Michigan Jewels of Opar

Jewels of Opar is an airy, branching filler grown for its scatter of tiny pink flowers that ripen into glossy, coppery seed pods held on wiry, almost invisible stems. In a bouquet it does the quiet connecting work, threading movement and a loose, just-gathered lightness between bolder blooms, the kind of effortless sparkle designers prize. Its bright chartreuse foliage adds a fresh green glow at the base of an arrangement.

Despite the storybook name, this is a genuine botanical species, Talinum paniculatum, a heat-loving plant native to the warm southern United States and much of Latin America and the Caribbean, with a long history as an edible salad green, as noted on its Wikipedia entry. It is not a Michigan native, so rather than overwintering here it is grown as a summer annual by our member farmers, only hitting its full, pod-heavy stride once the July heat settles in. That warmth is exactly what pushes it to branch and bead the way florists want.

Jewels of Opar is a poor traveler; the fine stems and delicate pods bruise and shatter over long hauls, which is why you rarely find it in good shape at a supermarket. Because it comes from our collective, member farmers cut it the same morning and it reaches the barn while still crisp, so it actually holds its airy shape in the vase. Reserve a DIY bucket for a wedding or event, add it to a mixed bucket, or ask our floral designers to weave it into an arrangement.