Earth and Space News

Saturday, January 21, 2017

Helleborus ‘Walhero’ Has Pink Flowers and Sells as 'Walberton’s® Rosemary'

Summary: Helleborus ‘Walhero,’ a hybrid hellebore species by British helleborist David Tristram, has pink flowers and sells as 'Walberton’s® Rosemary.'

overall view of 3-year-old Helleborus 'Walhero' plants in late spring; image included in David Tristram’s patent application, filed Tuesday, April 3, 2007, as application number https://digital.lib.umd.edu/plantpatents/id/PP19439, with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO); United States Plant Patent No. US PP19,439; Date of Patent Nov. 11, 2008; color scans via Plant Patents Image Database, Digital Collections @ University of Maryland Libraries

Helleborus ‘Walhero,’ a hybrid hellebore species by British nursery owner and plant breeder David Tristram, has mid to dark pink flowers and sells as 'Walberton’s® Rosemary.'

On April 3, 2007, Tristram filed an application with the United States Patent and Trademark Office, for a patent for Helleborus ‘Walhero.’ Primary examiner Kent L. Bell and assistant examiner Georgia Helmer review Tristram’s application. On Nov. 11, 2008, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office assigned plant patent number 19,439 to Helleborus ‘Walhero.’

‘Walhero’ resulted from a breeding program that Tristram established in 1980 in an unheated greenhouse at his business, Walberton Nursery, in south England’s West Sussex County. The program aimed at producing new, vigorous hellebores with attractively presented flowers.

The program yielded over two decades of raised and crossed promising seedlings. Selected seedlings of Helleborus orientalis, known popularly as Lenten rose, were crossed with Helleborus niger ‘Potter’s Wheel,’ a renowned, unpatented Christmas rose, or black hellebore, variety discovered by David’s father, Major G.H. Tristram. Each year’s hybridized seedlings were raised to first or second year flowering. David Tristram then retained a select number for longer term evaluation.

In 2002, David Tristram selected ‘Walhero’ from among the program’s collection of promising seedlings. The inventor based his selection upon such distinctive features as crop uniformity; lengthy, prolific blooming of large, well-presented, saucer-shaped, pink flowers; upright, vigorous growth. Propagation by tissue culture, which began in 2003, demonstrated the retention and true reproduction of the compact, upright perennial’s distinctive traits over successive generations.

Tristram’s patent application describes 2-year-old plants grown outdoors in West Sussex County in 3-liter (0.79-gallon) containers. Soil preference is deep, fertile and rich with humus.

Sunlight requirements call for moderate, light or filtered shade.

A 2-year-old 'Walhero' plant measures a height of 35 centimeters (13.77 inches). Spread, or width, reaches 50 centimeters (19.68 inches).

‘Walhero’ is an acaulescent (Latin: ab, “away from” + caulis, “stalk”) evergreen. Its flower and leaf stems arise basally.

Leaves comprise three to nine leaflets. Leaflets range in length from 7 to 13 centimeters (2.75 to 5.11 inches) and in width from 2 to 5 centimeters (0.78 to 1.96 inches).

Leaflet shape is elliptical to lanceolate, or lance-shaped. Margins are serrated. Smooth, non-downy leaflets’ texture is described as glabrous with a semi-glossy appearance.

Adaxial, or upper, surfaces of leaflets display brown green (Royal Horticultural Society colour chart color 189A) and brown green (RHS 191A) as individual colors. Abaxial, or lower, surfaces display brown green (RHS 191A) and brown green (RHS 191B) as individual colors.

‘Walhero’ displays a pinnate vein pattern. Parallel, smaller veins branch from each leaflet’s main vein. Coloring is brown green (RHS 191A) on upper surfaces and brown green (RHS 191B) on lower surfaces.

Nut-shaped flower buds are 1.5 centimeters (inches) in width and 3 centimeters (inches) in length. Brown purple (RHS 183C) and blue pink (RHS 186C) are present as individual colors on each bud.

Oval-shaped bracts, numbering one or two, subtend, or underlie, each flower bud. Bracts have widths of 1.5 to 2 centimeters (0.59 to 0.78 inches) and lengths of 2.5 to 4 centimeters (0.98 to 1.57 inches).

Bract surfaces, which are smooth and free from down or hair, are described as glabrous. Their smooth, untoothed margins are described as entire.

Upper surfaces of bracts are brown green (RHS 138B). Lower surfaces may display brown green (RHS 138A) and brown red (RHS 182C) as individual colors.

closeup of 'Walhero' flower and bud; image included in David Tristram’s patent application, Tuesday, April 3, 2007, as application number https://digital.lib.umd.edu/plantpatents/id/PP19439, with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO); United States Plant Patent No. US PP19,439; Date of Patent Nov. 11, 2008; color scans via Plant Patents Image Database, Digital Collections @ University of Maryland Libraries

‘Walhero’ blooms lengthily and prolificially. Its flowering season extends from late December to March and April. ‘Walhero’ has no discernible fragrance.

Flowers retain their shapes for two months. Individuals last 15 days on the plant. Lastingness in fresh, cut arrangements is 10 days.

Spicate inflorescence features three or four flowers per spike. Stellate, or star-shaped, flowers have a horizontal, slightly nodding presentation.

Petals are only present as nectaries. Falloff occurs early.

Each flower consists of five unfused sepals. Sepal shape, described as saucer-like, is between ovate, or egg-shaped, and orbicular. Smooth, untoothed margins are described as entire. Slightly puberulent surfaces have minute, soft downy hairs.

Sepal length range of 4 to 4.5 centimeters (1.57 to 1.77 inches) increases to 4.5 to 5 centimeters (1.77 to 1.96 inches) with age. Width range of 3 to 3.5 centimeters (1.18 to 1.37 inches) increases to 4.5 to 5 centimeters (1.77 to 1.96 inches) with age.

Brown purple (RHS 183D), brown purple (RHS 186B), grey brown (RHS 199C) and white endure as individual colors on each sepal throughout the blooming season.

The takeaway for Helleborus ‘Walhero’ is the pink-flowered, winter-hardy hellebore’s floriferous longevity in indoor and outdoor niches under the trade name of 'Walberton’s® Rosemary.'

Helleborus Walberton’s® Rosemary, Royal Horticultural Society’s Wisley Garden, Surrey County, South East England, Saturday, March 24, 2012, 10:38:52: Leonora (Ellie) Enking, CC BY SA 2.0 Generic, via Flickr

Acknowledgment

My special thanks to talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet.

Image credits:

3-year-old Helleborus 'Walhero' in late spring; image included in David Tristram’s patent application, filed Tuesday, April 3, 2007, as application number https://digital.lib.umd.edu/plantpatents/id/PP19439, with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO); United States Plant Patent No. US PP19,439; Date of Patent Nov. 11, 2008; color scans via Plant Patents Image Database, Digital Collections @ University of Maryland Libraries, @ https://digital.lib.umd.edu/plantpatents/id/PP19439; (former URL @ http://www.lib.umd.edu/plantpatents/binaries/19400/pp19439.pdf)

closeup of 'Walhero' flower and bud; image included in David Tristram’s patent application, filed Tuesday, April 3, 2007, as application number https://digital.lib.umd.edu/plantpatents/id/PP19439, with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO); United States Plant Patent No. US PP19,439; Date of Patent Nov. 11, 2008; color scans via Plant Patents Image Database, Digital Collections @ University of Maryland Libraries, @ https://digital.lib.umd.edu/plantpatents/id/PP19439; (former URL @ http://www.lib.umd.edu/plantpatents/binaries/19400/pp19439.pdf)

Burrell, C. Colston; Judith Knott Tyler. Hellebores: A Comprehensive Guide. Portland OR: Timber Press, 2006.

“Helleborus Plant Named ‘Walhero.’” United States Patent and Trademark Office > Program in Word (PIW). Nov. 11, 2008.
Available @ http://pdfpiw.uspto.gov/.piw?PageNum=0&docid=PP019439

International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants. “Document TGP/14: Glossary of Technical, Botanical and Statistical Terms Used in UPOV Documents. Section 2: Botanical Terms: Subsection 3: Color: (2): Color Names for the RHS Colour Chart.” UPOV (Union Internationale Pour la Protection des Obtentions Végétales). Dec. 9, 2006.
Available @ http://www.upov.int/edocs/mdocs/upov/en/tc_edc?2007/tgp_14_draft_1_section_2_3_2.pdf

“Lenten Rose (Helleborus x hybridus Walberton’s® Rosemary).” The National Gardening Association > Plants Database > Hellebores.
Available @ http://garden.org/plants/view/533820/Lenten-Rose-Helleborus-x-hybridus-Walbertons-Rosemary/

Marriner, Derdriu. “Helleborus ‘Walhelivor’ Has Green- and Pink-Tinted Ivory White Flowers.” Earth and Space News. Sunday, Jan. 15, 2017.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2017/01/helleborus-walhelivor-has-green-and.html

“A ‘Potted’ History.” Walberton Nursery > History.
Available @ http://www.walberton-nursery.co.uk/history/

“PP19439 -- Helleborus Plant Named ‘Walhero.’” University of Maryland > Plant Patents Image Database.
Available @ http://www.lib.umd.edu/plantpatents/id/15404

Rice, Graham; Elizabeth Strangman. The Gardener’s Guide to Growing Hellebores. Newton Abbot, England: David and Charles, 2005.

“Walberton’s® Introductions.” Walberton Nursery.
Available @ http://www.walberton-nursery.co.uk/walbertons-introductions/

Friday, January 20, 2017

Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum Art Theft: Rembrandt Couple

Summary: The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum theft March 18, 1990 claims an etching, two bronzes and 10 paintings, including a Rembrandt couple in black.

Stolen from Boston's Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum during the March 1990 art heist, Rembrandt van Rijn's "A Lady and Gentleman in Black" has a mysterious back story, with the x-ray revelation of the artist's painting over a child and a ball-chasing dog placed to the right of the black-robed lady: Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons

The Rembrandt couple, A Lady and Gentleman in Black, avoids self-depictions in the artist's two other artworks of likewise unknown whereabouts since the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum art theft in Boston, Massachusetts.

The theft of one beaker, one finial, one Manet, one Vermeer, three Rembrandt artworks and five Degas brand it the United States' largest private art heist. Any suspects cannot be prosecuted since the statute of limitations in effect March 18, 1990, expanded to 20 years since 1994, concerns the five succeeding years. Security chief Anthony P. Amore describes as Museum reward eligibility requirements "information that leads directly to the recovery of all of our items in good condition."

The reward, enlarged from $1 million to $5 million since 1997, ensures informants anonymous payment through attorneys since "It's time for these paintings to come home."

The Rembrandt couple, the Rembrandt seascape and the Rembrandt self-portrait furnish different perspectives on Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn's (July 15, 1606-Oct. 4, 1669) output for 1633.

A Lady and Gentleman in Black generates dark, sparse impressions, the Rembrandt seascape gives bold, busy looks and the Rembrandt self-portrait goes for delicate, delightful touches. It holds second place, with a 51.81-inch (131.6-centimeter) height and a 42.94-inch (109-centimeter) width, after the Rembrandt seascape, for most conspicuous of the 13 missing artworks. Its empty frame is in its inventoried place on the second-floor Dutch Room wall, to the left of the equally empty placeholder for the Rembrandt seascape.

Historic overlaps at a different time in a different place join the two Rembrandt paintings' historic physical proximity before the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum art theft.

The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum keeps the provenance and the purchase records for its 2,500 existing art pieces and for the 13 artworks missing since 1990.

Museum records list the Rembrandt couple as purchased in September 1898 for 13,000 pounds and the Rembrandt seascape as purchased in November 1898 for 6,000 pounds. They mention the Rembrandt couple's and the Rembrandt seascape's arrivals Nov. 22 and 24, 1898 at Museum agent Fernand Robert's building, 30 Rue Joubert, Paris, France. They note their insured values at 325 and 150 French francs, after receipt from Colnaghi & Co. of London, England, and prefatory to shipping to Boston.

Nineteenth-century prices and values offer the reverse of what the Rembrandt couple and the Rembrandt seascape hypothetically obtain after the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum art theft.

Museum records preserve Mrs. Gardner's reaction to acquiring the Rembrandt seascape and art historian Bernard Berenson's (June 26, 1865-Oct. 6, 1959) to obtaining the Rembrandt couple.

The theft-related section on the Museum's website quotes Mrs. Gardner as writing Berenson that "Your description of the sea picture makes me fairly ache for it!" Berenson revels in two "quiet, refined people, lined in a dignified, distinguished way, and not scamped, and dashed off as so many of Rembrandt's pictures are." Theft perhaps separates the paintings, together since the Museum's opening Jan. 1, 1903, as sightings specify the Manet cafegoer, the Rembrandt seascape and the Vermeer concert.

The Rembrandt couple historically takes viewers into A Lady and Gentleman in Black's Dutch room, until the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum art theft turns everything topsy-turvy.

1894 oil on canvas portrait of "Isabella Stewart Gardner in Venice" by Swedish artist Anders Zorn (Feb. 18, 1860-Aug. 22, 1920); Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum: Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Acknowledgment

My special thanks to talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet.

Image credits:

Stolen from Boston's Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum during the March 1990 art heist, Rembrandt van Rijn's "A Lady and Gentleman in Black" has a mysterious back story, with x-ray revelation of the artist's painting over a child and a ball-chasing dog placed to the right of the black-robed lady: Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons @ https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:A_lady_and_gentleman_in_black,_by_Rembrandt.jpg

Circa 1633 etching,"Self Portrait Wearing a Soft Cap: Full Face, Head Only," numbers among a trio of artworks by Dutch Golden Age painter Rembrandt van Rijn stolen in a single morning, March 18, 1990, from Boston's Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons @ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Rembrandt_-_Self_portrait_etching_-_ISGM.jpg

"Christ in the Storm on the Sea of Galilee," only known seascape by Dutch Golden Age painter Rembrandt van Rijn, has shared dates of creation and of theft with two other Rembrandt artworks; about two months separate Isabella Stewart Gardener's purchases of "A Lady and Gentleman in Black" and of Rembrandt's only known seascape: Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons @ https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rembrandt_Christ_in_the_Storm_on_the_Lake_of_Galilee.jpg

1894 oil on canvas portrait of "Isabella Stewart Gardner in Venice" by Swedish artist Anders Zorn (Feb. 18, 1860-Aug. 22, 1920); Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum: Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons @ https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Zorn,_Anders_-_Isabella_Stewart_Gardner_in_Venice_-_1894.jpg

For further information:

"18 U.S. Code § 668 - Theft of Major Artwork." Cornell University Law School > Legal Information Institute > U.S. Code > Title 18 > Part I > chapter 31 > 668.
Available @ https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/668?quicktabs_8=1#quicktabs-8

Baker, Billy. 10 March 2015. "Gardener Keeps Gardner Museum's Atrium in Bloom." Boston Globe > Metro.
Available @ https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2015/03/09/gardener-keeps-gardner-atrium-bloom/bbSZctlMtkEDy9UDYWrO4K/story.html

Boston Landmarks Commission. Report on the Potential Designation of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum as a Landmark under Chapter 772 of the Acts of 1975, as Amended.
Available @ https://www.cityofboston.gov/images_documents/ISGM%20Study%20Report%20as%20Amended_tcm3-39717.pdf

"Collection." Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum.
Available @ http://www.gardnermuseum.org/collection

FBI. 15 November 2005. "FBI Announces Top Ten Art Crimes." Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) > News > Stories > 2005 > November.
Available via FBI @ https://archives.fbi.gov/archives/news/stories/2005/november/topten_art111505

FBI. 8 March 2013. "Gardner Museum in Boston Offering $5 Million Reward for Stolen Art." YouTube.
Available @ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6DpD1HbcFfQ

FBI Boston Division. "Boston FBI Continues Hunt for Stolen Artwork." Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) > Boston Division > Press Releases > 2010.
Available via FBI @ https://archives.fbi.gov/archives/boston/press-releases/2010/bs031510.htm

FBI Boston Division. "FBI Provides New Information Regarding the 1990 Isabella Stewart Gardner Art Heist." Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) > Boston Division > Press Releases > 2013.
Available via FBI @ https://archives.fbi.gov/archives/boston/press-releases/2013/fbi-provides-new-information-regarding-the-1990-isabella-stewart-gardner-museum-art-heist

"The Gardner Museum Theft." Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) > FBI Top Ten Art Crimes.
Available @ https://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/5-million-reward-offered-for-return-of-stolen-gardner-museum-artwork

"Johannes Vermeer: The Complete Works." Vermeer Foundation.
Available @ http://www.vermeer-foundation.org/

Marriner, Derdriu. 13 January 2017. "Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum Art Theft: Rembrandt Seascape." Earth and Space News. Friday.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2017/01/isabella-stewart-gardner-museum-art_13.html

Marriner, Derdriu. 6 January 2017. "Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum Art Theft: Rembrandt Self-Portrait." Earth and Space News. Friday.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2017/01/isabella-stewart-gardner-museum-art.html

Mashberg, Tom. March 1998. "Stealing Beauty." Vanity Fair > Culture.
Available @ http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/1998/03/biggest-art-heist-us-history

Mashberg, Tom. 26 February 2015. "Isabella Stewart Gardner Heist: 25 Years of Theories." New York Times > Arts > Art & Design.
Available @ http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/01/arts/design/isabella-stewart-gardner-heist-25-years-of-theories.html?_r=0

Murphy, Shelley. 17 March 2015. "Search for Artworks from Gardner Heist Continues 25 Years Later." Boston Globe > Metro.
Available @ https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2015/03/17/gardner-museum-art-heist-one-boston-most-enduring-mysteries-years-later/9U3tp1kJMa4Zn4uClI1cdM/story.html

"Reputed Mobster Arrested, Reportedly Tried to Fence Gardner Museum Art." The Boston Globe > Posted Apr 17, 2015 at 3:14 PM > Updated Apr 18, 2015 at 10:52 PM.
Available @ http://www.telegram.com/article/20150417/NEWS/304179654

"Thirteen Works: Explore the Gardner's Stolen Art." Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum > Resources > Theft.
Available @ http://www.gardnermuseum.org/resources/theft

Thomson, Jason. 3 May 2016. "Isabella Stewart Gardner Theft: Is the Massive Art Heist About to be Solved?" The Christian Science Monitor > USA > USA Update.
Available @ http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/USA-Update/2016/0503/Isabella-Stewart-Gardner-theft-Is-the-massive-art-heist-about-to-be-solved

WBUR. 12 March 2009. "Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum Heist." YouTube.
Available @ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=irBRWMMHOI8

WBUR. 19 March 2010. "'A Lady and Gentleman in Black' by Rembrandt van Rijn.'" YouTube.
Available @ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2iHf8dmQYbg

Williams, Paige. March 2010. "The Art of the Story." Boston Magazine > Gardner Museum > Gardner Museum Theft.
Available @ http://www.bostonmagazine.com/2010/03/gardner-heist/3/

Wednesday, January 18, 2017

Orion's Belt Asterism Distinctively Dominates Winter Skies

Summary: With three fairly evenly spaced stars, Orion's Belt asterism distinctively dominates winter skies December to February in the Northern Hemisphere.

Orion's Belt asterism with reddish arc of Barnard's Loop (center); “Orion Head to Toe,” October 2010: Rogelio Bernal Andreo, CC BY SA 3.0 Unported, via Wikimedia Commons

Orion's Belt asterism, which comprises three bright, fairly evenly spaced, massive stars, distinctively dominates winter skies December to February in the Northern Hemisphere.

The recognizable pattern of stars that is known as an asterism may comprise participants in an official constellation or borrowings from more than one constellation. Orion's Belt asterism lies about midway down the length of the hourglass-shaped constellation. Its conspicuous location dramatizes Orion the Hunter as the dominant constellation in the Northern Hemisphere's winter skies.

The three bright, second-magnitude stars that define the Orion's Belt asterism appear in a fairly evenly spaced alignment that dips diagonally from west to east. The trio's bluish-white color emphasizes their nearly precise alignment against the dark backdrop of naked eye astronomy as well as against telescopic astronomy's colorful deep sky objects, such as the gigantic arc of emission nebula Barnard's Loop.

Mintaka is a double star in a multiple star system. Bluish-white variable star Mintaka marks the westernmost position in Orion's Belt. Because it lies only a quarter of a degree south of the celestial equator, which is the projection of Earth's equator onto the imaginary celestial sphere that surrounds Earth, Mintaka is the first of the asterismal belt's trio to rise and to set.

Mintaka's advantageous placement qualifies it for equatorial star status. Because the celestial equator's intersections with the horizon line always occur at the due east and due west points of the compass, an equatorial star's rising and setting indicate due east and due west, respectively.

Mintaka ranks seventh among Orion the Hunter constellation's seven brightest main stars. It is the dimmest of the trio in Orion's Belt asterism.

Mintaka's Bayer designation, devised by stellar designator and celestial cartographer Johann Bayer (1572-March 7, 1625), is Delta Orionis (δ Orionis; Delta Ori; δ Ori). Its popular name derives from an Arabic word, al mintaqa, referencing the belt worn by al-Jauza (“the Central One”), a mysterious female figure discerned by Arab astronomy in western astronomy's constellation of Orion.

Blue-white, slightly variable supergiant Alnilam occupies the middle of Orion's Belt asterism. It is the brightest of the belt trio and ranks fourth among Orion the Hunter's seven brightest stars. Unlike its two belt neighbors, Alnilam is only a single star.

Alnilam's Bayer designation is Epsilon Orionis (ε Orionis; Epsilon Ori; ε Ori). The popular name for the belt's central star derives from an Arabic word translated as “string of pearls.”

Alnitak marks the easternmost point of the Orion's Belt asterism. Alnitak is the second brightest of the belt trio and holds fifth place in the ranking of the equatorial constellation's seven brightest stars.

As with Mintaka, Alnitak is actually a multiple star system. The primary star is a hot blue-white supergiant that is the brightest of the rare class of O-type main-sequence stars. Its close binary companion is a blue dwarf. A third star, shining at fourth magnitude, orbits the primary star every 1,500 years. A fourth star, shining at ninth magnitude, remains unconfirmed as gravitationally bound to the Alnitak system.

Alnitak's Bayer designation is Zeta Orionis (ζ Orionis; Zeta Ori; ζ Ori). Its popular name derives from an Arabic word translated as “belt,” referencing, as with Mintaka, the mysterious female figure discerned by Arab astronomy in the stars of Orion, in combination with some stars from western astronomy's Gemini the Twins constellation.

The takeaway for the Orion's Belt asterism is its distinctive dominance of the Northern Hemisphere's winter skies from December to February as an aesthetically pleasing, easily findable and immediately recognizable trio of blue whiteness.

Acknowledgment

My special thanks to talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet.

Image credits:

Orion's Belt asterism with reddish arc of Barnard's Loop (center); “Orion Head to Toe,” October 2010: Rogelio Bernal Andreo, CC BY SA 3.0 Unported, via Wikimedia Commons @ https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Orion_Head_to_Toe.jpg;
Astronomy Picture of the Day 2010 October 23, via NASA APOD @ https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap101023.html

Precisely spaced diagonal alignment of three bright stars, Mintaka, Alnilam and Alnitak, define Orion's Belt asterism; credit Davide De Martin & the ESA/ESO/NASA Photoshop FITS Liberator: CC BY 4.0 International, via ESA Hubble @ https://www.spacetelescope.org/projects/fits_liberator/fitsimages/davidedemartin_12/

For further information:

Constellation Guide Admin. “Orion’s Belt.” Constellation Guide.
Available @ http://www.constellation-guide.com/orions-belt/

Espenak, Fred. “Alnilam.” AxtroPixels > Stars.
Available @ http://astropixels.com/stars/Alnilam-01.html

Espenak, Fred. “Alnitak.” AstroPixels > Stars.
Available @ http://astropixels.com/stars/Alnitak-01.html

Espenak, Fred. “Mintaka.” AstroPixels > Stars.
Available @ http://astropixels.com/stars/Mintaka-01.html

“Fixed Star: Mintaka.” Constellations of Words > Stars.
Available @ http://www.constellationsofwords.com/stars/Mintaka.html

Howell, Elizabeth. “Orion’s Belt: String of Stars & Region of Star Birth.” Space.com > Science & Astronomy. Dec. 20, 2014.
Available @ http://www.space.com/28072-orions-belt.html

Howell, Elizabeth. “What Are the Stars in Orion’s Belt?” Universe Today. Dec. 23, 2015.
Available @ http://www.universetoday.com/85736/orions-belt-stars/

Kaler, James B. (Jim). “Alnilam (Epsilon Orionis).” University of Illinois Astronomy > Stars > Star of the Week.
Available @ http://stars.astro.illinois.edu/sow/alnilam.html

Kaler, James B. (Jim). “Alnitak (Zeta Orionis).” University of Illinois Astronomy > Stars > Star of the Week.
Available @ http://stars.astro.illinois.edu/sow/alnitak.html

Kaler, James B. (Jim). “Mintaka (Delta Orionis).” University of Illinois Astronomy > Stars > Star of the Week.
Available @ http://stars.astro.illinois.edu/sow/mintaka.html

Marriner, Derdriu. “Orionid Meteor Shower: Late October Peak of Debris From Comet Halley.” Earth and Space News. Saturday, Oct. 17, 2015.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2015/10/orionid-meteor-shower-late-october-peak.html

Marriner, Derdriu. “Winter Hexagon Asterism Gathers Six Stars From Six Constellations.” Earth and Space News. Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2017.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2017/01/winter-hexagon-asterism-gathers-six.html

“Orion Constellation.” Solar System Quick Astronomy Guide > Universe.
Marriner, Derdriu. “Winter Triangle Is Asterism Within Winter Hexagon Asterism.” Earth and Space News. Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2017.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2017/01/winter-triangle-is-asterism-within.html

McClure, Bruce. “Orion’s Belt and the Celestial Bridge.” EarthSky > Tonight. Dec. 5, 2016.
Available @ http://earthsky.org/tonight/orions-belt-and-the-celestial-bridge

“Orion Constellation.” Solar System Quick Astronomy Guide > Universe.
Available @ http://www.solarsystemquick.com/universe/orion-constellation.htm

“Orion Constellation.” Solar System Quick Astronomy Guide > Universe.
United States Air Force. U.S. Air Force Survival Handbook. New York NY: Skyhorse Publishing Inc., 2008.

“Orion Constellation.” Solar System Quick Astronomy Guide > Universe.
vrecinto. “Melemele (Mintaka of Orion) Shows Us Due West When It Sets.” 'Imiloa Astronomy Center of Hawaii > General Information. June 3, 2011.
Available @ http://blog.imiloahawaii.org/general-information/melemele-mintaka-of-orion-shows-us-due-west-when-it-sets/

Monday, January 16, 2017

Roméo et Juliette Is the Jan. 21, 2017, Metropolitan Opera Saturday Matinee Broadcast

Summary: The Jan. 21, 2017, Metropolitan Opera Saturday matinee broadcast is Roméo et Juliette, a five-act, Shakespeare-based opera by Charles-François Gounod.

Gounod's Roméo et Juliette airs as the Jan. 21, 2017, Saturday matinee broadcast during the 2016-2017 Met Opera season: New York Times Arts @nytimesarts, via Twitter Jan. 1, 2017

Roméo et Juliette, a five-act opera, based on William Shakespeare’s tragedy concerning young love, by French composer Charles-François Gounod (June 17, 1818-Oct. 18, 1893) is the Jan. 21, 2017, Metropolitan Opera Saturday matinee broadcast.

French librettists Paul Jules Barbier (March 8, 1825-Jan. 16, 1901) and Michel Carré (Oct. 20, 1821-June 27, 1872) wrote the French libretto. The literary source is The Tragedie of Romeo and Juliet by English actor, playwright and poet William Shakespeare (baptized Aprl 26, 1564-April 23, 1616). Shakespeare is thought to have written the famous tragedy between 1591 and 1595.

The premiere of Gounod’s ninth opera took place April 27, 1867. The venue was Théâtre du Châtelet, the opera house of Théâtre Lyrique, a mid-19th century Parisian opera company.

Théâtre du Châtelet was located on the east side of Place du Châtelet, on the borderline between Paris’s 1st and 4th arrondissements (le 1er et le 4e arrondissements de Paris), on the right bank of the Seine.

Designed by French architect Jean-Antoine-Gabriel Davioud (Oct. 30, 1824-April 6, 1881), Théâtre du Châtelet replaced Théâtre Historique, the company’s previous opera house. Located on Boulevard du Temple, which separates the 3rd arrondissement from the 11th (le 3e arrondissment du 11e), Théâtre Historique was destroyed in 1863 to make way for the Place de la République, as part of the Second French Empire renovation of Paris by Baron Georges-Eugène Haussmann (March 27, 1809-Jan. 11, 1891).

On May 21, 1871, Théâtre du Châtelet, also known as Salle du Théâtre Lyrique, was almost completely destroyed by a fire during the Paris Commune’s rule over Paris from March 18 to May 28, 1871. Rebuilt and reopened in 1874, but no longer used as Théâtre Lyrique’s opera house, the building underwent names changes until acquiring its current name, Théâtre de la Ville, in 1968.

As with Shakespeare’s tragedy, Gounod and his librettists set Roméo et Juliette in Verona, Veneto, northeastern Italy. For the 2016-2017 season’s production of the tragic opera, the Metropolitan Opera fast forwards the time to the 18th century.

The Saturday matinee broadcast of Roméo et Juliette begins at 1 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (6 p.m. Coordinated Universal Time). The estimated run time for the performance is about 2 hours 56 minutes. The performance, sung in the original French, comprises five acts and one intermission.

Acts I, II and III/1 are timed at 75 minutes. A 30-minute intermission follows Act III/1.

Acts III/2, IV and V timed at 71 minutes. The Saturday matinee broadcast performance ends with Act V’s final notes.

Gianandrea Noseda conducts December and January performances, including the Saturday matinee broadcast, of Roméo Juliette. His birthplace is Milan, Lombardy, northwestern Italy. The Milanese conductor debuted in the Metropolitan Opera’s 2002 production of War and Peace by Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev (April 23, 1891-March 5, 1953).

Gianandrea Noseda shares the Roméo et Juliette conductor’s baton this season with Emmanuel Villaume, who conducts the opera’s March performances. Emmanuel Villaume was born in Strasbourg, Grand Est, northeastern France. The French conductor debuted in the Metropolitan Opera’s 2004 production of Madama Butterfly by Giacomo Antonio Domenico Michele Secondo Maria Puccini (Dec. 22, 1858-Nov. 29, 1924).

Diana Damrau appears as star-crossed Juliette. Her birthplace is Günzburg, Bavaria, southeastern Germany. The German operatic soprano debuted at the Metropolitan Opera in 2005 as Zerbinetta in Ariadne auf Naxos (“Ariadne on Naxos”) by German composer Richard Georg Strauss (June 11, 1864-Sept. 8, 1949). This season Diana Damrau also appears Elvira in I Puritani by Italian opera composer Vincenzo Bellini (Nov. 3, 1801-Sept. 23, 1835).

Diana Damrau shares the role of Juliette this season with Amanda Woodbury and Pretty Yende. Diana Damrau appears in the December and most of the January performances, including the Saturday matinee broadcast.

Amanda Woodbury appears in the Jan. 25 performance. She was born in Crestwood, Oldham County, northern Kentucky. The American soprano debuted at the Metropolitan Opera in 2015 as Tebaldo in Don Carlo by Italian operatist Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi (Oct. 10, 1813-Jan. 27, 1901).

Pretty Yende appears in the March performances of Roméo et Juliette. Her birthplace is Piet Retief, Mpumalanga province, eastern South Africa. The South African operatic soprano debuted at the Metropolitan Opera in 2013 as Adèle in Le Comte Ory by Gioachino Antonio Rossini (Feb. 29, 1792-Nov. 13, 1868). This season Pretty Yende also appears as Rosina in Rossini’s Il Barbiere di Siviglia and as Elvira in Bellini’s I Puritani.

Vittorio Grigolo appears as star-crossed Roméo. He was born in Arezzo, Toscana (Tuscany), north central Italy. The Italian operatic tenor debuted at the Metropolitan Opera in 2010 as Rodolfo in Puccini’s La Bohème. This season Vittorio Grigolo also appears in the title role of Werther by Jules Émile Frédéric Massenet (May 12, 1842-Aug. 13, 1912).

Vittorio Grigolo shares the role of Roméo this season with Stephen Costello. Vittorio Grigolo appears in the December and January performances, including the Saturday matinee broadcast, of Gounod’s ninth opera.

Stephen Costello appears in the opera’s March performances. His birthplace is Philadelphia, southeastern Pennsylvania. The American operatic tenor debuted at the Metropolitan Opera in 2007 as Arturo in Lucia di Lammermoor by Italian opera composer Domenico Gaetano Donizetti (Nov. 29, 1797-April 8, 1848). This season Stephen Costello also appears as the womanizing Duke of Mantua in Verdi’s Rigoletto.

Elliot Madore appears as Mercutio, Roméo’s friend. He was born Toronto, southern Ontario, east central Canada. The Canadian lyric baritone debuted at the Metropolitan Opera in 2011 as Lysander in The Enchanted Island, a pastiche (pasticcio) of baroque composers’ music by British theatre director and lyricist Jeremy Sams.

Elliot Madore shares the role of Mercutio this season with Yunpeng Wang. Elliot Madore appears in the December and January performances, including the Saturday matinee broadcast, of Roméo et Juliette.

Yunpeng Wang appears as Mercutio in the opera’s March performances. His birthplace is Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, southeastern China. The Chinese baritone debuted at the Metropolitan Opera in 2014 as Fiorello in Rossini’s Il Barbiere di Siviglia.

Virginie Verrez appears in the trouser role of Stéphano, Roméo’s page. She was born in Saint-Denis, Réunion, southwestern Indian Ocean. The French mezzo-soprano debuted at the Metropolitan Opera in 2016 as the Musician in Puccini’s Manon Lescaut. She also appears this season as Enrichetta in Bellini’s I Puritani.

Virginie Verrez shares the trouser role this season with Paula Murrihy. Virginia Verrez appears in the opera’s December and January performances, including the Saturday matinee broadcast.

Paula Murrihy appears in the opera’s March performances. Her birthplace is County Kerry, South West Ireland. The Irish mezzo-soprano’s appearance as Stéphano marks her Metropolitan Opera debut.

Mikhail Petrenko appears as Frère Laurent, the Franciscian friar who conducts the secret marriage of Roméo and Juliette and who provides Juliette with the sleeping draught that temporarily places her in a deathlike state. He was born in St. Petersburg, northwestern Russia. The Russian bass debuted at the Metropolitan Opera in 2002 as Bolkonsky’s Valet in Prokofiev’s War and Peace. This season Mikhail Petrenko also appears as Don Basilio in Rossini’s Il Barbiere di Siviglia and as the First Nazarene in Richard Strauss’s Salome.

Mikhail Petrenko shares the role of Frère Laurent this season with Matthew Rose. Mikhail Petrenko appears in the opera’s December and January performances, including the Saturday matinee broadcast.

Matthew Rose appears as Frère Laurent in the opera’s March performances. His birthplace is Brighton, East Sussex, South East England. The English operatic bass debuted at the Metropolitan Opera in 2011 as Colline in Puccini’s La Bohème. He also appears this season as Leoporello and as Masetto in Don Giovanni by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Jan. 27, 1756-Dec. 5, 1791).

Operabase, an online database, places Charles-François Gounod at number 21 in a ranking of 1,281 most popular composers for the five seasons from 2011/2012 to 2015/16. Roméo et Juliette places at 65 in the list of 2,658 most popular operas.

The Metropolitan Opera’s 2016 Repertory Report gives performance statistics through Oct. 31. Roméo et Juliette holds place 23. Roméo et Juliette's Metropolitan Opera debut took place April 16, 1884. Prior to the 2016-2017 Met Opera season, the Metropolitan Opera's most recent staging took place during the 2010-2011 Met Opera season.

The takeaway for Roméo et Juliette as the Jan. 21, 2017, Metropolitan Opera Saturday matinee broadcast is the young couple’s unfortunate sacrifice of their unifying love occasioned by the endless feuding of their families, the Capulets and the Montagues.

The 2016-2017 Met Opera season debuts Bartlett Sher's new staging of Gounod's Roméo et Juliette: Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera, via Facebook Jan. 16, 2017

Acknowledgment

My special thanks to talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet.

Image credits:

Gounod's Roméo et Juliette airs as the Jan. 21, 2017, Saturday matinee broadcast during the 2016-2017 Met Opera season: New York Times Arts @nytimesarts, via Twitter Jan. 1, 2017, @ https://twitter.com/nytimesarts/status/815695863276306432

The 2016-2017 Met Opera season debuts Bartlett Sher's new staging of Gounod's Roméo et Juliette: Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera, via Facebook Jan. 16, 2017, @ https://www.facebook.com/MetOpera/photos/a.134969600532.229232.20807115532/10158207249965533/

For further information:

"Composers: Composers Ranked by the Number of Performances of Their Operas Over the Five Seasons 2011/2012 to 2015/16." Operabase > Opera Statistics.
Available @ http://operabase.com/top.cgi?lang=en

Gervais, Suzanne. “Virginie Verrez, une Française en Amérique.” La Lettre du Musicien > 481. June 29, 2016.
Available @ https://www.lalettredumusicien.fr/s/articles/4999_261_virginie-verrez-une-francaise-en-amerique

Metropolitan Opera. “Gallery Met Shorts: Roméo et Juliette.” YouTube. Jan. 21, 2017.
Available @ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jCw-p6qY7H4

Metropolitan Opera. “Roméo et Juliette: Trailer.” YouTube. Dec. 30, 2016.
Available @ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fFPxprxisjc

Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera. "Diana Damrau and Vittorio Grigolo in the title roles of Gounod's Roméo et Juliette. Learn more at bit.ly/2i06ikb. Photo by Ken Howard/Met Opera." Facebook. Jan. 16, 2017.
Available @ https://www.facebook.com/MetOpera/photos/a.134969600532.229232.20807115532/10158207249965533/

New York Times Arts @nytimesarts. “Diana Damrau and Vittorio Grigolo combine chemistry, passion and vocal prowess in 'Roméo et Juliette' at the Met.” Twitter. Jan. 1, 2017.
Available @ https://twitter.com/nytimesarts/status/815695863276306432

“Performances Statistics Through October 31, 2016.” MetOpera Database > The Metropolitan Opera Archives > Repertory Report.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/Database%20Opera%20Statistics.xml

Sunday, January 15, 2017

Helleborus ‘Walhelivor’ Has Green- and Pink-Tinted Ivory White Flowers

Summary: Helleborus ‘Walhelivor,’ by British plant breeder David Tristram, has green- and pink-tinted ivory white flowers and sells as ‘Ivory Prince.’

top view of Helleborus ‘Walhelivor’ in images included in David Tristram’s patent application, filed Monday, May 3, 2004, as application number 10/836139, with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO); United States Plant Patent No. US PP16,199; Date of Patent Jan. 10, 2006; color scans via Plant Patents Image Database, Digital Collections @ University of Maryland Libraries

Helleborus ‘Walhelivor,’ by British plant breeder and nursery owner David Tristram, has green- and pink-tinted ivory white flowers and sells as ‘Ivory Prince’ in Tristram’s Walberton’s® series.

On May 3, 2004, David Tristram filed an application with the United States Patent and Trademark Office for a patent for ‘Walhelivor’ as a Helleborus hybrid. Primary examiner Kent Bell and assistant examiner Louanne Krawczewicz Myers reviewed the application. On Jan. 10, 2006, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office assigned plant patent number 16,199 to Helleborus ‘Walhelivor.’

‘Walhelivor’ originated in a breeding program established in 1980 by David Tristram as owner of Walberton Nursery. His nursery is based in the village and civil parish of Walberton, Arun District, in south England’s West Sussex County. His breeding program aimed for the production of flat-flowered Helleborus cultivars with vigorous growth rates and upright habits.

Tristram’s program entailed assembling and hybridizing various Helleborus plants and seed strains. Seedlings of Helleborus niger, Helleborus x nigercors and Helleborus x ericsmithii were hybridized. The program also included selected seedlings of Helleborus niger ‘Potter’s Wheel,’ a distinct, unpatented variety discovered as a self-sown seedling by the inventor’s father, Major G.H. Tristram.

David Tristram grew each year’s hybridized seedlings to first year flowering and retained promising selections for second year evaluation. In 1995, he selected ‘Walhelivor’ as a single plant from among the year’s promising collection. Thus, the parentage of Helleborus ‘Walhelivor’ is unknown.

Propagation via tissue culture began in 1999. Successive generations retained and truly reproduced the vigorous perennial’s unique features. The hellebore’s distinguishing characteristics include compact and upright form, vigorous growth rate and crop uniformity. Flat, large, prolific flowers open as ivory white, display pink tinges at maturity and age to green.

Tristram’s patent application describes 2-year-old plants grown outdoors in 2-gallon containers in Arroyo Grande, southwestern San Luis Obispo County, central California. Soil preference is deep, fertile and rich with humus.

Sunlight requirements call for moderate to filtered shade. Best performance occurs under deciduous trees.

At two years, ‘Walhelivor’ reaches a height of 46 centimeters (18.11 inches). Its spread, or width, measures 51 centimeters (20.07 inches).

Evergreen foliage comprises three to seven leaflets per leaf. Leaflet shape is ovate, or egg-shaped. Margins are serrated.

Leaflets present a semi-glossy appearance. Their surfaces are described as glabrous, with smooth textures lacking down or hair.

Leaflet lengths range from 7 to 10 centimeters (2.75 to 3.93 inches). Widths range from 3.5 to 6.5 centimeters (1.37 to 2.55 inches).

Upper surfaces of leaflets display color zones of brown green (Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart color 189A) and green grey (RHS 191C). Lower surfaces have color zones of brown green (RHS 191A) and brown purple (RHS 187A).

Nut-shaped floral buds are 1.75 centimeters (0.68 inches) in length. Bud width is 1.25 centimeters (0.49 inches).

Light yellow brown (RHS 158D), brown green (RHS 148D) and brown red (RHS 182B) are all present as individual colors on each bud.

Two oval-shaped bracts subtend, or underlie, each bud. Margins are mostly entire, or smooth, but a few small teeth may be present. Glabrous bract surfaces are smooth and lack down or hair.

Bract width is 1.25 centimeters (0.49 inches). Length is 2.50 centimeters (0.98 inches).

Bracts’ upper surfaces are brown green (RHS 138A). Brown green (RHS 138B) and brown red (RHS 182B) are both present as individual colors on lower surfaces.

side view of Helleborus ‘Walhelivor’ in images included in David Tristram’s patent application, filed Monday, May 3, 2004, as application number 10/836139, with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO); United States Plant Patent No. US PP16,199; Date of Patent Jan. 10, 2006; color scans via Plant Patents Image Database, Digital Collections @ University of Maryland Libraries

Helleborus ‘Walhelivor’ flowers prolifically during its winter and spring blooming season. A 2-year-old plant bears six spikes of 12 flowers each. Flowers have no detectable fragrance.

Nodding flowers, comprising five sepals, are stellate, or star-shaped. Sepals have ovate to orbicular shapes, with rounded apices, or tips.

Upper and lower surfaces of sepals have minute, soft downy hairs, described as puberulent. Margins are smooth, described as entire.

Sepal length measures 2.5 centimeters (0.98 inches) and increases to 3.5 centimeters (1.37 inches) with age. Sepal width measures 2 centimeters (0.78 inches) and increases to 2.5 centimeters (0.98 inches) with age.

Light yellow brown (RHS 158C), brown red (RHS 182B) and brown green (RHS 148D) are all present as individual colors on both upper and lower surfaces over the course of the blooming period.

Flowers retain their shapes for two months. Individual flowers last 10 days on the plant. In fresh, cut arrangements, flowers last five to eight days.

The takeaway for Helleborus ‘Walhelivor’ is that the captivating hellebore with green- and pink-tinted ivory white flowers sells beautifully under the trade name of ‘Ivory Prince’ in David Tristram’s Walberton® series.

In garden: ‘Ivory Prince’ hellebore (Helleborus ‘Walhelivor’) with starch grape hyacinth (Muscari neglectum), Red Butte Garden, Salt Lake City, Utah, Friday, April 20, 2012, 15:32:28: Andrey Zharkikh (andrey-zharkikh), CC BY 2.0 Generic, via Flickr

Acknowledgment

My special thanks to talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet.

Image credits:

Burrell, C. Colston; Judith Knott Tyler. Hellebores: A Comprehensive Guide. Portland OR: Timber Press, 2006.

“Hellebore (Helleborus Walberton’s® Ivory Prince).” The National Gardening Association > Plants Database > Hellebores.
Available @ http://garden.org/plants/view/163613/Hellebore-Helleborus-Walbertons-Ivory-Prince/

“Helleborus Plant Named ‘Walhelivor.’” United States Patent and Trademark Office > Program in Word (PIW). Jan. 10, 2006.
Available @ http://pdfpiw.uspto.gov/.piw?PageNum=0&docid=PP016199

“Helleborus x nigersmithii Ivory Prince.’” Heritage Perennials > Advanced Perennial Search.
Available @ http://www.perennials.com/plants/helleborus-nigersmithii-ivory-prince.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "Helleborus 'COSEH 210' Has Large White Flowers and Sells as 'HGC Joel'®." Earth and Space News. Sunday, Jan. 8, 2017.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2017/01/helleborus-coseh-210-has-large-white.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "Helleborus 'COSEH 740' Has White Flowers and Dark Green Leaves." Earth and Space News. Saturday, Nov. 26, 2016.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2016/11/helleborus-coseh-740-has-white-flowers.html

“A ‘Potted’ History.” Walberton Nursery > History.
Available @ http://www.walberton-nursery.co.uk/history/

“PP16199 -- Helleborus Plant Named ‘Walhelivor.’” University of Maryland > Plant Patents Image Database.
Available @ http://www.lib.umd.edu/plantpatents/id/12165

Rice, Graham. “The Holy Grail of Hellebores!” Royal Horticultural Society’s My Garden > Blogs. Aug. 30, 2008.
Available @ http://mygarden.rhs.org.uk/blogs/graham_rice/archive/2008/08/30/the-holy-grail-of-hellebores.aspx

Rice, Graham; Elizabeth Strangman. The Gardener’s Guide to Growing Hellebores. Newton Abbot, England: David and Charles, 2005.

“Walberton’s® Introductions.” Walberton Nursery.
Available @ http://www.walberton-nursery.co.uk/walbertons-introductions/