For those who saw the movie “Love Happens” and were wondering about the reference to “phlangium,” here is expert input from Teleflora’s Marie Ackerman. Marie replied to a consumer who asked the question on the teleflora.com feedback form. The info was then circulated among curious TF colleagues.
Hi Susan,
I am responding to a message you sent through Teleflora.com about the flowers in the movie “Love Happens.” I was the designer on set from Teleflora for some of the shooting of the movie and the flower name you are asking about is a fictitious flower – called a “phlangium.” Remember this is Hollywood!!
The writer of the movie selected that name because it was quirky, like some of the other quirky words used in the film. In researching it prior to the film we found an old classification of a flower with a similar spelling that was close.
The flower was reclassified (something that botanists do occasionally) around 1908 to another name. When trying to find something similar to the original, we recommended “Ornithogalum thyrosoides” (Common name: Star of Bethlehem) as the closest commercially cultivated/available flower.
The great news is Star of Bethlehem is a great long-lasting flower that you can order from any Teleflora florist. You may need to place your order several days in advance to get them.
Thanks for your interest in the film. Weren’t the flowers beautiful?!
Marie Ackerman, AIFD
