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Plumbago auriculata f. alba 'Escapade White' [White Cape Leadwort]


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igoriginal

Butorsky, I. (2014) Plumbago auriculata f. alba L. 'Escapade White' (Plumbaginaceae) White Cape Leadwort. Flowers photographed in visible and ultraviolet light. http://www.ultraviol...wort/#entry3048

 

Brandon, Mississippi, USA (Google map: http://goo.gl/maps/PGByh)

2 June 2014

13:21 Central Standard Time

Cultivar in home garden

 

Common name(s):

  • White Cape leadwort[2]

Specific cultivar variety / "brand" name (subject of these photos): 'Escapade White'[1]

 

Comment:

P. auriculata - both, the many bluish varieties as well as specially-cultivated white form (f. alba) - is native to south Africa, and can be grown as annuals, perennials or scrambling evergreen shrubs.

 

Like the majority of the genus which it belongs to, the P. auriculata f. alba cultivar is a lax evergreen shrub with slender stems bearing light green, oblanceolate leaves and terminal racemes - in this alternate case, of pure white flowers (as opposed to the typical shades of blue) - which blooms continuously (indeterminately) until the end of autumn / early winter (and keeps coming back every spring, year after year), when grown within the appropriate climate (sub-tropical / tropical). However, in colder zones that exhibit weather patterns (harsher winters) which are outside of its tropical native environment, they are grown outdoors as annuals, only, and the flower blooms are usually restricted to mid to late summer / early-fall, only. [2]

 

(It should be noted, however, that if grown in movable pots or containers, the plants can be brought indoors for the harsh winter months, and home-sheltered as perennials, until the next coming spring. Be wary, however, that they are toxic / poisonous to any unsuspecting pet or child which may choose to ingest any of its parts. Hence, it should be kept within an inaccessible spot, when brought indoors.)

 

Plumbago can be pruned to grow like a vine and scramble over supports, or pruned into a more compact mounded shrub, or left to sprawl with its long, gracefully arching branches.[3]

 

UV-A Appearance:

When custom-white-balanced against PTFE ("virgin-white Teflon") within the UV-A spectrum, the normally white petals of P. auriculata f. alba are rendered in a light lavender-blue / periwinkle tone (in "false-color" UV), which indicates mild UV absorption (while still indicating relatively high UV reflectively), whereas a star-shaped area of UV-dark/absorptive properties (black color) suddenly appears to originate from the center of the flower ... its UV-absorptive spokes tapering off and terminating along the central vein of each petal!

 

References:

1. Dave's Garden http://davesgarden.c...pf/go/180371/#b

2. Royal Horticultural Society http://www.rhs.org.u...eadwort/Details

3. Floridata http://www.floridata.../p/plumbago.cfm

 

-----------------------------------------------

 

- Camera: Panasonic Lumix G5 (full-spectrum converted)

 

- Lens: Super Lentar 35mm F/3.5 (Kyoei / Kuribayashi 35mm F/3.5 optical variant; 46mm filter thread, 23mm front element diameter, 11.5mm rear element diameter, M42-mount adapter over T-mount base, Serial # 37200), mounted on additional macro-extending helicoid tube (an M42-to-Micro 4/3 adapter with a macro extension-capable helicoid design).

 

(Note: These photos, in particular, were taken with the adjustable macro / helicoid-tube adapter extended quite a good bit, as the individual flowers are quite small: Roughly 20 mm across.)

 

- Settings for visible exposure: ISO 160, Aperture F/11, Shutter 1/1,300 sec, S8612 (2mm thick) filter, in-camera CWB (custom-white-balance) set to 18% neutral gray target, color-cast further corrected in post-photo editing.

post-34-0-36671500-1402157977.jpg

 

- Settings for UV-A exposure: ISO 160, Aperture F/11, Shutter 3 sec, U-340 (2mm thick) and S8612 (2mm thick) filter stack, in-camera CWB (custom-white-balance) set to PTFE (virgin-white polytetrafluoroethylene / Teflon).

post-34-0-02792900-1402171762.jpg

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igoriginal

Thanks, Col!

 

I'm working on it. Practice, practice, practice.

 

This is really fun, actually! Helping to grow the formal UV database.

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The infraspecies designators are not italicized.

These would be f., var. or subsp.

 

The cultivar name 'Escapade White' is included in single quotes after the binomial name. (I added this.)

It is also added to the title.

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igoriginal

Thanks, Andrea.

 

I will make the appropriate corrections. And I appreciate the corrections which you have already made.

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No prob.

I just went through all my Cultivars and made corrections there too. "-)

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igoriginal

It can get quite tedious at times, no? (The processing, editing, and proof-reading, after the shoot). But it's sooo worth it, and gratifying, too! :) (The hard work, that is.)

 

By the way, about that star-shaped UV-absorptive signature present within this flower ... it's taken me completely by surprise! First time I've seen a UV pattern like that. Is this common, or uncommon?

 

(Of course, I've been doing UV photos of floral subjects for only 2 years. Thus, I am still relatively inexperienced. Maybe you've seen UV patterns such as these, quite a number of times, in other subjects?)

 

My assumption is that these star-shaped UV-absorptive signatures are particularly more common to petals with central veins or "creases" running through them, like the ones associated with this flower?

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Igor,

 

yes, I have seen it in geranium and also recently in an evening primrose (in OH). The two flowers look very similar under UV: pale yellow with dark lines running to the center. Possibly as nectar guides for bees.

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