Blossom

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Almond blossom Badamwari Flower Series 2.png
Almond blossom
Cherry blossoms, Paris, full bloom Cerisier du Japon Prunus serrulata.jpg
Cherry blossoms, Paris, full bloom

In botany, blossoms are the flowers of stone fruit trees (genus Prunus ) and of some other plants with a similar appearance that flower profusely for a period of time in spring.

Contents

Colloquially, flowers of orange are referred to as such as well. Peach blossoms (including nectarine), most cherry blossoms, and some almond blossoms are usually pink. Plum blossoms, apple blossoms, orange blossoms, some cherry blossoms, and most almond blossoms are white. [1]

Blossoms provide pollen to pollinators such as bees, and initiate cross-pollination necessary for the trees to reproduce by producing fruit. [2]

Herbal use

Orange blossom Orange Blossom.JPG
Orange blossom

The ancient Phoenicians used almond blossoms with honey and urine as a tonic, and sprinkled them into stews and gruels to give muscular strength. Crushed petals were also used as a poultice on skin spots and mixed with banana oil, for dry skin and sunburn. [3]

In herbalism the crab apple was used as treatment for boils, abscesses, splinters, wounds, coughs, colds and a host of other ailments ranging from acne to kidney ailments. Many dishes made with apples and apple blossom are of medieval origin. In the spring, monks and physicians would gather the blossoms and preserve them in vinegar for drawing poultices and for bee stings and other insect bites. [4]

Plum blossom MeihuaShan 1.jpg
Plum blossom

Descending from China and south east Asia, the earliest orange species moved westwards via the trade routes. [5]

In 17th century Italy peach blossoms were made into a poultice for bruises, rashes, eczema, grazes and stings. [6]

In ancient Greek medicine plum blossoms were used to treat bleeding gums, mouth ulcers and tighten loose teeth. Plum blossoms mixed with sage leaves and flowers were used in plum wine or plum brandy as a mouthwash to soothe sore throats and mouth ailments and sweeten bad breath. [7]

Blossom festivals

Hanami ( 花見 , "flower viewing") is the Japanese traditional custom of enjoying the transient beauty of flowers; in this case almost always refer to those of the cherry (, sakura) or, less frequently, plum (, ume) trees. [8]

In England, Wales and Northern Ireland the National Trust organises the environmental awareness campaign #BlossomWatch, which is designed to raise awareness of the first signs of Spring, by encouraging people to share images of blossoms via social media. [9]

Cherry Tree with Blossoms Cherry Tree with Blossoms.jpg
Cherry Tree with Blossoms

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Almond</span> Species of nut

The almond is a species of tree from the genus Prunus. Along with the peach, it is classified in the subgenus Amygdalus, distinguished from the other subgenera by corrugations on the shell (endocarp) surrounding the seed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rosaceae</span> Rose family of flowering plants

Rosaceae, the rose family, is a medium-sized family of flowering plants that includes 4,828 known species in 91 genera.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peach</span> Type of fruit tree, or its fruit

The peach is a deciduous tree first domesticated and cultivated in Zhejiang province of Eastern China. It bears edible juicy fruits with various characteristics, most called peaches and others, nectarines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Apricot</span> Cultivated fruit

An apricot is a fruit, or the tree that bears the fruit, of several species in the genus Prunus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Plum</span> Edible fruit

A plum is a fruit of some species in Prunus subg. Prunus. Dried plums are often called prunes, though in the United States they may be labeled as 'dried plums', especially during the 21st century.

<i>Prunus</i> Genus of trees and shrubs

Prunus is a genus of trees and shrubs in the flowering plant family Rosaceae that includes plums, cherries, peaches, nectarines, apricots, and almonds. The genus has a cosmopolitan distribution, being native to the North American temperate regions, the neotropics of South America, and temperate and tropical regions of Eurasia and Africa, There are about 340 accepted species as of March 2024. Many members of the genus are widely cultivated for their fruit and for decorative purposes. Prunus fruit are drupes, or stone fruits. The fleshy mesocarp surrounding the endocarp is edible while the endocarp itself forms a hard, inedible shell called the pyrena. This shell encloses the seed, which is edible in some species, but poisonous in many others. Besides being eaten off the hand, most Prunus fruit are also commonly used in processing, such as jam production, canning, drying, and the seeds for roasting.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fruit tree</span> Tree which bears fruit

A fruit tree is a tree which bears fruit that is consumed or used by animals and humans — all trees that are flowering plants produce fruit, which are the ripened ovaries of flowers containing one or more seeds. In horticultural usage, the term "fruit tree" is limited to those that provide fruit for human food. Types of fruits are described and defined elsewhere, but would include "fruit" in a culinary sense, as well as some nut-bearing trees, such as walnuts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fruit tree pollination</span>

Pollination of fruit trees is required to produce seeds with surrounding fruit. It is the process of moving pollen from the anther to the stigma, either in the same flower or in another flower. Some tree species, including many fruit trees, do not produce fruit from self-pollination, so pollinizer trees are planted in orchards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cherry blossom</span> Blossom of the cherry tree

The cherry blossom, or sakura, is the flower of trees in Prunus subgenus Cerasus. Sakura usually refers to flowers of ornamental cherry trees, such as cultivars of Prunus serrulata, not trees grown for their fruit. Cherry blossoms have been described as having a vanilla-like smell, which is mainly attributed to coumarin.

<i>Prunus mume</i> East Asian tree species

Prunus mume is a Chinese tree species classified in the Armeniaca section of the genus Prunus subgenus Prunus. Its common names include Chinese plum,Japanese plum, and Japanese apricot. The flower, long a beloved subject in the traditional painting and poetry of Sinospheric countries, is usually called plum blossom. This distinct tree species is related to both the plum and apricot trees. Although generally referred to as a plum in English, it is more closely related to the apricot. In East Asian cuisine, the fruit of the tree is used in juices, as a flavouring for alcohol, as a pickle, and in sauces. It is also used in traditional medicine.

<i>Hanami</i> Japanese traditional custom

Hanami is the Japanese traditional custom of enjoying the transient beauty of flowers; flowers in this case almost always refer to those of the cherry or, less frequently, plum trees. From the end of March to early May, cherry trees bloom all over Japan, and around the second week of January on the island of Okinawa. The blossom forecast "cherry blossom front" is announced each year by the Japan Meteorological Agency and watched carefully by those planning hanami, as the blossoms only last a week or two.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Poultice</span> Soft moist mass, often heated and medicated, that is spread on cloth over the skin

A poultice, also called a cataplasm, is a soft moist mass, often heated and medicated, that is spread on cloth and placed over the skin to treat an aching, inflamed, or painful part of the body. It can be used on wounds, such as cuts.

<i>Prunus emarginata</i> Species of tree

Prunus emarginata, the bitter cherry or Oregon cherry, is a species of Prunus native to western North America, from British Columbia south to Baja California, and east as far as western Wyoming and New Mexico. It is often found in recently disturbed areas or open woods on nutrient-rich soil.

<i>Flowering Orchards</i> Series of paintings by Vincent van Gogh

Flowering Orchards is a series of paintings which Dutch artist Vincent van Gogh executed in Arles, in southern France in the spring of 1888. Van Gogh arrived in Arles in February 1888 in a snowstorm; within two weeks the weather changed and the fruit trees were in blossom. Appreciating the symbolism of rebirth, Van Gogh worked with optimism and zeal on about fourteen paintings of flowering trees in the early spring. He also made paintings of flowering trees in Saint-Rémy the following year, in 1889.

<i>Taphrina pruni</i> Species of fungus

Taphrina pruni is a fungal plant pathogen of blackthorn that causes the pocket or bladder plum gall, a chemically induced distortion of the fruit (sloes), producing swollen on one side, otherwise deformed and flattened fruit gall without a stone. The twigs on infected plants may also be deformed with small strap-shaped leaves.

<i>Almond Blossoms</i> 1888–1890 paintings by Vincent van Gogh

Almond Blossoms is a group of several paintings made in 1888 and 1890 by Vincent van Gogh in Arles and Saint-Rémy, southern France of blossoming almond trees. Flowering trees were special to van Gogh. They represented awakening and hope. He enjoyed them aesthetically and found joy in painting flowering trees. The works reflect the influence of Impressionism, Divisionism, and Japanese woodcuts. Almond Blossom was made to celebrate the birth of his nephew and namesake, son of his brother Theo and sister-in-law Jo.

<i>Prunus texana</i> Species of tree

Prunus texana, called peachbush, Texas almond cherry, Texas peachbush, sand plum, peach bush, duraznillo and wild peach is native to central and western Texas. Although it looks like peach, it actually belongs to Prunus sect. Prunocerasus together with other North American plum species.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sharbat (drink)</span> Sweet drink

Sharbat is a drink prepared from fruit or flower petals. It is a sweet cordial, and usually served chilled. It can be served in concentrated form and eaten with a spoon or diluted with water to create the drink.

References

  1. Anna-Louise Taylor; Ben Aviss (13 March 2012). "What is Britain's best blossom?". BBC Nature.
  2. Colby Eierman (2012). Fruit Trees in Small Spaces. Timber Press. p. 29. ISBN   978-1-60469-190-0. Archived from the original on 2021-09-28. Retrieved 2020-05-14.
  3. Margaret Roberts (2000). Edible & Medicinal Flowers. Interpak Books. p. 2. ISBN   978-0-86486-467-3.
  4. Margaret Roberts (2000). Edible & Medicinal Flowers. Interpak Books. p. 24. ISBN   978-0-86486-467-3.
  5. Margaret Roberts (2000). Edible & Medicinal Flowers. Interpak Books. p. 57. ISBN   978-0-86486-467-3.
  6. Margaret Roberts (2000). Edible & Medicinal Flowers. Interpak Books. p. 59. ISBN   978-0-86486-467-3.
  7. Margaret Roberts (2000). Edible & Medicinal Flowers. Interpak Books. p. 62. ISBN   978-0-86486-467-3.
  8. Sosnoski, Daniel (1996). Introduction to Japanese culture . Tuttle Publishing. p.  12. ISBN   0-8048-2056-2. hanami.
  9. "Blossom watch day: National Trust urges UK to share blooms". the Guardian. 2021-04-24. Retrieved 2022-07-15.