Just about as good as it gets

This beautifully crafted Anemone
would be a lovely component of
any arrangement. It faithfully captures
the essence of the living bloom.

Now we examine an example which I believe typifies quality grade number 5.  I have chosen a stem of purple Poppy Anemone to analyze. While our previous examples were made of polyester fabric that was probably pre-dyed before the petals were cut, it is obvious that much more care went into the fabrication of this specimen. The first impression is that we are looking at real petals. (A botanist would say that this flower does not have petals -- that, technically, they are called tepals. There is a difference between tepals and petals, and the Anemone has tepals. I won’t expound on the scientific distinction, but will discuss this, and future examples, in common usage terms.)

The petals look real for a number of reasons. First, we don’t see evidence of the material from which they are made. There are no frayed edges. There is no coarse weave. The fabric used to make these petals was probably silk, rayon or a blend of such quality fabrics. There may even be some polymer coating. Second, the shape and contours of the petals seem natural. Each has its own irregularities in outline and surface warp. Third, the colors are nuanced. These petals were made from white fabric and hand painted. Finally, the play of light off the surface of the petals contributes to luminosity, unlike the saturated hues of the lesser quality examples.

The side view shows the leaves and stem in detail. Here, again, the textures and shapes appear real, but the botanical accuracy is questionable. The calyx-like leaves immediately beneath the blossom do not belong there, according to my research. The whorl of small leaves further down the stem is authentic. The stem, itself, displays a realistic texture: a decided improvement over the obviously plastic stems of the lower grades.

A side view of the anemone.
The stem and leaf whorl look
authentic. I question the
accuracy of the calyx-like element
at the base of the blossom.

Our anemone has its flaws. In profile, we see there has been little improvement upon our earliest examples in connecting the blossom to the stem. This crude mechanism does the job and is effectively hidden when silk stems are assembled in an arrangement. It creates problems when the blossom must stand on its own or is an outlier in the arrangement. Still, it is a very clean, discreet attachment. Also, when we see the blossom face on, the light reflected off the black center is unnatural and reveals the synthetic nature of this component.

Still, this is a beautiful specimen. Maybe it should only be graded a 4.8 and our previous example graded a 4.2, so there may not be an entire degree of differentiation between them. This grading system will be a little subjective at times and, certainly, the quality of all artificial stems are not going to conveniently correspond to whole number values on the continuum of this scale. Use it as a guide when evaluating faux botanicals.

Next week will complete our overview, with an examination of  the highest quality stems available.