A Touch of Vibrant Color
by Bruce Bley
Title
A Touch of Vibrant Color
Artist
Bruce Bley
Medium
Photograph - Photography
Description
This photograph of a miniature pink, red and yellow dahlia was taken while visiting a local greenhouse.
Dahlias are a genus of bushy, tuberous, herbaceous perennial plants native mainly in Mexico, but also Central America, and Colombia. A member of the Asteraceae or Compositae, dicotyledonous plants, related species include the sunflower, daisy, chrysanthemum and zinnia. There are at least 36 species of dahlia, with hybrids commonly grown as garden plants. Flower forms are variable, with one head per stem; these can be as small as 2 in (5.1 cm) diameter or up to 1 ft (30 cm) ("dinner plate"). This great variety results from dahlias being octoploids�that is, they have eight sets of homologous chromosomes, whereas most plants have only two. In addition, dahlias also contain many transposons�genetic pieces that move from place to place upon an allele�which contributes to their manifesting such great diversity.
The stems are leafy, ranging in height from as low as 12 in (30 cm) to more than 6�8 ft (1.8�2.4 m). The majority of species do not produce scented flowers or cultivars. Like most plants that do not attract pollinating insects through scent, they are brightly colored, displaying most hues, with the exception of blue.
The dahlia was declared the national flower of Mexico in 1963. The tubers were grown as a food crop by the Aztecs, but this use largely died out after the Spanish Conquest. Attempts to introduce the tubers as a food crop in Europe were unsuccessful.
I hope you have enjoyed this photograph and will share it with others. You can see more of my work on my homepage in the various galleries I have created. Thank you for visiting and please come back.
Uploaded
May 6th, 2014
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Comments (14)
Bruce Bley
Shawn, I truly appreciate the feature and your support of my work in the group "Wonders of Nature Photography". Thank you so much for the honor.
Bruce Bley
Robert, I want to thank you for the feature in the group "Nature Photography 1 Per Day". It means a lot to me. Thank you for the honor and your support of my work.
Bruce Bley
Jacqueline. I really appreciate the feature in the group "Flowers Up Close" Thank you for your support of my work.
Jacqueline Athmann
Surprise & Congratulations!! Your photo has been featured on the Flowers Up Close group homepage! Thank you for sharing your beautiful work with us! F/L
Jacqueline Athmann
Surprise & Congratulations!! Your photo has been featured on The Art Shoppe Cafe group homepage! Thank you for sharing your beautiful work with us! F/L
Bruce Bley replied:
Thank you for the surprise, Jacqueline. I sincerely appreciate the honor of being featured. Thank you so much.
Bruce Bley
Colette, I want to thank you for the feature in the group "Orange - Yellow - Red". I sincerely appreciate the honor.
Bruce Bley
Dora. I truly appreciate the feature in the group "Visions of Spring". Thank you so much.
Bruce Bley
Denyse, I am very grateful for the feature in the group "Amazing FAA Photographers". I truly appreciate the honor.
Bruce Bley
Doug, I want to thank you for the feature in the group "Dahlias". I sincerely appreciate the honor.
Ioanna Papanikolaou
Beautiful, Bruce !!! And, nicely framed !!! l/f
Bruce Bley replied:
Ioanna. I truly appreciate your comments. Thank you so much and thank you for the L.