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1. My great aunt was a military nurse and brought a small bit of this plant back from Indochina, where she was treating the wounded French soldiers during the guerre d’Indochine #ThrowbackThursday
2. She then gave a bit of the plant that had grown in France to my parents. It made sense because my parents met in Viet-Nam during the war (the 70’s one), so they have always had a strong attachment to this country, even if they never came back. #FridayThoughts
3. This plant grew in a pot when we were living in Provence. It never gave any flower and was extremely ugly, with a tortuous shape. I hated it and particularly hated the fact that it was in my room during the winter. I called it the Hideous Monster. #grumpy
4. There was even a massive row because of this plant once. I can’t remember the details but I remember it was to do with me complaining about it and then my parents having an argument. All I remember is it ended up with my father binning the plant and destroying it. #rage
5. Somebody (my mother? Maybe my remorseful father?) retrieved it from the bin & replanted it. It was even more ugly after this episode. And still in my bedroom but I felt guilty about my responsibility in its near death experience so I was (almost) happy to see it had survived.
6. When my parents moved to Corsica, they took Hideous Monster with them. It took its time to adapt to the new situation and then, suddenly, it started giving flowers.
7. They only open when it’s dark and have a very strong and nice smell. They are more than 15cm wide. After the night, with the first sunbeam, they die. Tonight, to welcome me back in Corsica, Hideous Monster had more than -twenty- flowers. #fridaymorning
8. Its shape is still extremely ugly but it wouldn’t fit in a room anymore now. And it always welcomes me with a weird « how could you be so crual to want me gone?! » look. #guilt #FridayMotivation
9/9 For the botanical geeks who’ve made it till the end of that very long thread, the real name of Hideous Monster is https://fr.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epiphyllum_oxypetalum
