National Pi Day is a relatively new holiday, but its namesake is thousands of years old. While some choose to eat pie to commemorate the date, using big round flowers in arrangements is another novel way to memorialize the day. Round ball flowers perfectly illustrate the concept of pi, plus provide visual beauty that perks up any day.
Big Round Flowers and Pi
Mathematicians like Fibonacci, Newton, and Gauss spent much of their lives contemplating ideas like pi. The theory was proven in the 1760’s by Johann Heinrich Lambert. He demonstrated that pi was an irrational number which cannot be expressed as a fraction. Therefore, the circumference of a circle when divided by the diameter is always pi. Serious math lovers would love a representation of the perception of pi in a bouquet of flowers. The symbol is encoded in nature and the patterns of life so what better way to celebrate the theory than round, ball flowers? The symbol pi defines life’s patterns and is represented perfectly in circular flowers.
Types of Round Flowers
Flowers come in all shapes and sizes. Circular flowers are seen in rayed blooms and other forms. A classic example of round, ball flowers can be found in the Allium family. These circular blooms produce a perfect sphere which is adorned with tiny florets. For the most part they are round, purple flowers, but they are also in hues of pink, magenta, and cream. Alliums are in the onion family and have the sharp scent of that group of produce. Buttonbush is another plant that develops flowers in a round shape. The ball-like blooms are fragrant disks arrayed with tubular florets. Very unique and definitely circular in form. Drumstick flower is another excellent ball shaped bloom with brilliant yellow tones.
Rayed Big Round Flowers
True petals on a flower are not always found in circular blooms but do occur in plants like dahlias and some primroses. A sunflower is round for the most part but decorated with the bright gold petals. Round, purple flowers like asters also demonstrate the concept of pi. A really fun variety of primrose, Primula denticulata, is a glorious explanation of pi. The flowers are actually individual small blooms arranged in a sphere. Almost perfectly circular, they come in tones of white, purple, and pink, with a yellow center. Celebrating March 14th with flowers is a great way to represent the mathematical concept, while enjoying your favorite blossoms.
