Janet Brien's photos with the keyword: Helichrysum bracteatum

4 more pictures above in notes! ENJOY!! :) I had a lot of fun playing with a shallow depth of field for these Strawflowers and I also needed to do everything I could to get crisp images in the low light! From Wiki: Commonly known as strawflower or the golden everlasting (Xerochrysum bracteatum) this flower is a plant in the family Asteraceae native to Australia. Described by Étienne Pierre Ventenat in 1803, it was known as Helichrysum bracteatum for many years before being transferred to a new genus Xerochrysum in 1990. It grows as a woody or herbaceous perennial or annual shrub up to a metre (3 ft) tall with green or grey leafy foliage. Golden yellow or white flower heads are produced from spring to autumn; their distinctive feature is the papery bracts that resemble petals. The species is widespread, growing in a variety of habitats across the country, from rainforest margins to deserts and subalpine areas. The golden everlasting serves as food for various larvae of lepidopterans (butterflies and moths), and adult butterflies, hoverflies, native bees, small beetles and grasshoppers visit the flower heads.

I was delighted to discover that all of these flowers I'm sharing today are Strawflowers. The information on Wiki is quite interesting so I put many blocks of text to accompany the pictures for you to read! :) More about this flower from From Wiki: The Strawflower, or golden everlasting, has proven very adaptable to cultivation. It was propagated and developed in Germany in the 1850s, and annual cultivars in a host of colour forms from white to bronze to purple flowers became available. Many of these are still sold in mixed seed packs. In Australia, many cultivars are perennial shrubs, which have become popular garden plants. Sturdier, long-stemmed forms are used commercially in the cut flower industry.

Although I wasn't sure what type of flower the other blossoms were, I was positive this was a Strawflower. When I looked it up, I was amazed to find that all the other flowers I took pictures of were ALSO Strawflowers! I had no idea they came in a rainbow of colors!! :D More about this flower from From Wiki: Strawflowrs had been introduced to cultivation in England by 1791. German horticulturist Herren Ebritsch obtained material and developed it at his nursery in Arnstadt near Erfurt in Germany. He bred and sold cultivars of many colours from bronze to white to purple, which spread across Europe in the 1850s. The bracts of these early forms tended to remain cupped around the flower head rather than flatten out like the native Australian forms. These were also annual rather than perennial forms. Many were given cultivar names such as 'atrococcineum' (dark scarlet flower heads), 'atrosanguineum' (dark blood-red flower heads), 'aureum' (golden yellow flower heads), 'bicolor' (red-tipped yellow flower heads), 'compositum' (large multicoloured flower heads), 'macranthum' (large rose-edged white flower heads), and 'monstrosum' (flower heads with many bracts), although today they are generally sold in mixed seed for growing as annuals. Some coloured forms of South African Helichrysum are thought to have been introduced to the breeding program, which resulted in the huge array of colours. Xerochrysum bracteatum was one of several species that became popular with European royalty and nobility from the early 19th century, yet were little noticed in Australia until the 1860s, when they became more prominent in Australian gardens.

If you've been following my photography for a while, you will know how much I LOVE taking these "top-down" macro shots of buds, and I had such fun taking close-ups of these amazing Strawflowers! More about this flower fromFrom Wiki: The brightly coloured bracts act as petals to attract insects such as hoverflies, native bees and small beetles that pollinate the florets. Grasshoppers also visit the flower heads. The caterpillars of Tebenna micalis have been recorded on this species, as have those of the Australian painted lady (Vanessa kershawi). The tiny fruits are dispersed by wind, and germinate and grow after fire or on disturbed ground. Experimentation at the Waite Institute of the University of Adelaide showed that flower production was related to increasing day length, and in general, plants produced the most flowers from December to March. Varying planting times or artificially changing light levels might be ways to increase production of flowers outside these months.

This color combination is so outrageous to me, so bright and opposite! In fact, these colors are close to being true "complimentary" colors. A complimentary color has an opposite color on a color wheel, and though they are as far apart as possible from one another in terms of colors, this also makes them a very agreeable pair. Here is a picture of a color wheel, and you will see that the flower above has colors which are not opposites but very close! Color Wheel with Complimentary Pairings More about this flower from From Wiki: Strawflowers are easy to grow both from seeds and from cuttings, although named cultivars will only grow true from cuttings. Plants benefit from pruning of old growth in winter to allow for new growth in spring. Dead-heading, or pruning off old flower heads, promotes the production of more flowers. Fresh seed germinates in 3 to 20 days and requires no special treatment. Strawflowers can be grown in large pots or window boxes, and is a good pioneer plant in the garden until other plants become more established. Lower growing cultivars are suitable for hanging baskets and border plantings. The flowers attract butterflies to the garden. Dried flowers are long lasting—up to some years—and are used in floral arrangements and the cut flower industry. More robust longer stemmed forms are used for commercial cut flowers. The main factor limiting lifespan of dried flowers is the wilting of stems, so flowers are sometimes wired into arrangements. Immersing flowers in glycerol or polyethylene glycol also lengthens lifespan.