The Magic Of Harry Potter Meets The World Of Flowers
If you've been paying any attention at all to the world of
movies and books in the last several years, you know whom Harry
Potter, the boy wizard and star of J.K. Rowling's acclaimed
series of books, is. The magic of Harry Potter is so pervasive
that it has even entered the world of flowers in the name of a
new species of flower found in Ecuador. The name of this new
flower is Macrocarpaea Apparata. It's name comes from the term
"apparate," which is used throughout the Harry Potter series to
describe wizards disappearing from one place and reappearing in
another.
Central to the discovery of this new flower was Lena Struwe, an
assistant professor of ecology, evolution, and natural resources
at Rutgers University, the State University of New Jersey.
Struwe's choice of the name and its connection to the world of
Harry Potter wasn't an accident. She is, in fact, a fan of the
young wizard. The flower was so named because the discovering
team conducted quite a search of the Ecuadorian mountains in
search of one of these plants bearing flowers so that they could
make a definite determination that this was, indeed, a new
species. After searching for hours, a tall plant with
yellowish-white, bell-shaped flowers appeared almost
magically--they almost seemed to apparate.
Now, while the discovery of a new flower species is an exciting
event, the magic that flowers hold really comes as no mystery to
those of us in the flower industry. Flowers hold the power to
cheer up a sick friend, congratulate a new mother, bring joy to
someone who is lonely, and say "I love you" to a spouse.
Over the many years I've been in the flower industry, I've had
the opportunity to create flowers for every holiday, special
occasion, and event you can imagine--and probably even some you
can't! One of the most rewarding things about being a florist is
the warmth with which a floral delivery is always received. Even
in times of grief, such as funerals or serious illness, flowers
bring a measure of happiness and are greeted by a feeling of
gratitude. Flowers have brought magic to my life and they make
me feel a bit like Harry Potter myself when I see a smile
suddenly appear.