Welcome to our Top Picks blog series, where we share personal favorites and top picks of our Founder, Tony Argento and President and CEO, Gina Argento! The Top Picks cover a wide range of subjects, from movies, books, and cuisine, to flora, fauna, music and more!  Whether you're looking for inspiration, knowledge, entertainment, or just curious, we've got you covered. So, join us and learn about the amazing leaders at Broadway Stages. Let’s dive in!

This month we look at the incredible world of blossoms. After all, it’s Earth Month and officially Spring so, we thought it only appropriate to find out about their favorite blooms.  But first, let’s take a quick stroll into the world of flowers.

In botany, the branch of biology that deals with plants, there are four different types of plants including angiosperms or flowering plants, and there are three primary kinds of flowers, namely, annual, perennial, and biennials.  You can also find the annual/ perennial hybrid as well a flowering shrubs and trees. You can learn more about the difference of each kind of flower in Bioexplorer. 

The Encyclopedia of Life (EOL) reports that flowering plants “are the largest grouping within the plant kingdom in terms of the numbers of described species.” They go on to say that over 250,000 species of flowering plant have been named, but given that new species are identified annually, there may be as many as 400,000 species!  With approximately 450 families of flowering plants, it is difficult to single out even a few of the most intriguing, but EOL gives us a list of “some of the most important and diverse (and delicious!).”

The composite or daisy family (Asteraceae) has about 24,000 named species and may be the largest plant family. The orchid family (Orchidaceae) rivals the daisy family in diversity, with about 17,000 species named. The grass family (Poaceae), with over 10,000 species, includes three of the four most productive human-food plants: rice (Oryza), wheat (Triticum) and maize (Zea). The fourth, the potato (Solanum tuberosum), is a member of the nightshade family (Solanaceae). The bean (or legume) family (Fabaceae, also known as Papilionaceae) includes about 19,000 species, many of which are important in human food because their symbiotic association with certain nitrogen-fixing bacteria leads to unusually high protein content.[1] 

Before we move on to our Top Picks, one last word about the important role that flowers play in the critical realm of pollination. Pollination is the physical transfer of pollen from the male anther of a flower to the female stigma. Learn more about the parts of a flower and how pollination works from the American Museum of Natural History.  The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) says that “virtually all of the world’s seed plants need to be pollinated.”  The USDA goes on to say that “pollination… is an essential ecological survival function. Without pollinators, humans and all of earth’s terrestrial ecosystems would not survive.” They estimate that world-wide pollination services are likely worth more than 3 trillion dollars.  Now that’s a lot of petals.  This takes into account the 1,400 crop plants grown around the world, of which almost 80% require pollination by bees and other pollinators.  “In the United States alone, pollination of agricultural crops is valued at 10 billion dollars annually,” reports the USDA.

So, now that we understand how important (and beautiful) flowers are, let’s talk about our Top Picks.  

For Gina, the answer was easy, orchids! There are over 25,000 species of orchids in the world, making them one of the largest families of flowering plants. The way they represent the perfect balance of beauty and complexity has long been a source of inspiration. And what’s not to love?  If you have ever received an orchid, you have experienced first-hand how their petals unfurl slowly each season, revealing intricate patterns and colors that are truly breathtaking. Orchids are also valued for their unusual growth habits. Some species grow on trees or rocks, while others grow in soil or water. 

For Tony, it’s all about the Cherry Blossom. In fact, he planted an ornamental cherry blossom tree in front of the Broadway Stages facility on Meserole Avenue in Brooklyn.  The epitome of spring!  There are over 100 varieties of Cherry Blossom trees.  With varying numbers of petals and blossom colors, each ornamental Cherry Blossom goes through six stages of development.  Learn more here.   The life of the cherry blossom is very short lasting only about two weeks before the blossoms start to fall. But their beauty, albeit short lives, literally make you smile!  If we have tweaked your interest, please read more about the Cherry Blossom on Wikipedia.

So, there you have it, orchids, and cherry blossoms!  A perfect combination to enjoy nature’s beauty inside or out.  Be sure to check back next month for more top picks from Tony & Gina.