Quisqualis indica

Rangoon Creeper, Chinese Honeysuckle, Drunken Sailor

Message of the Flower

Faithfulness

The Mother’s Comment

We can count on You; You never fail us when we need You.

Spiritual Message by the Mother/ Quotes by Sri Aurobindo

This is faithfulness, to admit and to manifest no other movements but only the movements prompted and guided by the Divine.

The Mother, Words of the Mother - II: Faithfulness

When I spoke of being faithful to the light of the soul and the divine Call, I was not referring to anything in the past or to any lapse on your part. I was simply suggesting the great need in all crises and attacks,—to refuse to listen to any suggestions, impulses, lures and to oppose to them all the call of the Truth, the imperative beckoning of the Light. In all doubt and depression, to say "I belong to the Divine, I cannot fail"; to all suggestions of impurity and unfitness, to reply "I am a child of Immortality chosen by Sri Aurobindo and the Mother; I have but to be true to myself and to them—the victory is sure; even if I fell, I would be sure to rise again"; to all impulsions to depart and serve some other ideal, to reply "This is the greatest, this is the Truth, this alone can satisfy the soul within me; I will endure through all tests and tribulations to the very end of the divine journey." This is what I mean by faithfulness to the Light and the Call.

Sri Aurobindo, The Mother with Letters on The Mother: Faithfulness to the Light and the Call

Colour

White, pink, red

Family

Combretaceae

Person who named the flower

Carl Linnaeus

Flower Size

1 to 3 inches long

Flower Texture

Smooth and slightly waxy

Number of Petals

Five, fused into a tube

Floral Symmetry

Radial

Fragrance of Flower

Strongly fragrant, especially in the evening

Leaf Texture

Smooth, slightly glossy

Leaf Arrangement

Opposite

Leaf Color

Dark green

Structural Variation (Shrub or Tree)

Vine

Life Cycle

Perennial

Blooming Period

Repeatedly throughout the warm months

Climate

Tropical and subtropical

Water Requirements

Moderate, drought-tolerant once established

Soil Type

Well-drained, fertile

Temperature Ranges

Does not tolerate frost

Sun or Shade

Full sun, partial shade

Susceptibility to Insects and Diseases

Aphids, scale insects, minor fungal diseases

Pollinators

Bees, butterflies, hummingbirds

Habitat

Native to Southeast Asia, cultivated worldwide in similar climates

Role in the Ecosystem

Nectar for pollinators, biodiversity support

Quotations

Not specifically quoted

Ornamental

Widely cultivated for beauty and flowering pattern

Uses in Other Aspects of Life

Ornamental, some herbal uses

Endangered Status

Not endangered