Alabaster Bloom by TwoPynts
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Description
Here is a shot of an entire Magnolia blossom. I photographed the image taking into account the highlights, so darks get pretty dark. However, it was overcast and rainy at the time, so it actually looked a lot like this. In fact, there are no 100% whites in this image, even though there appear to be. I kind of like the way the Magnolia flower glows from within the subdued background - it makes it rather ethereal. Yes, I could have fixed the damaged petals in Photoshop, but you know what they say. Perfection tempts the wrath of the gods... ;oP ----- MAGNOLIA Description Leaf: Alternate, simple, evergreen, oval to elliptical, 5 to 8 inches long, pinnately veined, entire margin, very thick almost plastic-like, waxy/shiny dark green above, paler with rusty fuzz below. Flower: Monoecious; very showy and fragrant, 6 to 8 inches wide with large white petals, occur singly in late spring and occasionally a few in the fall. Fruit: An aggregate of follicles, green changing to red and later to brown, cylindrical, 3 to 5 inches long with a bright red seed (1/2 inch long) in each follicle, maturing in fall. Twig: Stout, with white to rusty tomentum and a long (1 to 1 1/2 inches) silky white to rusty red terminal bud. Bark: Brown to gray, thin, smooth/lenticellate when young, later with close plates or scales. Form: A medium sized tree up to 80 feet with a pyramidal crown. When open grown, the crown is dense with low branches. In 1703 Charles Plumier (1646-1704) described a flowering tree from the island of Martinique in his Genera. He gave the species, that was locally known as 'Talauma', the genus name Magnolia, after Pierre Magnol. The English botanist William Sherard, who studied botany in Paris under Joseph Pitton de Tournefort, a pupil of Magnol, was most probably the first after Plumier to adopt the genus name Magnolia. Linnaeus, who was familiar with Plumier's Genera, adopted the genus name Magnolia in 1735 in his first edition of Systema naturae, without a description but with a reference to Plumier's work. In 1753, he took up Plumier's Magnolia in the first edition of Species plantarum. As Linnaeus did never see a herbarium specimen (if there has ever been one) of Plumier's Magnolia and had only his description and a rather poor picture at hand, he must have taken it for the same plant as Catesby described in 1731 in his Natural history of Carolina and placed it in the synonymy of Magnolia virginiana var. foetida, the taxon now known as Magnolia grandiflora (large flower). More info on the Magnolia can be found HERE. ----- Thank you for your toothsome comments on my last upload, Sugar Magnolia.
----- Olympus C-8080WZ & PhotoshopCS. (622)
Comments (26)
Digimon
Fabulous!! They strike me as similar to the flower on a lily Pad! Sublime!!!
Zacko
So soft and delicate. That dim light really make this look extra gorgeous. Beautiful depth too. Textbook-perfect!!!! #:O)....P.S. That Linnaeus-guy...is that the english name of Carl Von Linne? Anyone? I suppose i could google for it...bla bla....Have a smashing day buddy!!!! MAS4EVA!!!!! #:O)
EricSBauer
nicly done Kort! the lighting and dof are excellent!
cbender
delicate... yes - that's a good word... like it as it is... very well done!
RodsArt
reflective green in the white, or part of the bloom? Amazing color and form. Nice!
Denger
We had a magnolia tree in our backyard at one time... poor thing was diseased, infested with ants... but it would still manage to get about 2 or 3 of these on it each year, anyway. Beautiful shot!
Hopalong
SMA: "Well, bless her little heart, she's trying to say that Magnolia derives from the name of a Frenchman named Magnol. It's all Greek to me." /SMB:"Honeychile, the Frenchman's name came from a Latin word for big or great. Spose that was why it was named after HIM, bless his heart?" SMA: "Oh men! Bless their little hearts!"/ SMB: "Oh men! Bless their little hearts!"
sharky_
Beautiful tender capture. Aloha
Mondwin
Only......PRECIOUSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!bravo!V:DDD.Hugsxx
Valerie-Ducom
excellent image and very good lighting in this one ;) Well done.. Good day and kiss
glennn23
Well captured! Do like the lighting also - almost like the flower is glowing from within... Nice work +++
DonaKuka
So, so beautiful...and delicate!!!...Excellent work!!!
jcv2
Love those magnolia's, they can be very pretty and some of them smell wonderful! Terrific work, Kort!
Valentin
It would be too much perfect without that little holes... Absolutely outstanding work !!
Nath06
Beautiful and delicate capture!!!! Bravo :)
hotracer2
who of us are perfect, it is in the eye of the beholder, like the image in its imperfection, as I am:):)..V
babuci
so good you show a whole flower as well...very delicate shot!
jif3d
Fine macro capture, it look's like some kid's have burned a hole in the petal with a magnifying glass ! well done ~Cheers~ :o)
jocko500
very super looking . I love these flowers
jared99
Gorgeous! And great info!
ACS-001
As usual, you are the master of the close-up. Good call on not fixing the petals it makes the image stand out a bit more from all the other flower photos on the site.
Punaguy
I'm always amazed at the size of these enormous blossoms...pretty shot here Kort, and it does have the ethereal effect on the blossom. Aloha!
BBarbs
Oh I love J.J. Cale. Wonderful singer and song and so perfect for this fabulous looking blossom. WOW Excellent work here !!! Superb. V
Chaos911
what a F A N T A S T I C shot and work!!!! super cooooool!!! :)
sossy
a beautiful dish created by nature! wonderful flower impression! ;o)
Mikan
interesting how is detached from the backround; looks great this way!