Hey everyone, first of all I would like to welcome you to my new contribution and hope you have a week so far which is full of interesting experiences! In my new post I would like to introduce a plant in more detail which one or the other may have already seen and hope you can expand your knowledge.
This flower miracle is also known as Rhododendron and there are hundreds of different species, most of which can be found on the Asian continent, but there are also species in Australia, Europe or North America. Many species can only be found at higher areas such as in the mountains, while others tend to grow in the coastal regions and as an extremely diverse genus, other varieties have also been established in various areas where it has adapted to the climate and between the different species there are clear differences which are noticeable in the manifestation. It's assumed that the origin is in China or Japan where it was already very appreciated in ancient cultures and there were legends that Rhododendron was one of the guardians to another world and often there was the interpretation that places where it grows are particularly safe and it was also worshipped as a sacred plant. Sometimes it was also considered a lucky charm and when someone gets this plant as a gift, this can usually be considered a positive sign and in its original distribution area in China, it's a symbol of elegance or affection. Also in Greek mythology there is one or the other legend and here there is even the interpretation that the origin was associated with the nymphs and there are also connections to goddess of love Aphrodite and also the name can be traced back to the Greek and is derived from Rhodes for rose and as well as dendron for tree.
Rhododendron can be classified as highly toxic, but there are also some approaches in medicine where certain parts of the plant are used for the production of medical preparations and some active ingredients are of particular interest in research and there are some approaches in the pharmaceutical sector where some of these active substances are produced artificially. It can be said that there is still room for improvement in research when it comes to rhododendron and some of the active ingredients have also been known to create altered states of consciousness since antiquity and for this purposes, natives have made a honey from it which was used for ritual purposes. I would like to give the note that when it comes to medicine, people must always ask the doctor or pharmacist of trust about the right medicine and use to avoid complications! From an ecological point of view, the plant is also an advantage, although this of course always depends on the species and here it's important to know that there are even species that can damage the soil while others can even have a negative impact on biodiversity in some regions. Other species, on the other hand, offer different types of insects an important source of food as well as birds or other animals a shelter and those who attach great importance to the ecological benefits should definitely inform themselves beforehand. Some species are even hardy and those who should cultivate it can look forward to the first flowers showing up from around April which enchant the environment through the play of colors.
Many thanks for stopping by and I hope you could learn something new about nature! I captured these pictures with my Camera Sony Alpha 6000 plus 55-210 mm lens.