Small palafoxia
Here’s a little wildflower you haven’t seen in this blog till now: Palafoxia callosa, called small palafoxia. On October 10th I found this opening flower head adjacent to the goldeneye that appeared in the last post and that has offered up its color but none of its form as the background for today’s picture.
© 2012 Steven Schwartzman
Portraits of Wildflowers 
My imagination thinks of them as a bunch of partially-peeled grape-flavored bananas with purple skins to match. Not considering size scaling. They could be weirdly appropriate in science fiction imagery.
whilldtkwriter
October 26, 2012 at 6:26 AM
Someone has an active and science-fictiony imagination this morning. Might the mention of two types of fruit tell us that you were hungry when you commented? In any case, you may have hit on an idea for a new breakfast cereal for kids, which would include what look like little grape-flavored and -colored bananas.
You mentioned scaling: I neglected to say that even when fully open, a palafoxia flower head of this species is at most 5/8 of an inch across. The opening buds are more saturated in color than the fully open flower heads, in which the disk flowers have shades of pink, pale pink, and white.
Steve Schwartzman
October 26, 2012 at 6:56 AM
Sheer delight!
~Lynda
pixilated2
October 26, 2012 at 6:32 AM
So bright!
Steve Schwartzman
October 26, 2012 at 6:56 AM
Wow, stunning photo, Steve!
Mind Margins/Run Nature
October 26, 2012 at 7:29 AM
Thank you, Angela. I’d call it minimalism of composition and maximalism of color. I was excited when I saw this through the camera’s viewfinder.
Steve Schwartzman
October 26, 2012 at 7:41 AM
One of your most lovely portraits yet.
Dawn
October 26, 2012 at 8:15 AM
Thank you. I’m pleased that you see it that way.
Steve Schwartzman
October 26, 2012 at 8:43 AM
Looks very dainty. Almost exotic.
petspeopleandlife
October 26, 2012 at 8:44 AM
You’re free to think exotic, invited to do so, even if this is a common wildflower that can be found in Austin for most of the second half of the calendar year.
Steve Schwartzman
October 26, 2012 at 8:48 AM
Bin nur sprachlos über soviel Schönheit!!
Mathilda
October 26, 2012 at 10:27 AM
Mathilda says that she’s been left speechless by so much beauty. Such is the power of nature.
Steve Schwartzman
October 26, 2012 at 10:35 AM
Palafox Pier and Yacht Club in Pensacola was destroyed by Hurricane Ivan. I presume it’s been rebuilt. In any event, it’s the only other time I’ve heard of Palafox, which I now know is a Spanish family name as well. There’s another species of the palafoxia that’s native to Florida. Nice!
shoreacres
October 26, 2012 at 11:00 AM
The genus name apparently pays tribute to either of two men named Palafox, one a general and the other a prelate. I’d never heard about the Florida species, which I see is endemic there. Showy palafoxia, Palafoxia hookeriana, doesn’t grow in Austin but I’ve found it as close as Bastrop, and you have it near the coast. It’s worth being on the lookout for.
Steve Schwartzman
October 26, 2012 at 11:11 AM
Really lovely.
lensandpensbysally
October 26, 2012 at 11:36 AM
Thanks, Sally.
Steve Schwartzman
October 26, 2012 at 11:50 AM
What a gorgeous combination of colours! It’s a very pretty flower, but with that background it really is stunning!
Cathy
October 26, 2012 at 1:13 PM
You may be familiar with the adage that the three most important things in real estate are location, location, and location. I’ve been tempted to say at times that the three most important things in photography are background, background, and background. In this case, the out-of-focus yellow of the goldeneye definitely played up the saturated violet color of the palafoxia.
Steve Schwartzman
October 26, 2012 at 1:40 PM
Very nice.
bentehaarstad
October 26, 2012 at 3:41 PM
Thanks.
Steve Schwartzman
October 26, 2012 at 3:50 PM
Gorgeous!
mary mageau
October 26, 2012 at 6:31 PM
It is!
Steve Schwartzman
October 26, 2012 at 7:06 PM
Brilliant!!
FeyGirl
October 27, 2012 at 9:14 AM
That’s a good summary.
Steve Schwartzman
October 27, 2012 at 9:17 AM
¡Impresionante!
ManoliRizoFotografia
October 27, 2012 at 12:17 PM
¡Sí lo es!
Steve Schwartzman
October 27, 2012 at 12:26 PM
Another stunning image!!!
dhphotosite
October 27, 2012 at 2:53 PM
Thanks, David.
Steve Schwartzman
October 27, 2012 at 4:39 PM
Stunning macro shot! I love this!
adrianduque89
October 27, 2012 at 3:46 PM
Ah, two stunnings in a row. Thanks.
Steve Schwartzman
October 27, 2012 at 4:39 PM
[…] as small palafoxia made its début a few days ago, rose pavonia makes its first appearance in these pages […]
Pavonia mallow « Portraits of Wildflowers
October 29, 2012 at 6:13 AM
Fantastic shot: fantastic colors, vibrating and full, fantastic contrast and fantastic elegance of the shapes.
weaselwiththecam
November 1, 2012 at 3:30 AM
That’s one fantastic comment. Thanks.
Steve Schwartzman
November 1, 2012 at 8:21 AM
A very beautiful photo and I love the bokeh !
Inspired and pretty
November 4, 2012 at 9:17 PM
The colors were pretty and I was inspired.
Steve Schwartzman
November 4, 2012 at 10:58 PM
I adore these colors !
Guillaume
January 13, 2013 at 10:14 AM
Me too.
Steve Schwartzman
January 13, 2013 at 10:36 AM