Blue Lace Flower

While a cousin to hardy wild carrots and parsnip, Trachymene Coerulea, or Blue Lace flower, is a petite alluring bloom in cut flowers and gardens. Blue Lace flower is sometimes called Didiscus, but its botanical name gathers the Greek "Trachys" meaning rough, and "meninx" meaning membrane. (1)

Blue flowers are a sought after color, as flowers are rarely found on that end of the spectrum. Blue Lace flower's umbrella-esque cluster of florets is similar to the delicately white Queen Anne's Lace, and both are in the Apiaceae Family. The flower's airy stems and petite heads may not have the dominance of a focal point in cut flower arrangements, but it is a tasteful filler flower. While the flower's soft shade caresses an arrangement like delicate lace, it is a vibrant addition nonetheless. This is due to the blue color that we rarely see in cut flowers, save for delphinium and various tinted or dyed flowers.

The cool climate of the Pacific Northwest has been found to be an ideal environment for Blue Lace flower, though it is native to Western Australia.(2) If you buy Blue Lace flower with its blooms in a semi-closed state, it will ensure a longer vase life of 7 to 10 days. Flower food preservative can also be used to lengthen its stay as a cut flower. You may like umbrella-esque flowers, or even flowers that resemble jelly-fish; perhaps you are a connoisseur of blue flowers. Then indulge your appetites, as the current weekly flower special at Mainstreet Flower Market in Parker, Colorado is Blue Lace flower.

(1) http://www.types-of-flowers.org/trachymene.html

(2) http://www.rainyside.com/features/plant_gallery/annuals/Trachymene_coerulea.html