Just, you know, stuck in among the zinnias

[sovay]

So my mother brought home this plant. She found it in Stop & Shop. It was the only one of its kind. We have no idea what it is. I thought at first it was a mother-in-law's tongue, but the flower is all wrong; it's not any of the snake plants, or at least none that I know; it has a label and the label reads "Manager's Special." I am having Little Shop of Horrors flashbacks like you wouldn't believe.

These are better pictures of an appallingly cluttered table than of the plant, but you get the idea.







It is probably something quite ordinary, but I'll hear suggestions . . .

Meanwhile, I am still sick. It's some kind of head cold; my ears hurt so much, I haven't been able to talk on the phone. Today was mostly comprised of running some errands, watching two more episodes of Foyle's War (which won points with me for involving, respectively, the Special Operations Executive and Archibald McIndoe), and realizing to my horror that I can still write up thumbnail descriptions of characters in the Belgariad and Mallorean despite avoiding those books in all substantive ways since middle school. I hadn't even remembered liking Sadi. My brain.

Comments

[asakiyume.livejournal.com]

The bloom does seem set to overwhelm the foliage, doesn't it?

I'm glad your mother rescued it--there's something so sad about a plant being reduced to a sale item!

(and what does the placemat it's sitting on show? I see cookies, a candy in a cellophane wrapper, bread sticks... a walnut...

intriguing.)

[vr-trakowski.livejournal.com]

The flower looks almost like ornamental ginger, but I don't know about the leaves...

[nineweaving.livejournal.com]

I think my mother has one of those, but damned if I know what it is. I like the tigerish leaves. Succulent!

Condolences on the awful cold.

Nine

[papersky.livejournal.com]

FEEEEEEED MEEEEEEEE!

My ex-mother-in-law has one about twice that size that she's had since 1948, and there's a giant one (nine foot tall) in a greenhouse in Roath Park in Cardiff. As for what it is, well, I do believe it's a nondescript.

[stealthmuffin.livejournal.com]

Have you got a spare dentist you can feed it, just to check?

...and now I'm going to have the entire soundtrack stuck in my head all day. Not that that's a bad thing.

[cucumberseed.livejournal.com]

darkpaisley says it's a Bromleiad ...Vriesea Splendens (a.k.a. FLAMING SWORD). Bromleiads like lots of direct sunlight. During growing season, you want to keep the tube bit of center of the plant full of water. During the winter, just don't let it dry out. It's from Venezuela.
(She's got her books spread out around her and singing "plants are cool!")

[schreibergasse.livejournal.com]

Sorry to hear about the cold. [Obviously, I think Peter may have caught the same thing...]

[gaudior.livejournal.com]

Bromeliad, shmomeliad-- it's clearly an alien. See if you can make contact and find out more about its race and their goals!

In other news, feh of sick. Feel better soon!

[strange-selkie.livejournal.com]

I am skeered of that plant, but I hope it brightens up the place.

Zzzz? Zzz.

[ap-aelfwine.livejournal.com]

Nice looking plant, and I'm glad your mother rescued it, although I do hope it doesn't start asking for blood.

I'm sorry to hear that you're still sick and feeling so poorly with it. I hope you're feeling better very soon.

[4nt1g0n3.livejournal.com]

It IS a bromeliad, but I don't know what kind either. Lovely though.