Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
their exotic appearance, e.g. King or Queen proteas (
Protea cynaroides, P. mag-
nifica
), banksias (
Banksia marginata
), or alstroemerias (
Alstroemeria pelegrina
).
Filler flowers are smaller sized stems with multiple flower or florets and can be
used to “fill in” floral designs, e.g. baby's breath (
Gypsophila paniculata
) or statice
(
Limonium sinuatum
).
Historical Aspects
In ancient civilizations, flowers were widely used indoors. While many records of
ancient uses have been lost, several significant cultures have detailed documenta-
tion of the cultural integration and use of flowers: for instance the Egyptian, Greek,
Roman, and Byzantine cultures (Hunter
2000
). Archaeological excavations in the
Shanidar IV cave in Iraq uncovered the use of flowers as far back as the Neander-
thals for sympathy floral designs and medicinal purposes (Solecki
1975
). A variety
of flower stem remnants (pollen clusters where the flowers would have been posi-
tioned) were found in male gravesites: yarrow (
Achillea spp.
), cornflower or bach-
elor's button (
Centaurea cyanus
), St. Barnaby's thistle (
C. solstitialis
), groundsel
(
Senecio vulgaris
), grape hyacinth (
Muscari racemosum
), joint pine or woody
horsetail (
Ephedra distachya
) and hollyhock (
Alcea rosea
) (Solecki
1975
).
The earliest records of cultivating chrysanthemum flowers (
Chrysanthemum
x
grandiflorum
) date back 5,000 years to the ancient Chinese, who first valued
its pharmaceutical properties and then its floral attributes (Ackerson
1967
). Other
flowers popular in ancient China, include spring flowering branches, camellia, as-
ter, iris, lily, lotus, narcissus, orchid, peony, and rose. In 385 ad, chrysanthemum
seeds were introduced to Japan as a gift from Korea (Ackerson
1967
). The Japanese
cultivated the chrysanthemum on such a large scale and incorporated it into their
culture and annual festivals to such an extent—with the Japanese Emperor sitting
on The Chrysanthemum Throne—they are more associated with it than the Chinese.
Chrysanthemums were imported to Europe via Holland in 1688, then to England
and the USA by the 1700s (Clark
1962
) and have become one of the most appreci-
ated flower crops worldwide.
Japanese use of flowers, particularly chrysanthemums, evolved into a highly
specialized art form. The oldest floral design schools of Ikebana encouraged the
arrangements of flowers in temples, for ceremonies and festivals, as well as the
home (Hunter
2000
). Flowers were used to depict religious and spiritual connec-
tions of humans in the Buddhist traditions. Current Japanese use of flowers reflects
this methodical and philosophical connection of humans with their surroundings. In
ancient Egypt, there were numerous reliefs, paintings and inscriptions in tombs and
temples that depict the widespread love and use of flowers. In addition to cultivat-
ing native ornamentals such as papyrus and lotus flowers, other cultivated flowers
were imported from foreign countries. For instance, cultivated chrysanthemums
were brought back to Egypt from King Solomon's royal gardens by Pharaoh Thut-
mose III (ca. 900 bc) (Schweinfurth
1919
). Thus, many early civilizations often
cultivated common flowering plants such as rose, chrysanthemum, and lily. The
