We’ve only lived where we do, in the outskirts of Tampa, for a couple years. It’s still surprises me how it doesn’t take much of a drive to really be ‘out’ and see some odd stuff. Down some gravel roads, I’ve discovered a couple greenhouses and nurseries that offer magical plants. A few I’ve taken home and experimented with, but others are so strange I’m hesitant…like this one in the nursery display bed under an old live oak.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw one of the petals flap,
and it was a wickedly humid day without any breeze. Besides, it would have
taken a gale to lift a portion of that wide corolla.
What do you think makes this plant magical?
That opening, where all those pistils look so alluring, is
wide enough to take in a small animal. Maybe if a toad hops onto the edge of a
petal, it will be swept inward and closed by the entire corolla, forming a
roof. In the depths of that chamber, the poor toadie would be acted upon by magical
biochemicals on the tips of the anxious pistils and transformed into a prince. In
order to escape, he breaks apart the entire plant. Stored seeds are released
from the torn ovary at the base of the plant, ensuring the magical botanical
cycle continues. The prince would probably remain near the patch, not only
stunned with his transformation, but also hoping other plants might spit out
companions or a lovely princess. (Sorry for the Biology terms, but I spent 17
years teaching that subject, and the scientific words are forever planted in my
vocabulary.)
My degree is in Biology, not magic, so I’m left guessing. Do
you have a different idea about what makes this plant species magical? If so,
please share.
4 comments:
Being an organic gardener for over 40 years, I'm always stunned when I run across a plant I didn't know about. Wow. You got me today.
Interesting too that the plant makes itself attractive, both sight-wise and perfume-wise, to be able to capture and eat.
Hmmm... like in a good romance?
Lure, capture, and eat...sounds like a romance to me, Sharon! Thanks for dropping by.
Hi Marsha,
It's been a long while since I've been over to Magical Monday. What a 'very' interesting looking plant, and it does look like it could devour anything that stumbled into it's folds. I love your topics, keep em coming:)
Sara
Sara, it does look dangerous! I agree. Thanks for stopping in.
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