Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Poppies and violets


California poppies with a sprinkling of violets in a neighbor’s garden.

A few fun facts I found:

~The California poppy (Eschscholzia californica) is the state flower of California.

~Native Americans used the California poppy for cosmetic and medicinal purposes. Extracts from parts of the plant have a mild sedative effect when smoked or eaten.

~Four states -- Illinois, New Jersey, Rhode Island, and Wisconsin – have chosen a type of violet as their official state flower.

~Violets are used to flavor and decorate salads, desserts, and other foods. They also provide flavoring for several liqueurs and scent for perfumes.

~Because they contain vitamin C and antioxidants, violets are use in herbal medicine.

~Violettes de Toulouse, candied violets, are made in Toulouse, France. The ingredients and process are similar to making pralines, using egg whites and crystallized sugar.

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The splendor of the rose and the whiteness of the lily do not rob the little violet of its scent nor the daisy of its simple charm. If every tiny flower wanted to be a rose, spring would lose its loveliness.
-Therese of Lisieux

2 comments:

Katie said...

Beautiful composition of these lovely flowers! The poppies are pretty much gone here in Northern CA, so it's nice to see them in your part of the world!

Ms M said...

They are almost gone here, too, but having a late spring has helped them hang around a bit longer.