There is a plant at the farm that no one seems to know its name or anything else. There are several of them around Café Blue, the Casitas and the front gate. They are nondescript plants that fade into the mix of all the other greenery. They look like large shrubs with thick dark green leaves and woody stems. They are slow growing and the older leaves and woody parts are covered in moss and other plants. The plant never drops it s leaves and the new growth is cleaner and brighter than the older leaves. They tend to grow in the shade of all the plants that surround them. The leaves are about 4 inches long.
When the plant flowers it burst out of the shadows in a profuse and magnificent show of white and lavender blooms. These flowers are big and gorgeous. The center of the flower is 4 white petals, each about 1 inch long. The stamens are very long, about 3-4 inches, and go from white to lavender anthers. The flowers do not smell.
The buds form and begin to bloom around mid July and last through the end of August. The buds do not all bloom at the same time but new buds open as others start to drop their petals and stamens. Another interesting fact is that the plants on the property do not all bloom every year. The plant behind Café Blue bloomed in 2007 and has not bloomed again. The year it bloomed, the plant produced 1 large seed pod that was tear drop shaped. It was about 5 inches long and very hard. After months of watching it, it finally fell from the tree. We opened it up and tried to propagate the seeds but none of the seeds grew.
Last year a plant near the gate bloomed but did not bloom this year. Instead, this year a large plant between Casita Naranja and Casita Celeste bloomed. This is a very interesting plant that we will continue to keep watching and attempting to unlock some of its secrets. It also teaches us that there is a world of plant and animal life in the rain forest that still remains a secret.
If anyone has any guess as to the name of this plant or any other information, we would love to hear your thoughts
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