How many flowers and trees related to dad do you know?

When it comes to Mother's Day, people will think of plants related to mothers, such as carnations and daylilies. But are there plants that symbolize Father's Day?

Image source: veer

Part 1

You may not know that you can give roses to your father.

“Sending my warm wishes and lots of love to my dearest father who is the rose I always loved.”

Roses are often used by couples to express their love for each other, but in addition to giving roses to lovers, they can also be given to dads on Father's Day.

The idea of ​​choosing roses as the traditional flower for Father's Day was proposed by Ms. Sonora Louise Smart Dodd, the founder of Father's Day. People follow the custom of wearing roses on Father's Day to express their gratitude to their fathers.

According to tradition, if a person wears a red rose, it symbolizes that his/her father is still alive, while wearing a white rose means that the wearer's father has passed away.

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However, it is worth noting that the roses that people give to each other may not be real roses in the strict sense, but hybrid tea roses (Hybrid Tea Rose) Rosa x hybrida. Hybrid tea roses are bred by hybridizing hybrid Changchun roses Rosa x Hybrid Perpetual and tea roses Rosa odorata (Andr.) Sweet.

The real rose Rosa rugosa is different from the common rose varieties on the market. Its flowers are not as gorgeous in comparison and can be said to be mediocre. And because the stems of the rose Rosa rugosa are covered with dense thorns, it is not suitable for giving as a gift. Instead, it is mostly used to make food. For example, the flower cakes and rose tea we usually eat are made from it.

The rose Rosa rugosa, whose bland flowers and thorny stems make it almost hopeless as a gift

(Image source: Internet)

Part 2

Before eating Chinese toon, you might as well give your father a bunch of

"The longevity hall has been celebrating the aging of the Chinese toon tree. Year after year, it has been adding new leaves and growing branches."

Toona sinensis (A. Juss.) Roem. of the Meliaceae family is not unfamiliar to people. After all, scrambled eggs with toona sinensis will appear on the tables of thousands of households as a seasonal dish in spring.

Spring Seasonal Vegetables Toona Sinensis Sprouts

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In the history of our country, in addition to being used to fill the stomach, Chinese toon has also left behind a lot of literary works.

As early as the Warring States Period, Zhuang Zhou mentioned in "Xiao Yao You": "In ancient times there was a big chun tree, eight thousand years as spring, and eight thousand years as autumn." It can be seen that the chun tree is very old, so people often use "chun year" and "chun longevity" to refer to longevity.

The Northern Song Dynasty poet Yan Shu wrote in "Chun": "The towering trees in southern Chu are full of graceful charm. They need eight thousand years to soar above the morning mushrooms. Why?" He used the luxuriant, long-lived and everlasting life of "Chun" to contrast the short-lived and insignificant life of the morning mushrooms.

In my country's literary creation, literati and poets pay great attention to imagery, and Chinese toon is often planted in front of the courtyard. It is like the image of a father protecting the family, so there is a saying that "Chun Courtyard" symbolizes the father, which is similar to planting daylilies in the north hall to symbolize the mother. Therefore, in the Chinese idiom "Chun Xuan Bing Mao" is used to describe parents being alive.

The history of Chinese toon cultivation is not short. It was widely planted in the Han Dynasty. In the Tang Dynasty, it was supplied to the royal family together with lychee as a delicacy. Chinese toon has a very high use value. Its wood is hard, has beautiful texture, and is resistant to decay. It is an excellent wood. The root bark and fruit of Chinese toon can be used as medicine, which has the effects of astringent hemostasis, dehumidification and pain relief.

The mature and cracked capsules of Chinese toon resemble blooming lilies.

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In addition, a horticultural species of toona sinensis 'Flamingo' has been introduced in recent years. The leaves of this horticultural toon appear a dreamy pink in spring, and it will be more ornamental when planted in front of the courtyard.

However, people often confuse the two plants, Chinese toon and Ailanthus altissima (Mill.) Swingle. Ailanthus altissima (Mill.) Swingle, originally known as chū, is a plant of the genus Ailanthus in the family Simarthaceae. Abroad, Ailanthus altissima is also known as the Tree of Heaven because of its gorgeous autumn leaves and is widely used as a street landscape tree species.

Green leaves and red flowers of Ailanthus tree

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Ailanthus is very similar to Chinese toon, and the biggest difference is probably its unique taste.

In addition, they can be distinguished by the morphological characteristics of leaves, fruits and trunks. Ailanthus altissima has odd-numbered pinnate leaves, while Chinese toon generally has even (rarely odd) pinnate leaves; the surface of Ailanthus altissima trunk is relatively smooth and does not crack, while Chinese toon trunk often peels off in strips and blocks; Ailanthus altissima fruit is a winged fruit, while Chinese toon fruit is a capsule.

The leaves of Ailanthus altissima are odd-pinnate compound leaves

Image source: veer

Part 3

Give your father a Dendrobium orchid and praise him

"The moss marks the snails, and the orchids gather in clusters." Most of the Dendrobium plants of the Orchidaceae family grow on tree trunks in mountain forests or on rocks in valleys in the wild. There are about a thousand species of Dendrobium in the world, widely distributed from tropical and subtropical regions in Asia to Oceania. Many varieties bred by hybridization have extremely high ornamental and medicinal value.

Because of its unique living environment, Dendrobium has a strong character and a peaceful and amiable temperament. This characteristic of Dendrobium coincides with the image of father in most people's minds, so it is regarded as the only choice of "Father's Day Flower" in many countries.

Giving Dendrobium orchids to your father on Father's Day can also express your admiration for his perseverance and courage.

Dendrobium

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Of course, in recent years, in addition to roses, Chinese toon and dendrobium as Father's Day gifts, plants with bright and fiery colors such as Clivia, sunflowers and lilies are also popular. The warm flowers symbolize the silent but ardent father's love. This Father's Day, if you are embarrassed to say "I love you" to your father loudly, why not let these flowers say it for you!

Produced by: Science Popularization China

Author: Yue Lang, Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences

Editor: Wang Tingting

Producer: China Science Expo

The article only represents the author's views and does not represent the position of China Science Expo

This article was first published in China Science Expo (kepubolan)

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