Cast iron plant

Hi. Has anyone seen the cast iron plant [Aspidistra elator] bloom? Smelled the flowers? I've always considered then funeral parlor plants. Somber. Dark green, erect spear-like leaves. Put them in pots and forget about them--they'll take all sorts of neglect and abuse.

Down here they are used in landscaping in shady areas. And today I discovered three things about them. First they bloom, given the right conditions [which I haven't figured out yet]; the flower looks a lot like a small crinum lily flower, actually a cluster of small tubular flowers.

Second, the fragrance of the flower is fantastic, quite jasmine-like. It is reported to be most fragrant at night, but my source says even during the day one can smell them from 8 feet. The dead one he brought into the office--it had been riding in his truck most of the day--had plenty of fragrance.

And three, their pollinators are [hope you're ready for this] snails and slugs. No wonder they never set seed in funeral parlors.

Guess I'm going to have to plant one of those. But not tomorrow. Tomorrow, I'm going down to ECHO to buy a couple of Brazilian cherries to add to the orchard.



Island Jim
Southwest Florida
Zone 10

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