia hirta is an upright annual growing 12 to 39 inches tall (30–100 cm) by 12 to 18 inches wide (30–45 cm). The plant produces daisy-like, composite flower heads, in late summer and early autumn [although appearing here in late spring], up to 4 inches in diameter (10 cm) with yellow ray florets circling a conspicuous brown or black, dome-shaped cone of many small disc florets.
The specific epithet 'hirta' is Latin for 'hairy,' referring to trichomes occurring on the leaves and stems. [Trichomes are epidermal outgrowths. Hair is one common type.]"
— Wikipedia.
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▶ Thank you to Flickr-er Bárbol for identifying the flower's unwelcome visitor: an invasive Japanese beetle (Popillia japonica). [See comment below.]
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▶ Photo by Yours For Good Fermentables.com.
▶ For a larger image, type 'L' (without the quotation marks).
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da 3rd day of no sleep and pain dat can't be described
every breath felt like my ribcage was gonna explode and shatter inside me
by myself trying to take care of myself
sitting in a severe case of delirium with pain dat was gonna drive me insane
muscle memory kicked in
in my delirium, I wondered why it was getter so intense
den clarity
I had inhaled a few draws of my Sacred Cannabis
witout me knowing what I was doin
in desperation
all of a sudden my mind cleared and I was able to start breathing without insane pain
after a few more I got up and took an aspirin
and more Sacred Medicine
Wet Dreams at 34.4% THC
after 3 daze of insane intense beyond description agony n pain
I knew I could bear this horror now
I saw da trichomes dissolve da suckers of Covid in my painful lungs
my deep faith and affection fer Erb
SAVED ME
a few weeks slowly I recovered but I had a combo Delerium n heavy stoned effect da whole time
even now I'm semi-delirious and maxed on Chem Pie OG 35.6%
my lungs still hurt badly but I think I survived Covid-19
I gonna inhale erb da rest of my life
“Attribution-NonCommercial”
NO PHOTOSHOP!
Heliconius charithonia, the zebra longwing or zebra heliconian, is a species of butterfly belonging to the subfamily Heliconiinae of the family Nymphalidae.The boldly striped black and white wing pattern is aposematic, warning off predators.
The species is distributed across South and Central America and as far north as southern Texas and peninsular Florida; there are migrations north into other American states in the warmer months.
Zebra longwing adults roost communally at night in groups of up to 60 adults for safety from predators. The adult butterflies are unusual in feeding on pollen as well as on nectar; the pollen enables them to synthesize cyanogenic glycosides that make their bodies toxic to potential predators. Caterpillars feed on various species of passionflower, evading the plants' defensive trichomes by biting them off or laying silk mats over them.
Mass spraying of Naled has decimated the zebra longwing population in Miami-Dade County, Florida. There has been mass collapse of the colonies with impacts on the balance of the ecosystem. Further studies are desperately needed to evaluate any potential for recolonization.
Zebra Longwing butterfly, from Butterfly Pavilion Natural History Museum. Los Angeles. California.
Surface trichomes of multi-lobed stigma of a rather gaudy hibiscus from my Gold-Coast hinterland garden.
Hibiscus cultivar caught in the gloom beside my Gold Coast hinterland home. Rain was about to fall as night approached.
This is the middle of a blanket flower grown in our yard. So much stuff going on in there! (zoom in) And lots of pollen for the bees too. :-) Hope you like.
For “flowers in side view” challenge in "Looking close... on Friday!"
Plumbago is a genus of 10–20 species of flowering plants in the family Plumbaginaceae, native to warm temperate to tropical regions of the world. Common names include plumbago and leadwort (names which are also shared by the genus Ceratostigma). The species include herbaceous plants and shrubs growing to 0.5–2 m tall. The leaves are spirally arranged, simple, entire, 0.5–12 cm long, with a tapered base and often with a hairy margin. The flowers are white, blue, purple, red, or pink, with a tubular corolla with five petal-like lobes; they are produced in racemes. The flower calyx has glandular trichomes (hairs), which secrete a sticky mucilage that is capable of trapping and killing insects; it is unclear what the purpose of these trichomes is; protection from pollination by way of crawlers (ants and other insects that typically do not transfer pollen between individual plants), or possible protocarnivory. S10N_151
Solanum laxum, commonly known as potato vine, potato climber or jasmine nightshade, is an evergreen vine in the family Solanaceae. It is native to South America and commonly grown as an ornamental garden plant.
The jasmine-flowered nightshade is a woody climber that forms branches 2 to 8 m long and has a base that can reach more than 10 centimeters in diameter. Fast-growing, it climbs by winding the leaf stalks around supports. The shoot axes are strongly angled zigzag, hairless or in the youth stage with simple, white, single-row trichomes less than 0.5 millimeters in length. New growth is hairless or finely to sparsely hairy. The bark of older branches is green or reddish green or, if the plant grows in direct sunlight, often purple-green. The ovate or ovate-lanceolate leaves are 30 to 50 mm long and 15 to 25 mm wide. The sympodial units contain many leaves. These are usually simple, only very rarely divided with one to four irregular lobes and pinnately split.
Southwestern Florida
USA
Backyard
This zebra longwing was photographed in my butterfly habitat in my backyard.
From Wikipedia - The Zebra Longwing or Zebra Heliconian (Heliconius charithonia) is a species of butterfly belonging to the subfamily Heliconiinae of the Nymphalidae. The boldly striped black and white wing pattern is aposematic, warning off predators.
The species is distributed across South and Central America and as far north as southern Texas and peninsular Florida; there are migrations north into other American states in the warmer months.
Zebra longwing adults roost communally at night in groups of up to 60 adults for safety from predators. The adult butterflies are unusual in feeding on pollen as well as on nectar; the pollen enables them to synthesize cyanogenic glycosides that make their bodies toxic to potential predators.
Caterpillars feed on various species of Passionflower, evading the plants' defensive trichomes by biting them off or laying silk mats over them. – Wikipedia
Orange hibiscus is a global favourite. This example shows the reproductive structure just as the petals open — golden pollen grains and the elegant trichomes that cover the multi-lobed stigma. I noticed the opening flower at 10pm and used an off-camera flash bring up the fine details set against the dark depths of the still wrinkly opening flower.
"Drosera, commonly known as the sundews, is one of the largest genera of carnivorous plants, with at least 194 species. These members of the family Droseraceae lure, capture, and digest insects using stalked mucilaginous glands covering their leaf surfaces. The insects are used to supplement the poor mineral nutrition of the soil in which the plants grow. Various species, which vary greatly in size and form, are native to every continent except Antarctica.
Charles Darwin performed much of the early research into Drosera, engaging in a long series of experiments with Drosera rotundifolia which were the first to confirm carnivory in plants. In an 1860 letter, Darwin wrote, “…at the present moment, I care more about Drosera than the origin of all the species in the world.”
Both the botanical name (from the Greek δρόσος: drosos = "dew, dewdrops") and the English common name (sundew, derived from Latin ros solis, meaning "dew of the sun") refer to the glistening drops of mucilage at the tip of the glandular trichomes that resemble drops of morning dew. The Principia Botanica, published in 1787, states “Sun-dew (Drosera) derives its name from small drops of a liquor-like dew, hanging on its fringed leaves, and continuing in the hottest part of the day, exposed to the sun.”
• Bishop's cap cactus
Scientific classification
Kingdom:Plantae
(unranked):Angiosperms
(unranked):Eudicots
(unranked):Core eudicots
Order:Caryophyllales
Family:Cactaceae
Genus:Astrophytum
Species:A. myriostigma
From my collection
Here's a Sundew from North America. It has long and slender, erect 'tendrils', filaments covered with tiny hairs or trichomes with globules of sticky exudate at their ends. They serve to trap small insects and also contain digestive enzymes that soon reduce insects to plant nutrients. Then it'll have energy to produce these pretty pink flowers.
Our 'elegant species', as writes Frederick Traugott Pursh (1774-1820), was seen by him near Tuckerton, New Jersey, about 1805. He describes it 1813/1814, too late for Constantine Samuel Raffinesque (1783-1840) to have read it. Usually Raffinesque quotes Pursh if the latter saw a specific plant before he did, but he saw this Drosera around 1803/1804 also in New Jersey and described it in 1808, well before Pursh. Hence its find is attributed to him.
#sliderssunday
Spring arrived with a bang. A temperature drop has been announced for next week but only for a few days – winter is definitely over :) While this Amaryllis stigma isn't a part of the current spring explosion, it still symbolizes new life, so I chose it as my Easter greetings image.
You've already seen this same stigma for Macro Mondays' "Wet" theme this January (please see the first comment). I'd photographed it (and the blossom) in several stages of bloom, and this was the earliest stage, with the stigma just beginning to open and curiously taking a first peek into the world around it. What always fascinates me about flowers/plants in close-up is the tiny, often translucent "hair", the trichome, of which this stigma has plenty. I think the trichome makes it look even more like a (friendly) alien life form.
I've kept the Amaryllis blossom which now is shriveled and dried up in the way only flowers can: gracefully and in beauty.
Wishing you (if you celebrate) a Happy Easter, and a wonderful (Sliders) Sunday :)
Relentless flower from a little relentless source of hibiscus blooms. Textures formed by nature captured by faint on-camera flash and house lights. Growing in a sheltered outdoor area in my sub-tropical Gold Coast garden
#Mittwochsmakro
My Macro Monday "Dutch Angle" outtake, the furry autumn leaf of unknown ID. I didn't choose it for MMs because while I clearly photographed it at a Dutch angle as one can see from the stem, the leaf's shape somehow "evened" the tilt out again which somehow defeated the theme's purpose for me.
The leaf is almost 4 cm wide, wide enough to comfortably place my small LED flashlight behind it so it would nicely illuminate the dense covering with trichomes without being visible in the photo. In-camera focus stacking already looked nice but stacking the 15 ORFs in Helicon Focus (method A, R7, S3) looked better because it yielded a crispier, more detailed image.
If somebody happens to know the ID of this fairly succulent, furry little leaf, please let me know.
Happy Wednesday Macro, Everyone!
Pink African Violet seems contradictory but that's what it is. It was not my intention to highlight a reproductive system but there you have it, with shadow and all. My aim was to capture the winter sun catching trichomes which glinted beautifully.
Zebra longwing
Mariposa cebra
Zebrafalter
adults roost communally at night in groups of up to 60 adults for safety from predators. The adult butterflies are unusual in feeding on pollen as well as on nectar; the pollen enables them to synthesize cyanogenic glycosides that make their bodies toxic to potential predators. Caterpillars feed on various species of passionflower, evading the plants' defensive trichomes by biting them off or laying silk mats over them.
The species is distributed across South and Central America and as far north as southern Texas and peninsular Florida; there are migrations north into other American states in the warmer months.
The fuzzy multi-lobed stigma of the well-known colourful hibiscus flower has trapped a few remnants of the heavy rain that fell intermittently during the last few days. In my home garden on the southeast Queensland Gold-Coast..
Plumbago is a genus of 10–20 species of flowering plants in the family Plumbaginaceae, native to warm temperate to tropical regions of the world. Common names include plumbago and leadwort (names which are also shared by the genus Ceratostigma). The species include herbaceous plants and shrubs growing to 0.5–2 m tall. The leaves are spirally arranged, simple, entire, 0.5–12 cm long, with a tapered base and often with a hairy margin. The flowers are white, blue, purple, red, or pink, with a tubular corolla with five petal-like lobes; they are produced in racemes. The flower calyx has glandular trichomes (hairs), which secrete a sticky mucilage that is capable of trapping and killing insects; it is unclear what the purpose of these trichomes is; protection from pollination by way of crawlers (ants and other insects that typically do not transfer pollen between individual plants), or possible protocarnivory. 47126
The Zebra Longwing, or Zebra Heliconian, is a species of butterfly belonging to the subfamily Heliconiinae of the family Nymphalidae. The boldly striped black and white wing pattern is aposematic, warning off predators.
The species is distributed across South and Central America and as far north as southern Texas and peninsular Florida; there are migrations north into other American states in the warmer months.
Zebra Longwing adults roost communally at night in groups of up to 60 adults for safety from predators. The adult butterflies are unusual in feeding on pollen as well as on nectar; the pollen enables them to synthesize cyanogenic glycosides that make their bodies toxic to potential predators. Caterpillars feed on various species of passionflower, evading the plants' defensive trichomes by biting them off or laying silk mats over them. (Wikipedia)
Cayo Santa Maria, Cuba. December 2017.