On Wednesday I posted a couple shots of the first flowers opening on the umbel of an Allium cristophii. What struck me was how large that individual flower was, and how it was like a beacon, there to guide the rest of the flowers in the inflorescence as they waited to open. Yesterday I was again mesmerized, this time by the pattern of flowers opening. Unlike other alliums, where individual flowers seem to open randomly all over the umbel, with this A. cristophii, just the bottom row had opened, making it look like a ring. I thought of Saturn and its rings.
A Dutch nursery site, Bloemoloog, reports that the name ‘cristophii’ “... is probably derived from the German-Russian entomologist Hugo Theodor Christoph, who collected plants around the same time and in the same region, namely Central Asia. It was in 1883 that the name ‘Christophii’ was first described.” This is likely my favourite Allium, and I’ll likely be posting more photos of it next week!
Amazingly beautiful flower…looking forward to more photos of this pretty one!m
😊😊
Interesting. Don’t think I’ve seen that before.
Sent from my Galaxy
You should drop by and see it in person!
One glance, and the lines from the childhood game came to mind: “Ring around the rosy, pocket full of posies…” Despite attempts to link that one to the bubonic plague of the 1600s, the first recorded version seems to date to two hundred years later. It probably was just a ditty for kids, especially since there are version widespread through other cultures. In any event, the line about the ring around the ‘rosy’ certain suits this flower!
Nice connection.., thanks!