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Erysimum wittmanii [Wittman's Wallflower]


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Rørslett, B. 2014. Erysimum wittmanii Zaw. (Brassicaceae). Wittman's Wallflower. Flowers photographed in visible and ultraviolet light. http://www.ultravioletphotography.com/content/index.php?/topic/934-erysimum-wittmanii-wittmans-wallflower/

 

This medium large genus (100+ species) contains a number of endemics and the pale-flowered Erysimum wittmanii is one of these rarities. It occurs in the Tatra mountain range of Poland. Erysimum is interesting from a UV photographic point of view as the species tend to have quite different UV signatures. Thus, flowers of the closely related European species E. cheiranthoides and E. strictum are UV-reflective and UV-dark, respectively, and in fact this can be utilised to identify them easily in the field using a UV-capable camera. I have found this helpful on Norwegian specimens in particular when they are in an early flowering stage and siliques are not well developed.

 

Material studied and photographed in the Botanical Garden of University of Copenhagen, Denmark 29 June 2014.

 

ERYS_WIT_B1406291518_VIS.jpg

Image reference: ERYS_WIT_B1406291518_VIS

Visible light: Nikon Df, voigtländer APO-Lanthar 125 mm f/2.5 lens, daylight.

 

ERYS_WIT_I1406291829_UV.jpg

Image reference: ERYS_WIT_I1406291829_UV

Ultraviolet light: Nikon D3200 (modified), Coastal Optics 60 mm f/4 APO lens, internal Baader U2" (Venus) filter, SB-140 flash.

 

E. wittmanii has petals that reflect UV quite poorly, thus making the flower appear UV-darkish. The petals register in false-colour UV grey-cyan, which is a middle dark tone and very different from flowers almost jet black in UV, Other parts of the flower, and the buds, are more UV-reflective, however.

 

[ Published 22 July 2014 ]

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