Xenia

Xenia (also known as the Xenia effect) in plants is the effect of pollen on seeds and fruit of the fertilized plant.[1] The effect is separate to the contribution of the pollen towards the next generation.

The term was coined in 1881 by the botanist Wilhelm Olbers Focke to refer to effects on maternal tissues, including the seed coat and pericarp, but at that time endosperm was also thought to be a maternal tissue, and the term became closely associated with endosperm effects.[1] The term metaxenia was later coined and is still sometimes used to describe the effects on purely maternal tissues.[1]

Thankfully we don't have to understand xenia to grow beautiful flowers.
 
Mommy bought some flowers for our pots. We have some Bandana Red Lantana that we added to our pots as well as some petunias.

And we just love the angelonia.

Angel Trumpet

This is a succulent.

Kinda neat how the light did in this picture.

Our Desert Rose, it is around back now where it belongs.

Mommy got some Borage at the Herb and Garden Fest.

It's leaves really do taste like cucumber.

Mommy tasted them for us.

It sure is pretty too.

This is a wildflower growing down at the pond. It's not a blueberry but it is in the blueberry family.

We can't think of it's name right now, we will send Mommy to look it up in our wildflower book.

Mommy has also been busy painting containers for our plants.

She is doing OK, but she makes a huge mess with the paint. ~ATCAD

11 comments:

Summer said...

What lovely flowers! However they came into being. ;-)

Mickey's Musings said...

Such a lovely garden :)
Purrs Georgia and Julie,
Treasure and JJ

Julie said...

What beautiful flowers! I didn't nose Borage looked like that.....I've only ever seen it in a bottle which Mum mixes wiv her brandy, hehe
Loves and licky kisses
Princess Leah xxx

Deepa said...

Quite informative & lovely pictures :)

pilch92 said...

Very pretty flowers. That is an interesting fact about the borage, last year I was researching plants to forage, that would be a good choice.

Loulou said...

So who doesn't make a mess with paint??? Maybe she should let you guys do the painting, haha. Kitties and doggies look great in rainbow fur.

Frankie Furter and Ernie said...

Your Flowers ALWAYS make us Happy... So many varieties and so beautiful.
Plus your mom does a fabulous job of Showcasing them.

da tabbies o trout towne said...

guys....we wundered how ewe wood rite yur "X" post....awesum job two day & thru out de challenge ....we think de xenia'z total kewl two !! ♥♥♥

Millie and Walter said...

What beautiful flowers you have. Our mom is a bit jealous as we can't even think of planting any of our annuals for a few weeks yet. It is still getting near or below freezing at night (a bit below normal). She does like to click on your pictures and look at them all big to see how pretty they are. Thanks for sharing.

Debbie D. said...

Such lovely flowers. ☺ I didn't know Xenia was a plant-related word too. It's also ancient Greek and means hospitality.(I only know this because I used it in the A-Z two years ago. ☺)

Meezer's Mews & Terrieristical Woofs said...

Xenia might make a nice name, MOL!!

Lovely flowers all of them, thinks so much fur letting us see them, we are still in the really early stages of blooming things here.