Easter cactus flower Part of the stigma (pink) of an Easter cactus flower (Rhipsalidopsis gaertneri). This is the top part of the female reproductive structure (carpel) of the flower. Pollen grains containing the male sex cells land on the stigma and may move down the style (not seen) into the ovary (not seen) Photograph: Susumu Nishinaga/Science Photo Library/ Barcroft Media
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Easter cactus flower

Part of the stigma (pink) of an Easter cactus flower (Rhipsalidopsis gaertneri). This is the top part of the female reproductive structure (carpel) of the flower. Pollen grains containing the male sex cells land on the stigma and may move down the style (not seen) into the ovary (not seen)
Photograph: Susumu Nishinaga/Science Photo Library/ Barcroft Media
Bonsaï Bonsai, meaning “to plant in a tray,” is a tradition that originated in China about 2,000 years ago and later traveled to Japan. To cultivate a bonsai, a horticulture artist starts with cutting, seedling or small specimen of a woody-stemmed tree or shrub and then trains the plant to grow in a certain way, by pruning leaves and wiring branches into a desired shape. The goal is to create a miniature tree that looks natural, despite the artist’s constant manipulations. - Continue reading at Smithsonian.com. Photo: A 250-year-old Sargent juniper from Saitama City, Japan. The plant stands 28 inches tall. Courtesy of Jonathan Singer. Ed note: Singer’s Botanica Magnifica features beautifully photographed flowers and even earned a place in the National Museum of Natural History’s rare book room.
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Bonsaï

Bonsai, meaning “to plant in a tray,” is a tradition that originated in China about 2,000 years ago and later traveled to Japan. To cultivate a bonsai, a horticulture artist starts with cutting, seedling or small specimen of a woody-stemmed tree or shrub and then trains the plant to grow in a certain way, by pruning leaves and wiring branches into a desired shape. The goal is to create a miniature tree that looks natural, despite the artist’s constant manipulations. - Continue reading at Smithsonian.com.

Photo: A 250-year-old Sargent juniper from Saitama City, Japan. The plant stands 28 inches tall. Courtesy of Jonathan Singer.

Ed note: Singer’s Botanica Magnifica features beautifully photographed flowers and even earned a place in the National Museum of Natural History’s rare book room.

(via theantidote)

Source : blogs.smithsonianmag.com