Hot Lips!
An ode to Earth22.05.2024
This surrealistic plant has not made its way in Greece, the climate is a bit too dry and sandy for its liking. P. elata prefers the hot heat of the tropics and can be found in the understory of rainforests in South America. The plant grows out of rich and humid soil created by the leaf litter from the canopy and overstory trees, the giant and beautiful ones that sway in the wind and house birds of prey. When their leaves fall from grace, they mix and mingle with the soft soil, supplying nutrients and all the stuff needed for a good kiss. It’s humid and hot down there, just the way P.elata likes it.
She’s a psychedelic shrub, a scentless plant. And right before the flowers bloom, the leaves of the P.elata go full romance and form red bracts in the shape of a kiss.
Sadly, humans have gotten a bit too excited by the lips. We’ve overharvested and now P.elata is endangered. So let’s celebrate the earth, sure — live love and laugh — but don’t forget we’re living in a precious ecosystem <3