Flowers A to Z - Snapdragon

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Snapdragon
Botanical Name :
Antirrhinum majus
Common Name :
Snapdragon
Product Use :
Cut Flower
Pronunciation :
an-ti-RYE-num MAY-jus
Family Roots :
Member of the Scrophulariaceae (figwort family). Native to Southwestern Europe and the Mediterranean region. Common relatives include foxglove, veronica, penstemon and calceolaria.
Personality :
Flowers are tubular, 1/2 long with rounded upper and lower petals. Stems leafy, 24-36 inches long. Plant is an annual, classed as a dicotyledon, leaves not parallel veined. Slight fragrance, depending on cultivar.
Availability :
Year-round.
Flower Color :
A wide range of colors including white, pink, yellow, orange, red, burgundy and rose.
Decorative Life :
5-8 days.
Ethylene Sensitivity :
High
Ethylene Comments :
Flower shattering is the common response to ethylene exposure, with some newer cultivars being resistant. This species also produces high amounts of ethylene. Should be treated with an anti-ethylene product. As will be noted below, treating with an anti-ethylene product will also reduce stem bending when these flowers are placed horizontally.
Post HarvestCare Opportunities :
Remove bottom leaves if present, recut stems under water and place into a fresh flower food solution. However, be careful not to remove too much foliage as excessive foliage removal can promote premature flower drop. Stem tip breakage can occur during harvesting and subsequent handling and is related to both flower color and cell wall chemistry. In particular, red flowered cultivars break higher on the stem compared to yellow ones, which break lower. At this time there is no known cure other than preventative care by handling stems carefully. Stems are geotropic, tips bend up if stems held horizontally. Laying on a table for less than an hour may cause permanent bending. Therefore, store upright or if they have to be held horizontally, hold them at 32F to reduce or stop bending. Experimental calcium chelating solutions designed to prevent stem bending have been developed but not yet available commercially. However, treating with anti-ethylene products like STS, MCP, or AVG can greatly reduce stem bending.
Storage Specifics :
Store at 32-34 F, 1-2 weeks in water, longer in floral preservative. Best if stored dry. When stored wet, flower color will be better if they are exposed to some light in the cooler. Also, upright storage is preferred so as to reduce stem bending. Flowers stored at 32F for 5 days lasted 11 days in a vase compared to 6 days for those stored at 45F. In another study, flowers were held dry at 31F for 6 weeks with little loss in vaselife.
Preharvest &Harvest Factors:
Treating with an anti-ethylene product shortly after harvest can also reduce geotropic bending of the stems when they are placed horizontally for storage and/or transport. Harvest when flowers on the lower 1/4-1/3 of the spike are open. Another author states that they should be purchased when at least two to five flowers are open per stem.
Tidbits :
Called a calve s snout for the flower s snout-like shape, the botanical name Antirrhinum is Greek for like and nose. The specific epithet name majus means large. Favorite flowers in the earliest English gardens, research indicates that snapdragons were grown more for their beauty than for their medicinal usefulness. When grown as a garden plant, treat them as annuals although some may respond as perennials depending on cultivar and climate. The flower can be made to snap shut after separating and releasing the two-lipped corolla (united petals). The American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology lists this species as an allergy-safe pollen producing plant. Some references say removal of the top bud helps to deter the stem's geotropic bending. Suitable for drying. Do not remove more leaves than needed as this can stimulate flower fall. Many species in this 3000 plus species family are grown for ornamental and medicinal purposes including slipperwort, speedwell, mullein, bearded-tongue, foxglove, snapdragon, toadflax, monkey-flower, cape-fuchsia, coral-plant, nemesia, and blue-lips. The common snapdragon for gardens with winter protection may remain perennial in all but the coldest parts of the country. Short-lived cultivars have from 40-110% (~400,000-1,000,000) more stomata per flowering stem than long-lived ones.

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