Consider-the-Lilies Web Gallery
Flowering Spurge
Although I am pleased to display all sizes and shapes of lilies discovered in my wanderings over hill and dale, the ethos behind the Gallery is a desire to share images of often overlooked little floral and faunal surprises in God's creation.
Small in size and in coverage, this single Flowering Spurge plant was found growing right at my feet, as I strolled along the edge of a field with my dog.
At first glance, it was not impressive. A casual observer could be excused for concluding that this frail, spindly plant was not worth more than a second's glance.
As is my habit, however, I couldn't resist taking a closer look. It was worth the popping of my creaky knees to better see this exemplar of the lilies of the field.
It might be hard to gauge from this image because I had left my trusty pencil at home that day, but the tricolor blossoms are less than one-quarter of an inch across.
Note cards featuring the Flowering Spurge wildflower are available in the new Gallery Shop.
Click HERE to visit.
The common name, spurge, is derived from the use of members of this plant family as a potent laxative in herbal medicine—Latin: expurgare = "to purge."
These miniature blossoms do not have petals.
The white and green petal-like lobes are cyathia, specialized leaves that are found on all the members of the Euphorbia family.
You may be more familiar with them as seen in the more leaf-like red cyathia of the Christmas poinsettia (E. pulcherrima).
(Other flowers without petals in the Gallery are Pokeweed and Thimbleweed.)
The flowers are actually the standing yellow and brown elements in the center of the cup formed by the white and green cyathia. (The left blossom has developed a seedpod that will eventually bring forth the next generation.)
But, "real" petals or not, in my opinion, the delicate blossoms of the Flowering Spurge are indeed pretty enough to put King Solomon to shame.
And, worth our consideration, don't you think?
Any thoughts, pro or con? Why not drop me an anonymous note at the Comments page?
OR
Go back to the Main Directory to consider more lilies of the field.