Two Mysteries

There are two mysteries today, though completely unrelated. The first concerns the little elephant. I would provide photographic enhancements - but it (seems genderless) is temporarily lost. Someone put Mr. Elephant in the wash. Was it the urchin? Perhaps Mr. Elephant got tired of being scuffed up and timorously tattered, and surrendered to the washing machine voluntarily. The elephant is the urchin's favorite toy. No question. But the soap and suds treatment alienated the urchin. Such are the deep mysteries of life. However, in a remarkable gesture of forgiveness, the two are once again friends.

The second mystery involves something oddly botanical: Did a silken blossom zigzag down from some exotic tree like a feckless feather or did a flower manage to grow straight out of the ground? Being contrarian, you probably supposed the latter possibility. You found yourself to be correct, but still puzzled. Then you remembered your awesome crocus. Kaemferia rotunda, in fact, is known as the "tropical crocus" for its charming ability to flower without any visible sign of foliage, straight up from the earth. Later, the plant produces purple-red erect stems and is a joy in the garden. It is one of my favorite gingers - perhaps it will be one of yours too.








Kaempferia pulchra. Unless you are a student of Linnaeus or have had evanescent thoughts about entering the Catholic priesthood, you probably don’t know that pulchra, in latin, means beautiful. So, for instance, Urchin pulcherrima means the most beautiful one. You see, it's easy.





Kaemferia pulchra is also known as the "Peacock Ginger."