Angelonia salicariifolia

Willowleaf Angelonia, Summer Snapdragon, Willow-leaved Angelonia

Spiritual Message by the Mother/ Quotes by Sri Aurobindo

Our renunciation must obviously be an inward renunciation; especially and above all, a renunciation of attachment and the craving of desire in the senses and the heart, of self-will in the thought and action and of egoism in the centre of the consciousness. For these things are the three knots by which we are bound to our lower nature and if we can renounce these utterly, there is nothing else that can bind us.

Sri Aurobindo, The Synthesis of Yoga - I: Renunciation

There is a sovereign royalty in taking no thought for oneself. To have needs is to assert a weakness; to claim something proves that we lack what we claim. To desire is to be impotent; it is to recognise our limitations and confess our incapacity to overcome them.

If only from the point of view of a legitimate pride, man should be noble enough to renounce desire.

The Mother, Prayers and Meditations: March 30, 1917

All renunciation is for a greater joy yet ungrasped. Some renounce for the joy of duty done, some for the joy of peace, some for the joy of God and some for the joy of self-torture, but renounce rather as a passage to the freedom and untroubled rapture beyond.

Sri Aurobindo, Essays Divine and Human: Jnana

Varieties

Message of the Flower

Renunciation of Vital Desires

The Mother’s Comment

It has understood the futility of desires.

Colour

Purple

Message of the Flower

Integral Renunciation of Vital Desires

The Mother’s Comment

An indispensable condition for true progress.

Colour

White

Message of the Flower

Renunciation of Emotional Desires

The Mother’s Comment

Indispensable for transformation.

Colour

White, purple

Family

Plantaginaceae

Person who named the flower

Humb. & Bonpl.

Flower Size

1.4-2 cm broad

Flower Texture

Smooth, sometimes glandular hairy

Number of Petals

Bilabiate structure suggests fused petals

Floral Symmetry

Bilaterally symmetrical

Fragrance of Flower

Aromatic, some varieties mild apple fragrance

Leaf Texture

Tiny glandular hairs

Leaf Arrangement

Opposite, sessile

Leaf Color

Green

Structural Variation (Shrub or Tree)

Herbaceous perennial

Life Cycle

Perennial

Blooming Period

Long blooming period

Climate

Native to semi-arid, tropical and subtropical regions

Water Requirements

Drought tolerant; prefers moist but well-drained soils

Soil Type

Well-drained, light soil

Temperature Ranges

Frost hardy to about 32F (0C)

Sun or Shade

Full sun preferred

Susceptibility to Insects and Diseases

Generally resistant

Pollinators

Attracts a variety of pollinators

Habitat

Native to Brazil and Venezuela, semi-arid soils at low altitudes

Role in the Ecosystem

Ornamental, attracts pollinators

Quotations

Not specified

Ornamental

Widely used for ornamental purposes

Uses in Other Aspects of Life

Mainly ornamental

Endangered Status

Not listed as endangered