Aspidistra

 

Aspidistra (Aspidistra eliator)

                                            Aspidistra eliator

Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons

It wasn’t the biggest aspidistra in the world, but it had been growing well in the dining room for several years. Aspidistra has the reputation of being impossible to kill. This summer, that reputation was wrecked, as the hot weather killed it off, assisted by my lack of attention. It had almost reached the point of no return several times in recent years, but this time, it was curtains. Nothing I could do would revive it. I have left the sad remains in the pot. It may surprise me yet, but I’m not overly optimistic.

The cast iron or bar room plant originates in southern Japan, growing in dense shade under trees. The leaves emerge from ground level and the flowers, which appear in summer, are found at ground level, too.

By 2008, ninety-three species of aspidistra had been identified. Among them are plants whose leaves emerge chocolate brown in colour and then turn green, and others with speckled markings.

 It was greatly prized by the Victorians as a symbol of middle-class affluence. It was a plant that could withstand limited sunlight and the poor conditions imposed by open coal fires.

The clip of Gracie Fields singing 'The biggest aspidistra in the world' was recorded in 1977 when she was seventy-nine years old. She died two years later.