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Image: scott.zona |
But that's no excuse for neglecting their absolutely amazing flowers!
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Image: fuzzyjay |
It wasn't until the 1970s and 80s when scientists finally pulled their fingers out, pulled their socks up and finally started really looking for more Aspidistras. Now more than 100 species are known, most of them in southern China, though others live in India, Japan and various countries in between.
Even as scientists and explorers were neglecting Aspidistras in their native habitat, the general public was importing them so they could neglect them at home.
The so-called Cast-iron Plant (A. elatior) was a particularly popular houseplant in Victorian England, where its luxuriously glossy green leaves and manageable 60 cm (2 foot) height added a bit of exotic colour to gloomy homes. And, despite their tropical foliage, they could actually do pretty well there, too.
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Image: Bahamut Chao A. attenuata |
All of which meant Aspidistras could survive in gloomy, chilly, Victorian houses. It turned out they could even shake off the ill effects of noxious oil lamp fumes that could leave lesser plants yellowed and withered.
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Image: justinleif Cast-iron Plant (A. elatior) flowers |
I suppose it's not that surprising. While Aspidistras blossom every year, their flowers are small and bloom half-buried in the soil. These are no daffodils or bluebells where it looks like the only reason for the green bits is to get that flower up and reaching for the sky. Aspidistra flowers are overshadowed by their own verdant leaves, even smothered and covered by the leaf litter. You have to get on your hands and knees to get a good look at them and, in the wild, even brush aside several handfuls of dead leaves...
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Image: scott.zona |
A. grandiflora is aptly named. It comes from Vietnam and got its name as recently as 2007! Can you believe that we've all been missing out on this thing all that time? It has tentacles for goodness sake! That's what neglect gets you, almost two centuries of unknown tentacles. Tragedy.
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Image: scott.zona |
You know how a broken clock is right twice a day? Well, A. grandiflora is like a clock with twelve hands, so it's right every hour of the day. Each one of those tentacles or clock hands or lobes is some 5 to 6 cm (2-2.4 in) long. It also puts me in mind of some of the best abominations among the Stinkhorn Mushrooms. Which, it turns out, is the right train of thought.
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Image: Bahamut Chao |
But then scientists pulled their fingers out and pulled their socks up and travelled to Japan, the native home of the Cast-iron Plant, A. elatior itself. They watched Cast-iron Plants in their own habitat for two years, logging all the visitors and taking note of the results.
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Image: yamatsu Cast-iron Plant (A. elatior) flowers |
Fungus gnats are poor, slow fliers who spend a lot of time on their feet, scurrying over the soil. Aspidistra flowers are perfectly placed to attract them. And if you think those flowers look like mushrooms, you're completely right! Even fungus gnats think so, and surely they're the experts?
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Image: mutolisp |
Good grief! It took us almost two centuries to figure this stuff out and it's not even clear that it holds true for all the other species. Who knows what crazy things could be going on out there? It's nice to Keep the Aspidistra Flying but sometimes you have to part the foliage, look down and take stock of what's going on beyond those glossy leaves.
10 comments:
the flowers with tentacles look like anemones
second post in a row...wooo...(edited. not sure how I typed fairy in place of hairy XD)
the next critter you should research is the ribbed newt. it's in the same class as the hairy frog on the freaky scale!!!! (you can thank youtube for revealing the critter to me)
You're right, it does look like a sea anemone. I feel like it really should eat mice or something!
That newt sounds good, I'll check them out. Thanks!
I love weird, ugly-cute flowers like these. The inconspicuous, low-growing flowers make complete sense ecologically for a plant that lives in the bare-bones margins of the forest.
I’ll have to get an Apidistra for my houseplant garden. I certainly have plenty of fungus gnats to pollinate it’s flowers.
I once had Aspudistra elatior in pot blooming, the hues of purple and pink of the flower are as fascinating as its unique shape. In fact I did not know at that time that aspidistras bloom, and I thought I know much on plants.
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