Superior Ovaries

Day 322: Clintonia uniflora (aka Queen-cup or Bead-lily) has superior ovaries. No, no...I mean like they're really on top of it. No, wait...I mean the ovary is on top of the petals! Are we clear on that now?

Do you ever get the feeling that even though we speak the same language, we sometimes aren't the best at communicating what we mean? Scientifically, a "superior ovary" is one which develops above the petals in the traditional botanical four-part whorl arrangement of sepals, petals, stamens and stigma/style/ovary. Conversely, an "inferior ovary" occurs below the sepals/petals (an example would be the winged ovary of a begonia flower). "Superior" in this sense means "above," "inferior" means "below." However, someone unfamiliar with botany might think that I was speaking in reference to the plant's ability to reproduce successfully rather than describing the arrangement of its reproductive parts.

Communication is not always as simple as saying what's on your mind. A single word or string of words may signify something entirely different to different people depending on their backgrounds. Semantics (the selection of a word based on a precise definition, its placement in the word-order of a sentence, and sometimes even the euphonic resonance of its syllables) is the science of verbal exchange, and unless everyone is on the same page (i.e., from similiar verbal backgrounds), the message can go widely astray. The wise speaker chooses words to suit the audience. A "nicely tanned skin" might refer to bathing-suit cheesecake or to a cozy, curly fleece rug. I know how I'd be most likely to use the phrase, but do you?

And here you thought this post was going to be about botany! Not to disappoint, it has taken me a very long time to find and photograph Bead-lily's solitary blue bead. Some little critter seems to think they're very tasty. Out of several hundred plants I checked, all but half a dozen had had their "beads" bitten off neatly.