emerging

I called this photo "emerging" because the spadix containing the flowers appear like it is emerging. Actually this is already fully emerged but I think the essence of emerging dominates, right?

This is a mini Anthurium. The actual flowers are really the small dot-like structures found on the spadix, the purple elongated structure. The leaf-like structure which people usually think of as the flower (because it is generally colorful) is simply a colored bract called the spathe. It is light pink in this plant but others come in brilliant red, burgandy, orange, green, yellow or white. Anthuriums thus usually differ in their spadix and spathe.

The spadix can take on many forms (tapered as in this photo, club-shaped, globe-shaped or even spiraled). It also comes in various colors (purple as in this photo, white, red, green, pink, or a combination).

By the way, both spadix and spathe may change color from bud to fully expanded. And hey, do you know that male and female flowers are usually arranged in separate bands on the spadix?

So today, I'm not only sharing a photo, I'm also giving a mini botany lecture. Ha ha.