Antirrhinum Flowers
Name : Antirrhinum Flowers
Latin Name : Genus: Antirrhinum, (Antirrhinum majus)
Antirrhinum Description
Antirrhinum is a genus of beautiful flowering plants with a disputed status in taxonomy, they used to be treated as the family Scrophulariaceae, but studies of DNA sequences have led to the inclusion of Antirrhinum in a vastly enlarged family Plantaginaceae. Antirrhinum origins can be traced back to southern Spain, and is native to the Mediterranean region, from Morocco and Portugal north to southern France, and east to Turkey and Syria.
Antirrhinums are commonly known as Snapdragons (Antirrhinum majus), Lesser Snapdragon (Antirrhinum orontium) or Gracious Lady from the flowers' fancied resemblance to the face of a dragon that opens and closes its mouth when laterally squeezed, hence the common name 'snapdragon'.
The flower derives its name from the Greek word anti, meaning “like”, and rhis, meaning “nose”, referring to the closed palate of the flowers that resembles an animal’s snout. Antirrhinum blossoms are borne in spikes and are somewhat tubular in shape. The flowers start opening from the bottom to the top of a spike. This gradual opening of flowers ensures extended colour in the garden. These flowers have spreading lobes of irregular formation. Plant height varies greatly depending on the variety, ranging from dwarf cushion-like plants to varieties two or three feet tall.
Antirrhinum flowers come in all sorts of colours except blue. Popular colours include shades of light pink, carmine, crimson (some shades dark almost to blackness), sulphur and primrose yellow and pure white.
Everyone has a childhood memory of playing with Snapdragons; children love to pinch the tiny individual blossoms and make the "dragon mouth" open and close. Snapdragons are perennials but are often sold as cold-season annual plants. They like full or partial sun for maximum growth. Snapdragons thrive in any ordinary soil but they should ideally be planted in a soil that drains well. This prevents the Antirrhinum roots from rotting. Snapdragon seed may be sown indoors when an early start is required, but it blooms better when planted directly in the open soil.
Antirrhinum propagate by seed, under glass in January to March, and flowers appear from June to October. They can also be planted in the open in late summer or early autumn to bloom the following spring. Snapdragons benefit from deadheading, which helps in prolonging their flowering period. Antirrhinum cuttings can also be used for propagation. The flowering season for different Antirrhinum varieties extends from spring until well into autumn.
Based upon their height the Antirrhinum varieties are broadly classified into three categories:
Dwarf varieties with a height of 6-8 inches including 'Floral Carpet' series, 'Floral Showers' series, 'Bells' series, 'Montego' series.
Medium varieties that range between 15-30 inches in height like 'Freesong' series, 'LaBella' series, 'Ribbon' series, 'Sonnet' series, 'Liberty' series, ‘Soltice’ series.
Tall varieties 30-48 inches in height such as 'Rocket' series and many greenhouse varieties.
The taller varieties look great in borders, whereas the dwarf and medium varieties can be grown as ornamental pot plants.
Snapdragons are beautiful and irresistible flowers; they look fascinating in whole masses and are equally appealing as individual plants. As a cut flower the Snapdragon is very adaptable with a vase life of about 5-8 days which can be extended to 10-16 days by proper care.
Antirrhinum Meaning
The Snapdragon stands for Deception, Desire and Strength. Historically it has also been used to signify the meanings “Capriciousness”, “Whimsical”.
Antirrhinum Mythology
It is believed that during the Middle Ages, women used to decorate their hair with snapdragons in order to refuse unwanted courters and thus the snapdragon commonly refers to both Denial and Deception.
Antirrhinum is an old decorative flower, widely used by the Romans. The flower originates from southern Spain and its cultivated form gained popularity throughout the Roman Empire. In present times, remnants of this original population which all belong to the Antirrhinum majus species are found among Roman remains like temples in southern France, Malta, and Italy.
