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Calibrachoa x hybrida 'Superbells® Lemon Slice' [Seashore Petunia]


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Butorsky, I. (2014) Calibrachoa x hybrida Cerv. 'Superbells® Lemon Slice' (Solanaceae) Seashore Petunia. Flowers photographed in visible and ultraviolet light. http://www.ultraviol...ashore-petunia/

 

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

13 June 2014

16:23 Central Standard Time

Cultivar in home garden

 

Common name(s):

  • Seashore petunia[1]
  • Trailing petunia
  • Million Bells®[2]

Specific cultivar "brand" and / or variety name (subject of these photos): 'Superbells® Lemon Slice'[2]

 

Comment:

 

C. x hybrida is quite an interesting (and still developing) story, concerning its relatively recent cultivation and hybridization (beginning in the 1990's).

 

Although its wildflower progenitors had long been numbered among the Petunia genus (which are originally native to parts of South America[3]), the most recently-advanced genetic testing has revealed (according to different chromosome numbers) that this should indeed be an entirely different genus, altogether. Hence, designating it its own distinct genera - Calibrachoa - since the changes made to its taxonomy in 1989. Thus, although it continues to go by the common names - "Seashore petunia", "Trailing petunia", et al. - it is no longer classified as a true petunia, genetically speaking (although similarities in physical appearances between the Petunia and Calibrachoa generae continue to perpetuate the more common naming conventions, of course).[1]

 

But the story gets increasingly more fascinating: Since the 1990's, two competing breeders of Calibrachoa x hybrida have been locked in fierce rivalry, in a marketing race to establish hybrid identity dominance ... the two competing naming lines being 'Million Bells®' and 'Lirica Showers®.' While there remains no clear standard or widely accepted common name for the Calibrachoa hybrids, as of yet, it looks as if the 'Million Bells®' line could become the dominant common naming convention, even though it is based upon a registered trademark / commercial branding (and even releases cultivar varieties under yet additional and potentially confusing sub-trademarks, such as the Superbells® line, among others[4]).

 

UV-A Appearance:

 

When custom-white-balanced against PTFE ("virgin-white Teflon") within the UV-A spectrum, the normally alternating patches of yellow and white colors across the petals of the 'Lemon Slice' variety of the C. x hybrida Superbells® cultivar line are rendered in a medium-lavender-blue and light-lavender-blue alternating fashion (in "false-color" UV), which indicates varying shifts between slight to mild UV absorption (or strong to medium UV reflectively, depending from which end you want to look at it).

 

By stark contrast, there is a suggestively strong UV-absorptive (black colored) bull's-eye (nectar guide) beginning at the "lip" of the "funnel" (or trumpet) structure tapering from the central part of the flower. Additionally, the anthers arising from the trumpet / tube of the flower are evidently also strongly UV-absorptive (black colored). In fact, it appears as if the entire internal surface of the trumpet section of the flower is strongly UV-absorptive / UV-dark.

 

(On a side note: This flower has proven itself to be very attractive to hummingbirds, in particular. Within my own garden, I have observed a whole swarm of hummingbirds at one time, competing for the nectar of this hybrid Calibrachoa. It stands to reason that the wildflower progeny of this cultivar most likely demand the same attraction towards these beneficiary pollinators.)

 

Reference(s):

 

1. Floridata http://www.floridata...a_X_hybrida.cfm

2. Garden Crossings http://www.gardencro...lls-Lemon-Slice

3. Royal Horticultural Society A-Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants. United Kingdom: Dorling Kindersley. 2008. p. 1136.

4. University of Illinois http://urbanext.illi...8&PlantTypeID=1

 

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

 

- 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).

 

- 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-34-0-13138500-1402791254.jpg

 

- Settings for UV-A exposure: ISO 800, Aperture F/11, Shutter 2 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-34-0-91015500-1402791272.jpg

 

Supplemental images of visible and ultraviolet exposures (wide-angle view):

 

post-34-0-46168900-1402791282.jpg

 

post-34-0-94767000-1402791287.jpg

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Nice shots. I did some petunia today also. One was "crazytunia" and it has red/yellow strips. red was dark in UV and yellow was blue-ish....
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Excellent Iggy

That is showing a very striking change in colour & texture in the UV.

 

Thanks!

 

Yes, these really "pop out" at you, don't they? Not just the alternating colors, but also the fact that the "veins" within the petals seem to be more accentuated in the UV exposure (a bit more UV-dark prominent, compared to surrounding petal materials?)

 

Iggy, Well done and what a cool looking flower in both vis and UV.

 

It truly is a curious little flower. Thank you, sir! Seeing as it was attracting the hummingbird populations around here to a near-frenzy ... I knew that there had to be something to this specimen, in particular. And my hunch paid off. It's like the "black lip" ring around the center - where it begins to dip into the funnel where the nectar is contained - is like some "hummingbird tongue-insertion marker", in UV-A exposure.

 

Nice shots. I did some petunia today also. One was "crazytunia" and it has red/yellow strips. red was dark in UV and yellow was blue-ish....

 

So glad you are getting into it, Zach! And the fact that we have matching cameras means that we can compare notes! :)

 

With reds, I have seen them do very unpredictable things when viewed in UV-A (when UV neutral white-balanced against PTFE). Some reds turn nearly completely white (or off-white / very pale yellow) when UV-A exposed. Other reds turn nearly completely black. While there are reds that do other things, entirely.

 

This world of UV never ceases to amaze, compel, and confound!

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Iggy,

 

yes, there seems to be no rules for UV color. I have seen white/red roses to totally black. yellow/white asters to completely black...red/white colors --> back. yellow evening primrose to white...pink geraniums to white/yellow...

 

a whole different world... not too happy with high ISO noise with G5. so always try to shoot at ISO 160. wonder if D3200 can be better....

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