One of the most beautiful species of flowers is the Snapdragon flowers, otherwise known as Antirrhinum. This beautiful group of flowering plants have existed for thousands of years and can come in purple, white, lavender, yellow, burgundy, orange, and pink variety of colors. Their petals are soft, that is until they are dead or withered. That’s when you see their true colors.
The name of the flower, Antirrhinum, comes from two Greek words (‘anti’ meaning like, ‘rhin’ meaning nose). This name is given to them for their unique transformation that occurs when these flowers die. Their seed pod transforms into an eerie form that resembles the human skull. What’s even creepier, if you squeeze the petals of the flower, the skull will open its mouth and close it as soon as you let go.
These flowers are native to rocky terrains located in Europe, North America, and North Africa. Ancient cultures thought the flowers brought luck and kept them in taverns and homes for wellness. Other cultures believed these flowers contributed to timeless beauty and agelessness.
These flowers don’t require much attention so getting the right environmental conditions is all you need. They are available during summer and spring so the best is to start at the end of winter. The Snapdragons are cold-season plants but require a considerable amount of sunlight in damp soil.
In extremely hot weather, these flowers are prone to rot so hotter climates aren’t ideal. For the first few weeks of planting them, they require an adequate amount of water. After the first few weeks, reduce the water supply to at least one inch.
Care practices are not the same for different varieties of Snapdragon plants. Small varieties of this plant can grow as tall as 6-15 inches. The tall varieties grow up to 48 inches.
Uncanny Resemblance
Other than the Snapdragon plant, the other species that have any similarity to the human skulls we have today are our evolution predecessors. These predecessors also contain species that exist today such as the orangutans, gorillas, chimpanzees, and gibbons. The first-ever evidence of these species (including the humans) is a fossil found 27 million years ago. It is amazing that a plant’s flower can have such a resemblance to our skull, especially after withering away. Just like the humans, after the person passes away, he withers and shows his inner skull.
People can use these skulls to decorate around their homes. Halloween is approaching and you can use these skulls the decorate for the night. During this year, Halloween will have a full moon, the second full moon in the month making it a Blue Moon. Imagine having these flower skulls around your pumpkins and skeletons in front of your house.
Sources:
australian.museum
