Jennifer Lopez Born Under The Bold Delphinium Flower
 Wesley Berry

Born July 24, 1970, singer and actress Jennifer Lopez was born
during the month of the delphinium flower-a flower that signifies
boldness, an open heart, and ardent attachment. Though those
attributes may all be seen as very positive, the delphinium is
also featured in a classic legend of great woe.

The name delphinium comes from the Greek and means "little
dolphin." The name was chosen because the shape of the blossom is
reminiscent of the nose of a dolphin. It is also sometimes called
a larkspur, because its spur is shaped like the claw of a lark.
Evidence of the delphinium's existence dates back to the
beginning of the fifteenth century. It is part of a family of
flowers, which also includes the buttercup and aconitum, that
contains over 350 species.

A Greek legend tells the tale of the death of Ajax and the growth
of blue delphiniums form his spilled blood. In the tale, the
mother of the famous warrior Achilles stated that the armor of
her slain son should be presented to the bravest warrior to have
fought in the battle of Troy. The young warrior Ajax was certain
the armor should be his, but it was instead gifted to Ulysses.
Upon hearing of his declination for the armor, Ajax was
distraught and threw himself upon his sword. Where his drops of
blood hit the earth, small blue delphiniums are said to have
sprung up. To this day, it is said, the petals of the delphinium
bear the Greek letters Al, the mourning cry of the Greek.

Over the years, delphiniums have been crossbred to include a wide
variety of colors such as the original blue, purple, mauve, and
white. In fact, it has been so widely bred that its history is
almost lost in the abundance of its breeders. One of the most
notable delphinium breeders was Frank Reinelt, a Czech who
immigrated to California where he began his work with delphiniums
in the early 20th century. Reinelt was an expert with flowers
having once been the head gardener for Queen Marie of Romania. He
worked for forty years on the hybridization of the delphinium,
creating the now famous Pacific Giant hybrids.

The delphinium occurs in both annual and perennial varieties.
They are a flower known throughout the world. In the U.S. they
are most commonly used as border flowers in lavish garden beds.
In Afghanistan the yellow dye produced from the flower is used
to color silks and wools.

Bold, beautiful, ardently attached, and at times tragic. These
are the words associated with the delphinium. It is a flower
with a long history and a great following. Will Ms. Lopez live
up to her birth flower? Time will tell.



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Wesley Berry is the President of Wesley Berry Flowers,
a successful multi-million dollar business that was
established in 1946. He is also the Headmaster of the
Professional Florists' Institute, a floral design school
located in Michigan. Visit Wesley Berry Flowers on the
web at http://www.800wesleys.com.