Tuesday, April 12, 2011

ALSTROEMERIA

The alstroemeria flower symbolizes friendship and devotion.







The species of alstroemeria are known to come from one of two distinct areas of South America, one in central Chile, the other in eastern Brazil.
The flowers of alstroemeria are generally showy, with leaves that grow upside down, and with the leaf also twisting as it grows out from the stem. The most popular are hybrids commonly grown today from two species; one species from Chile (winter-growing), the other species from Brazil (summer-growing).
It has been known to resemble the a miniature lily, and has also been called the Peruvian Lily or Lily of the Incas. They are named after its discoverer, Baron Claus von Alstromer, a Swedish baron who collected the seeds on a trip to Spain in 1753.
The Alstroemeria or often reffered to Lily is a flower of the 30th wedding anniversary flower for symbolizing magnificence of pride, beauty and devotion.
These were taken with my 100mm f2.8 macro lens.You can click on the image to see them in larger size.