Devil's Paintbrush

Devil's Paintbrush by Billy Wilson

Pilosella aurantiaca (Fox-and-cubs, Orange Hawkweed, Tawny Hawkweed, Devil's Paintbrush, Grim-the-collier) is a flowering plant of the family Asteraceae native to alpine regions of central and southern Europe, where it is protected in several regions.

It is a low-growing plant with shallow fibrous roots and a basal rosette of elliptical to lanceolate leaves 5–20 cm long and 1–3 cm broad. The flowering stem is usually leafless or with just one or two small leaves. The stem and leaves are covered with short stiff hairs (trichomes), usually blackish in color. The stems may reach a height of 60 cm and have 2–25 capitula (flowerheads), each 1–2½ cm diameter, bundled together at the end of short pedicels. All parts of the plant exude a milky juice.

The plants propagates through its wind-dispersed seeds, and also vegetatively by stolons and shallow rhizomes.

Orange Hawkweed by Bienenwabe

P. aurantiaca is widely grown as an ornamental plant in gardens for its very decorative flowers. It has been introduced into Australasia and North America and escaped from gardens and is considered an invasive species in some areas. It is found across Canada and the north of the U.S., reaching more in the south on the coasts. The plant is easily removed (until it seeds back) by ploughing or salting, and it cannot be controlled by mowing because it regularly reproduces vegetatively. It is on the noxious weeds and/or quarantine lists of Colorado , Idaho , Montana , Oregon , Washington and regions of British Columbia , with cultivation usually prohibited. In Alberta, it is not considered a noxious weed except locally . In Australia, the plant is considered a noxious weed in Tasmania and it is quarantined from the country . In New Zealand, the plant is closely watched and attempts at control are made.

Tawny Hawkweed by azmuskoka

California poppy

California poppy by 5348 Franco # away #

The California poppy (Eschscholzia californica) is native to grassy and open areas from sea level to 2,000m (6,500 feet) altitude in the western United States throughout California, extending to Oregon, southern Washington, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, and in Mexico in Sonora and northwest Baja California.
Botanical illustration of Eschscholzia californica

It can grow 5–60 cm tall, with alternately branching glaucous blue-green foliage. The leaves are ternately divided into round, lobed segments. The flowers are solitary on long stems, silky-textured, with four petals, each petal 2-6 cm long and broad; their color ranges from yellow to orange, and flowering is from February to September. The petals close at night or in cold, windy weather and open again the following morning, although they may remain closed in cloudy weather. The fruit is a slender dehiscent capsule 3-9 cm long, which splits in two to release the numerous small black or dark brown seeds. It is perennial in mild parts of its native range, and annual in colder climates; growth is best in full sun and sandy, well-drained, poor soil.

It grows well in disturbed areas and often recolonizes after fires. In addition to being planted for horticulture, revegetation, and highway beautification, it often colonizes along roadsides and other disturbed areas. It is drought-tolerant, self-seeding, and easy to grow in gardens. It is also pictured in welcome signs while entering California.

It is the official flower of California. April 6 is designated California Poppy Day.

Dahlia 'Aurora's Kiss'

Dahlia 'Aurora's Kiss' by photophob

Dahlia 'Aurora's Kiss' by Claude@Munich

Dahlia 'Aurora's Kiss' by photophob

Dahlia 'Aurora's Kiss' by photophob

Dahlia is a genus of bushy, tuberous, perennial plants native to Mexico, Central America, and Colombia. There are at least 36 species of dahlia. Dahlia hybrids are commonly grown as garden plants. The Aztecs gathered and cultivated the dahlia for food, ceremony, as well as decorative purposes, and the long woody stem of one variety was used for small pipes.

1872 a box of dahlia roots was sent from Mexico to the Netherlands. Only one plant survived the trip, but produced spectacular red flowers with pointed petals. Nurserymen in Europe bred from this plant, which was named Dahlia juarezii with parents of dahlias discovered earlier and these are the progenitors of all modern dahlia hybrids. Ever since, plant breeders have been breeding dahlias to produce thousands of cultivars, usually chosen for their stunning and brightly coloured flowers. Dahlia plants range in height from as low as 12" (30 cm) to as tall as 6-8 feet (180-240 cm). The flowers can be as small as 2" (5 cm) in diameter or up to a foot (30 cm) "dinner plate". The great variety results from dahlias being octoploids (they have eight sets of homologous chromosomes, whereas most plants have only two).

Dahlias are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including Angle Shades, Common Swift, Ghost Moth and Large Yellow Underwing.

The dahlia is named after Swedish 18th-century botanist Anders Dahl In German the dahlia was known as Georgia until recently, being named after the naturalist Johann Gottlieb Georgi of St. Petersburg, Russia.