Brief botanical descriptions of GIYOU flowers
The 2022 collection (meadow flowers)
Snowdrop (Galanthus)
The snowdrop (Galanthus) is a spring, perennial plant. The perianth consists of 6 petals, the inner and outer quite distinct. In Czechia, the flowering period lasts from late February to March. There are roughly 14–17 known species, with a natural range in Europe, South-East Asia, and Northern Africa; elsewhere the snowdrop is adventious only. Snowdrops grow in a humid, damp soil under bushes or young trees, in damp meadows, or in leafy or mixed forests, gardens, and parks.
Lavender (Lavandula)
The lavender (Lavandula) is a genus of roughly 40 species, usually sub-shrubs, but sometimes perennials. The flowers are purple, white, or pink and have a characteristic smell. They’re small and monoclinous. The representatives of the genus can be found in the northern hemisphere, from the Canary Islands, the Mediterranean, Northern Africa, the Arabic Peninsula, and India. The lavender is the natural flower of Portugal.
Plantain (Plantago)
The ribwort plantain (Plantago lanceolate) is a bunchy perennial and a member of the plantain family, known for its characteristic rosette which sprouts several stems. Today, its range covers a large part of the world, including Czechia where it grows in fields, by roads, or in meadows. Its lifespan can be up to 12 years. The original range was in Eurasia but has spread over time to cover almost the entire world.
Daisy (Bellis)
The common daisy is a perennial and the only species of the Bellis genus that can be found in Czechia. It’s autogamous but can be pollinated by insects. The range cover the whole Europe, the Caucasus, North America, or in the New Zealand. Daisies like lots of sun and fertile soil. They grow in urban lawns, gardens, parks, by roads, or in meadows. The daisy is the national flower of Denmark and, as of 2023, the Netherlands.
Violet (Viola odorata)
The Common violet is a perennial from the Viola genus of roughly 450 species which can be found all over the world. The flowers are usually dark violet with a violet spur, white with a purplish spur, or lilac. It comes from Southern or South-Western Europe, Northern Africa, northern Turkey, and the Caucasus. The violet, both wild and cultivated, can also be encountered in other parts of the world (China, North America, the New Zealand). The blue violet is the state flower of Illinois, New Jersey, Wisconsin, and Rhode Island.
Cornflower (Centaurea)
The cornflower (Centaurea cyanus) is a perennial plant with blue flowers. The natural range covers Spain and France in Western Europe, half of Scandinavia, northern Italy, the Balkans, and Ukraine in the south, and reaches the Ural Mountains in the east. The species was also introduced to Northern and Southern America, Central Asia, and Japan. It loves sunlight and grows in meadows, pastures, baulks, and by roads. The flowering period in Czechia lasts from July to September. The cornflower is the national flower of Germany and Estonia.
Lilac (Syringa)
The common lilac (Syringa vulgaris) is a plant from the Oleaceae olive family. Tall roughly as a shrub or short tree, it comes from South-Eastern Europe and the Anatolia peninsula. It has a characteristic, strong smell. Introduced from the Ottoman Empire, it first started appearing in European gardens in the 16th century. Today it also grows wild in Europe’s warmer regions, and has spread to North America. The lilac is the state flower of New Hampshire.
Ryegrass (Lolium)
Ryegrass is a grass genus from the bluegrass subfamily. It’s an annual, biannual or perennial plant, tufty, with rising or upright stems. The flowers grow in sessile spikelets forming distichous tassels. The genus’ range covers Europe, Asia, and North America. Today, two ryegrass species grow in Czechia -the perennial ryegrass and the annual ryegrass.
Mouse-ear chickweed (Cerastium)
The mouse-ear chickweed (Cerastium) is a genus of roughly 100 species of annual and perennial plants. The range is in Europe, Western Asia, and Northern Africa, with the highest diversity of species concentrating around the Mediterranean. Many of the species have been introduced to North and South America or Australia. In Czechia, the snow-in summer (Cerastium tomentosum) is popular as a rock plant used in gardening. It can be up to 10 tall, spreads well, and forms silvery tapestries. The flowering period in Czechia lasts from May to July.
Bellflower (Campanula)
The bellflower is a vast genus of plants. It’s a perennial or more rarely annual plant with simple alternate leaves and campanulate, almost funnel-shaped flowers. It produces capsules. The genus has roughly 450 species and is common in the northern temperate zone, though it can also be found in the tropics and subtropics.
