Oops. I bumped my knee cap on the fence post, just right there, near the Biodiversity Pond pathway, but I don’t even care.
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Late afternoon at Dubbo Regional Botanic Gardens, Elizabeth Park with Blakely’s red gum and ironbark shadows moderating the heat.
Nearby a stream cascades down over a rock, producing the most delectable sound as it descended. It looked from a distance, in a certain light, like a spray of fine quicksilver (mercury).
This, then, was the place to which I came; and after gazing all around I extolled (to myself) its marvellous beauty, seeing the limpid pool shimmering beside the tall trees. There was a little glade of a clearing dotted with purple darling pea and yellow pepper bush, all protected from the road nearby by said trees and Acacia implexa in a thicket. Suddenly I noticed them. At first I thought I was delusional. You see, I had eaten half a packet of dark chocolate. I can still see myself peeling back the silver foil and licking my lips. It was promoted as 90 per cent cocoa and guaranteed to give you a lift, a push through the day. Maybe my increased nervous energy caused me to hit my knee? Maybe the cocoa was also why I didn’t care? The big surprise was the presence of two 40cm high bulbous herbs with strap leaves, and a terminal head of 12 tubular flowers of pink with yellow centres.
Inside were another 12 buds ready to open. I had never seen the like before.
After consulting our head gardener, who in turn inquired of our nursery supplier, we found out what our mystery plant was. It is in the Amaryllidacae family along with Crinum. The name? You want the name don’t you?
It is the Garland Lily, Calostemma purpureum. It resembles a small Belladonna Lily. Our information board lists types of plants growing near water. Included is amphibious which describes those which tolerate inundation and drying: our Calostemma. Two years ago I planted Chocolate Lily in the exact spot of our Garland Lilies. Obviously there was a mix-up.
Anyway, I had enough chocolate in me to make up for it. Yes indeed, our little glade is loving it.