Cast Iron Plant FLOWERS?

 Cast Iron Plant (Aspidistra elatior) Flowers?  Yes, that’s right!  These plants are so enthusiastic in their mission to go forth and multiply that periodically they have to be dug up!  That’s about the only time you are likely to discover the flowers, which grow at the base of the stalks just under the ground and apparently are quite a rare find!  So, while digging, I found some!  Talked to a well-known local horticultural expert who thought I was losing it, but while I was emailing photos he was googling, and confirmed the rare flower sighting!!! 

 

Apparently, scientists have been trying to figure out for years how these flowers are pollinated.  In the 1800’s some scientists proposed that slugs pollinated these flowers, while others disagreed and said that springtails (small wingless hexapods in the soil) pollinated them. Recent research (2017) on Japan’s Kuroshima Island showed fungus gnats to be the best pollinators (New Scientist, November 29, 2017; Science Daily, November 15, 2017). 

These plants became very popular in Victorian England, especially in “parlours” and pubs, where they were grown indoors in large ornate containers.  They gained their name in part from the fact that they were used by patrons as ash trays, with no damage to the plants!  Even my plants growing outdoors during our recent winter storm during which the temperature stayed around 5 – 10 degrees Fahrenheit for  several days (most unusual for this part of Texas) suffered only slight browning of the edges of the leaves!  Nowadays the leaves are very popular with floral designers, who use them for dramatic arrangements!