Magical blooms - the Houdini rose....

I recently received a bouquet of Houdini roses. Try as I might, I can find no explanation for the name or origins of this type of hybrid. As Houdini was a master of illusion, maybe the name refers to the strange visual effect of these flowers. 

These roses resemble the layered tissue-paper petals of the Ranunculus head, but in the Houdini rose, the central 'petticoat' produces what looks like a cluster of hazelnut husks. The result is very strange; green, feathery forms burst out in an aesthetic, but artificial way...

Hazelnut burrs

The only link I could find between Houdini and flowers is an interest in Spiritualism shared by the Handcuff King himself and the Flower Medium, Anna Rothe. The latter was a German apport psychic, who would materialize flowers and fruit during séances of the occult but faced trial for fraud at the turn of the century. Houdini attended the court proceedings.

Ranunculus head.

Whatever the mysterious background behind the creation of this particular rose, the result is truly magical...