May Flower/Flor de mayo
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In Venezuela there are three national symbols of flora and fauna: the Araguaney, the tree; The Turpial, the bird; and La Orquídea, called Flor de Mayo.
The Flower of May, the popular name of the orchid, catleya mossiae, its scientific name given in honor of the botanist William Cattley, who was the first to achieve its reproduction in a greenhouse in 1818, was decreed as the national flower, the 23rd May 1951, that is, this year marks 67 years.
Of this flower of extraordinary beauty, there are more than 30,000 species classified in around 800 genera, being the largest variety of them, endemic to South America. In Venezuela, the catleya mossiae orchid is present in an extensive area of the coastal mountain range that occupies a strip that goes from 800 to 1,500 meters above sea level. It can be observed in Miranda, Aragua, Carabobo, Yaracuy, Lara Portuguesa and throughout the Andean region, but also on the coast of Paria in the state of Sucre, where I live.
The color of the petals of the orchid goes from light violet to lilac, while in the inner part there is a yellow coloration veined with intense violet spots.
A curiosity of the precious national flower of Venezuela, the orchid, is that in its name the five vowels of the alphabet are contained.
Note: The photographs of the natural flowers that illustrate this publication were made by my friend Arturo Granado and Yaurilis Romero. The photograph of the painting was made by me, a small oil painting.
The Flower of May, the popular name of the orchid, catleya mossiae, its scientific name given in honor of the botanist William Cattley, who was the first to achieve its reproduction in a greenhouse in 1818, was decreed as the national flower, the 23rd May 1951, that is, this year marks 67 years.
Of this flower of extraordinary beauty, there are more than 30,000 species classified in around 800 genera, being the largest variety of them, endemic to South America. In Venezuela, the catleya mossiae orchid is present in an extensive area of the coastal mountain range that occupies a strip that goes from 800 to 1,500 meters above sea level. It can be observed in Miranda, Aragua, Carabobo, Yaracuy, Lara Portuguesa and throughout the Andean region, but also on the coast of Paria in the state of Sucre, where I live.
The color of the petals of the orchid goes from light violet to lilac, while in the inner part there is a yellow coloration veined with intense violet spots.
A curiosity of the precious national flower of Venezuela, the orchid, is that in its name the five vowels of the alphabet are contained.
Note: The photographs of the natural flowers that illustrate this publication were made by my friend Arturo Granado and Yaurilis Romero. The photograph of the painting was made by me, a small oil painting.
