Blue is perhaps the rarest color among plants. Blue is not a
common color in plant organs other than flowers which suggests
that blue as a flower color has advantages for attracting pollinators
that warranted its evolution in flowers. I did a search on the
Internet to get a list of blue flowers. I found the following:
African blue lily (Agapanthus africanus); Ageratum (Ageratum houstonianum);
Clematis; Anemone; Bellflower (Campanula); Bluebell; Salvia; Ajuga;
California lilac; Chinese plumbago; Columbine (Aquilegia bertolonii);
Delphinium; Iris; Scaevola aemula 'Blue Wonder'; Gentian; Globe
thistle; Grape hyacinth (Muscari armeniacum); Lavender (Lavandula
angustifolia); Lesser periwinkle (Vinca minor); Lobelia; Nymphaea
spp.; Morning Glory (Ipomoea tricolor); Moss Phlox (Phlox subulata);
Passion flower (Passiflora caerulea) Penstemon (Penstemon heterophyllus)
; Petunia; Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis); Sweet pea; Verbena.
Some of these blue-blooming plants have made it to the ranks
of Texas SuperStar plants http://plantanswers.com/superstar_listing.htm
The most recently added blue entries are Vitex http://plantanswers.com/vitex.htm
and Plumbago http://plantanswers.com/plumbago_best.htm
The great things about these two new Texas SuperStars are that
they are both butterfly habitats and are also deer resistant.
These plant selections join the first Texas SuperStar in 1989
which is the state flower, bluebonnet. Many of the salvias are
blue including the 1997 SuperStar Salvia leucantha and the 2006
selection named 'Henry Duelberg' Salvia http://plantanswers.com/salvia.htm
In 1998, two blue selections were dubbed Texas SuperStars-they
were blue verbena named 'Blue Princess' http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/plantanswers/98promotions/march/march.html
and Scaevola aemula 'New Blue Wonder' Fan Flower. The Fan Flower
was later found to perform best when left in a container.
There are also a number of petunias which have a blue color.
In 1999, the Mother of all modern-day petunias was introduced
as a Texas SuperStar under the name of V.I.P. (Violet In Profusion
or Very Important Petunia)
This V.I.P. petunia is native to South America. The flower is
violet colored and the plant is heat tolerant and low spreading.
The plant is known for its profusion of small bell-shaped violet
colored flowers. In 2001, a V.I.P. offspring named after the then
First Lady of Texas, Laura Bush, became a Texas SuperStar plant.
'Laura Bush' petunia offers just as many colorful blooms but the
blooms are twice as large and the plant has larger, darker green
foliage which serves as a background to showcase the spectacular
floral display. To date, it is the only flower in the world to
be named for the First Lady of the United States, Laura Bush.
This petunia from San Antonio has been planted at the Whitehouse
for the past several years-wonder why?
http://plantanswers.com/petunia_bush.htm
Larkspur (Consolida ambigua)
http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/plantanswers/98promotions/January/january.html
and all of its Delphinium relatives have blue flowers in their
genetics. Ruellias (Mexican petunias or Ruellia brittoniana) such
as the 'Katie Dwarf' Ruellias which were SuperStars in 2002 have
a light blue variety as well as a pink and white. A Texas SuperStar
which will be promoted in 2007 is a beautiful blue flowering plant
named Duranta repens. http://plantanswers.com/duranta.htm
A blue Hyacinth means Constancy; a blue Violet means Watchfulness,
Faithfulness, I'll Always Be There in the Language of Flowers
at: http://plantanswers.com/language_flowers.htm
Which is your favorite blue flower?
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