Eliza Waters

During my recent visit to our local college greenhouse, along an elevated walkway I came upon this curiosity, a flower with corollas that stretched to form long tresses. As the pot label was far below and unattainable, I couldn’t get an ID. Once home, with some checking of my personal horticultural library and then online, I came away with Strophanthus preussii, aka Spider Tresses or Medusa Flower. What I found most fascinating is that once the flower is pollinated, it closes up and those five strands spiral together to form a twisted ‘rope’ (see the thicker strand to the far left of the five strands on the open flower). Below is another view at the thicker twisted strand.

I love that Nature is always full of surprises!