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Borago officinalis L.


Borago officinalis L.
Photo Information
Copyright: Jose Rodriguez (jmp) Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1836 W: 94 N: 2338] (8400)
Genre: Plants
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2008-02-29
Categories: Flowers
Camera: Fuji Finepix S9500
Exposure: f/5.0, 1/240 seconds
Photo Version: Original Version, Workshop
Theme(s): Flower(blue) [view contributor(s)]
Date Submitted: 2008-03-01 10:39
Viewed: 1110
Points: 74
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
Borago officinalis L.
(Full view)

Borage (Borraja in Spanish), also known as "starflower" is an annual herb originating in Syria, but naturalized throughout the Mediterranean region, as well as most of Europe, North Africa, and Iran. It grows to a height of 60-100 cm (2-3 feet), and is bristly-hairy all over the stems and leaves.

The flowers are small, blue or pink, with five narrow, triangular-pointed petals. It produces plenty of seeds and thus continues to grow and spread prolifically from where it is first sown or planted. In milder climates, borage will bloom continuously for most of the year.

The leaves have been found to contain small amounts (10 ppm of dried herb) of the liver-toxic pyrrolizidine alkaloids. They taste like fresh cucumber and are used in salads and soups especially in Germany. In the Spanish regions of Aragón and Navarra, it's also a common eaten.

The flower, which contains the non-toxic pyrrolizidine alkaloid thesinine, has a sweet honey-like taste and is often used to decorate desserts and dishes.
Tea made from the dried flowers is a traditional calming drink in Iran. It has a rich purple color that amazingly turns into a bright pink by adding a few drops of lemon juice.

The oil that is extracted from the seeds (marketed as "starflower oil" or "borage oil") is a good source of gamma-linolenic acid.
Borage is also rich in oleic and palmitic acid, conferring a hypocholesterolemic effect. This oil, which has recently been commercialised, may regulate metabolism and the hormonal system, and is considered by many naturopathic practitioners to be a good remedy for PMS and menopause symptoms such as the hot flash. Borage is also sometimes indicated to alleviate and heal colds, bronchitis, and respiratory infections in general for its anti-inflammatory and balsamic properties. The flowers can be prepared in infusion to take advantage of its medicinal properties.
*
In Spain, we have a popular saying about this plant: "to end up into borage water" ("acabar en agua de borrajas"). This expresion means that something that seemed to be significant ends without any importance. This saying is related with the poor nutritional value of the soup made of this plant.


Ref. Wikipedia (English), Wikipedia (Español)
SunToucher, JoseMiguel, nirmalroberts, hester, lgfoto, Alex99, Miss_Piggy, Necipp, fiyo, SelenE, XOTAELE, Adanac, ramthakur, boreocypriensis, jcoowanitwong, peter_stoeckl, anel, cicindela, claudine, marhowie, Juyona has marked this note useful
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ThreadThread Starter Messages Updated
To Tobias__Ortmann: About the workshopjmp 1 03-06 13:09
To Miss_Piggy: Thank you...jmp 1 03-02 11:52
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Critiques [Translate]

Hi Jose,
On the one hand, this flower looks like a delicate soft one, but it also looks like one that can hurt you. Those thorns look pretty sharp.
I like the shining glow and the clarity in this photo. The fact that you showed us the bottom of the flower is very interesting.
TFS,
Niek

nice angle, I also posted asimilar pic some time ago, greetings Ori

Hola José,
Muy bella esa foto! me gusta como se ve bien a foco, con lindo color azul y esos pelillos del tallo. Te quedó re bien
Saludos
Hernán

Excelente enfoque, luz y colorido. Muy buen encuadre.
Un abrazo José

Hola Jose,
Excellent composition of the flora!
perfect sharpness, vivid colour and a fine details in the shot
the lighting is superb here
very well done
muchas gracias
Saludos
Tony

  • Great 
  • lousat Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 1004 W: 6 N: 2717] (10087)
  • [2008-03-01 16:53]

Hi Jose,i like a lot your way to show this flowers,not a usual pic,great idea,thanks for share,Luciano

Hola José Miguel,
Pues por fin conozco como lucen las famosas Borrajas!
Me gusta mucho el punto de vista y la inclusión de los texturados tallos.
Muy bueno el contraste de los suaves tonos del azul, rosado y el verde del fondo.
Que bueno verte de nuevo por aca, y gracias por colgar la foto.
Un gran saludo,
JM

Hi Jose,
This is obviously the most natural angle to look at these beautiful flowers. They are always facing down.
Sharp, well composed, and perfectly exposed close-up.
Thanks for sharing.
- Nirmal

  • Great 
  • hester Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1474 W: 18 N: 2990] (10972)
  • [2008-03-02 3:05]

Hi Jose

I love the back views of these plants - the textured details are wonderful and the colour combinations are lovely. DOF and composition are great

TFS

Karan

Very clean and crisp macro work Jose, very nice colours and composition.TFS

  • Great 
  • Alex99 Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 3046 W: 148 N: 4553] (14701)
  • [2008-03-02 5:27]

Hi Jose.
What a sweet subject and fantastic reproduction of all its details and features. I am impressed with tiny hairs, great DOF and terrific beautiful colours. Framing and composition are brilliant too. Thanks for nice WS. Both pictures give the conception of the beauty of this plant. My greetings and TFS. Well done.
Alexei.

Hallo Jose
Splendid image. Totally different to what we are used to. Focus is super, point of view is super, detail is super +++, depth of field is super. Really a stunning image. The fine hairs especially on the unopened blossoms adds a special touch to this remarkable photo. Lovely bright colour of the flower. I appreciated this one tremendously. Thanks for sharing.
Kind regards
Anna

Hello Jose superb sharp details and DOF was spot on. Nice lively colour. Well composed, excellent note also. tfs rgds Necip

  • Great 
  • fiyo Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 924 W: 5 N: 2259] (8370)
  • [2008-03-02 22:35]

Hello Jose,
Magnificent close up.Well framed and composed.Vivid colors and simple BG are also excellent.TFS

  • Great 
  • sayat Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 271 W: 0 N: 193] (1107)
  • [2008-03-03 6:15]

Amazing shot Dear Jose, all the details and both points of view are fantastic. Thanks a lot for the great note.

  • Great 
  • Dando Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 643 W: 32 N: 790] (3052)
  • [2008-03-03 8:17]

Hi Jose, I love the way you have shown us the underside of this plant to emphasize it's star shape. Excellent details, nicely done.


TFS,

Dean.

  • Great 
  • SelenE Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2352 W: 61 N: 3814] (12240)
  • [2008-03-03 23:13]

Hola Jose,
It is a beautiful flower with a lovely form. I liked the focus, sharpness, colors and the details. Gacias
Un saludo,
Selen

Hi jose,
very good picture
I like the pov the colours and the good contrast
but I will do I wokrhsop for you where I´m trying some thing maybe which have to do better
you will see^^
tfs Toba

Hola José.
Excelentes colores muy bien tratados con una nitidez extraordinaria.
Buena nota.
Un saludo amigo, JL.

  • Great 
  • arfer Gold Star Critiquer [C: 2731 W: 0 N: 0] (0)
  • [2008-03-06 8:35]

Hello Jose

The textures are amazing in this shot.
Wonderful colours with lovely natural lighting.
The focus are razor sharp.
Great job.
TFS

Rob

  • Great 
  • Adanac Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 1051 W: 1 N: 4170] (14008)
  • [2008-03-07 20:05]

Hola Jose,
Wonderful colors, unique composition and superb sharpness make this a great image. Thank you for sharing Jose.
Rick

  • Great 
  • Mana Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1714 W: 24 N: 4988] (16346)
  • [2008-03-08 5:22]

Hola Jose,
Outstanding shot of this beautiful "Starflower" with amazing details and lovely colours. Immaculate sharpness and each bristle is clear and distinct. Superb lighting and exposure management and I like your chosen POV to portray it. A marvellous composition. Kudos.
TFS.
Sumon

Hello José M,
Superb details have been captured in this outstanding specimen!
The hairy stems come out very well, and the blue of the petals is well reproduced...
A fine composition, where the DOF isolates the subject well against the background!
Greetings,
Pablo -

Muy buenas Jose
Y lo buenas que están estas borrajitas..... la verdad es que las flores son muy agradecidas de fotografiar y la foto se ve lo que normalmente no vemos..... el c...
Bonita foto.
Saludos

Hello Jose,
I have been missing your great wild flower pictures, so I looked for you and found this wonderful image of a Star flower.
This picture has all the qualities you excel in, namely, great focus, delicate colour presentation and imaginative composition.
It has been a pleasure to look at this beautiful picture.
Regards and hope you are keeping well.
Ram

Hi Jose
Splendid close-up capture of this beautiful Borrage with excellent details, sharpnes and lighting friend. Well composed.
TFS and regards,

Bayram

Hi Jose,
This is new to me. A flower that facing down. Very nice shot. The star shape is clearly seen. Greta composition. Very well done and tfs.
JC

  • Great 
  • Argus Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2615 W: 133 N: 7512] (23431)
  • [2008-03-16 9:04]

Hola José,
Both the original and the detailed images are worth individual postings. I very much like the POV from above to give the underside view of the hanging flowers of this Borage. This shows excellent sharpness and detail of the flower and stems and the colours and exposure to my mind are excellent, as are the composition and presentation.
This posting deserves more credit and thanks for sharing it,
Un gran saludo,
Ivan

Dear José,
wonderful presentation of that fresh hairy borago and its exquisitely pale blue blossom - seen from behind, and radiating like a star. I like the wealth of details and the elegant composition. Thank you!
My best regards,
Peter

Hola Jose.

Que buena te quedo por el reves, con tanto pelillo resulta muy llamativa la florecilla azul.

Saludos.
Jose Luis.

  • Great 
  • anel Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 1175 W: 0 N: 1980] (8407)
  • [2008-03-18 3:06]

Bonjour Jose,
Intéressante présentation de cette bourrache bien poilue avec sa belle forme en étoile. J'ai toujours pensé qu'elle était une plante d'origine européenne. L'expression "acabar en agua de borrajas" est bien amusante.
Un bonjour depuis la Suisse
Amitiés
Anne

Dear Jose!
What a blue, wonderful flower! I have not seen this species before (or at least - I not not remember :>). I like very unique and original POV - flower is showed from "different" that typical side. Sharpness and DOF are very good (really as always in your botanical presentation). Moreover, once again I found something new for me in the note.
All the best!
Radomir

Hi Jose,
I'm not sure but I think I may have seen this flower in 5 stars restaurants here (I might be mistaken tough)... I prefer to see it alive like in this beautiful picture! What an excellent composition with superb colors, excellent details and exposure. Thanks for those interesting and well documented notes :)!
Claudine

Hello Jose !
I know this flowers, some people are growing it in gardens and it's excellent with salad, I didn't know it was growing in the wild too, but well, that's what I like on TN, each day I learn something new. The details are amazing, each little hair is sharp. The blue color of the flower is wonderful too, as well as the composition, the POV and the light. Very well done !
Valerie.

Great image Jose, I like it.
The detail is outstanding, as well as the color, light, and composition. I also like this POV which appears to be from the backside (but is not), showing the flowers unique structure famously :)
Howard

Hi Jose, great macro of wonderful flowers with splendid colors and great details, very well done, Happy Easter, ciao Silvio

  • Great 
  • Juyona Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 2043 W: 6 N: 2025] (13279)
  • [2008-04-09 13:27]

Hola amigo otra vez,
vi esta flor la semana pasada en un lugar de Tenerife, llamado La Esperanza,
pero te felicito por el trabajo hermoso que nos presentas, el lado trasero de la flor, no lo había pensado y queda la mar de bonita,
buen trabajo color y superoriginal pov. saludos José.

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