Welcome Dear Photography Lovers
Bienvenidos Queridos Amantes de la Fotografía
Siempre es un gusto, estar de regreso en esta maravillosa comunidad, para compartir otro de los regalos que día a día, nos da la naturaleza. Ahora, algunas veces la naturaleza incurre en estrategias de defensas un poco engañosas para poder garantizar la supervivencia. Este es el caso de un grupo muy peculiar de plantas donde encontraremos, diversidad de especies, y géneros que resultan ser muy tramposas, ya les he hablado de varias de ellas en otras oportunidades. Ahora, estoy segura que se están preguntando a que me refiero, pero tengan un poco de paciencia, pronto discerniremos sobre ese tema. Antes de eso, debo presentarles formalmente, la planta que hoy les presento en mis fotografías y que fue una de las primeras que descubrí utilizaban esta táctica de protección engañosa.
It is always a pleasure to be back in this wonderful community, to share another of the gifts that nature gives us every day. Now, sometimes, nature uses strategies of defenses a little deceitful to guarantee survival. This is the case of a very peculiar group of plants where we will find a diversity of species and genera that turn out to be very tricky, I have already told you about several of them in other opportunities. Now, I am sure you are wondering what I am referring to, but have a little patience, we will soon discern on that subject. Before that, I must formally introduce you to the plant that I present to you today in my photographs and which was one of the first I discovered using this deceptive protection tactic.
Without further ado, I present nothing more and nothing less than the shrub known scientifically as Euphorbia Mili, although, in the popular field, it is better known by the curious name of Corona de Cristo. I also imagine that you may be wondering to what it owes its common name, as it turns out, I found 2 versions, but both are focused on the appearance of its thorny stems. One version state that the branches of this plant were used to make the crown that was used to torture and mock Jesus Christ before and during his crucifixion. The other version, arguably more conservative, only says that it is because its branches resemble the crown that was placed on Jesus Christ during his crucifixion.
This showy ornamental shrub, which, although it may surprise us, is a succulent, is native to Madagascar, where due to its abundant proliferation, it is considered an endemic plant. Nevertheless, at present it is possible to find it spread around the world, in places of tropical or subtropical climate, since, its attractiveness and resistance to the bad conditions, makes it very quoted at ornamental level. It has the advantage that, like cacti, it stores water in its stems, which means that it does not require frequent watering and can withstand dry and hot climates.
It is characterized by having oval-shaped leaves, in an intense green color that are located along its thick and thorny branches. A detail to keep in mind about the crown of Christ is that it is toxic, it has a sap that can cause skin irritation, especially in those whose skin is very sensitive. Its toxicity is not limited only to humans, for many animals it is also harmful and if accidentally ingested, the consequences can be serious. However, there is no need to panic, just be cautious and handle it with care, using gardening gloves when working with it.
Finally, it is time to clarify what I said at the beginning of this writing, its showy inflorescences, are the reason why I qualify this plant as a cheat. It turns out that what we see as its beautiful flowers are not really what we think they are, instead, they are bracts. These are foliar organs, a kind of evolved leaves that grow near the flowers and because of their bright and intense colors we usually confuse them with the petals of a flower. It is a protective mechanism of the plant and its function is to protect the real flowers from the wind, predators, among others, thus ensuring their survival. On the other hand, if we detail well, we can see that in the middle of the bracts there are multiple tiny balls, in this case, yellow, which resemble pistils, those are really the flowers of this plant.
Aclarado el misterio, llego el momento de despedirme, esperando que mi nueva entrega sea del agrado de esta maravillosa comunidad amante de la naturaleza. Sobre todo del amigo @adalger, y su equipo de trabajo, ya que, será mi entrada para el concurso de esta semana Amazing Nature Contest - August 2021 - #05. Bueno queridos amigos, no me queda más que despedirme, deseando que tengan una excelente semana y se cumplan todos los proyectos que emprendan. Recuerden cuidarse mucho y cuidar a los suyos poniendo en prácticas las medidas de bioseguridad.
Now that the mystery has been cleared up, it's time to say goodbye, hoping that my new submission will be to the liking of this wonderful nature-loving community. Especially my friend @adalger, and his work team, since it will be my entry for this week's contest Amazing Nature Contest - August 2021 - #05. Well dear friends, I can only say goodbye, wishing you an excellent week and that all the projects you undertake are fulfilled. Remember to take good care of yourselves and your loved ones by putting into practice the biosecurity measures.
Bibliographic Reference || Referencia Bibliográfica
https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euphorbia_milii
Contenido y fotografías de mi propiedad intelectual
Información Técnica
Cámara | Pentax * istDL |
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Lente | * Pentax 18-55 |
Iluminación | Luz Natural |
Locación | Barcelona, Estado Anzoátegui, Venezuela |
Content and photographs of my intellectual property
Technical information
Camera | Pentax * istDL |
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Lens | * Pentax 18-55 |
Lighting | Natural Light |
Location | Barcelona, Anzoátegui State, Venezuela |