Spathiphyllum

Spathe Flower, Peace lily, white sails, spath lily

Message of the Flower

Aspiration for Purity

The Mother’s Comment

Purity is perfect sincerity and one can obtain it only when the being is entirely consecrated to the Divine.

Spiritual Message by the Mother/ Quotes by Sri Aurobindo

There is no deep meaning of aspiration—the meaning is plain. It is the call of the being for higher things—for the Divine, for all that belongs to the higher or Divine Consciousness.

Sri Aurobindo, Letters on Yoga - II: Aspiration

This taste for supreme adventure is aspiration–an aspiration which takes hold of you completely and flings you, without calculation and without reserve and without a possibility of withdrawal, into the great adventure of the divine discovery, the great adventure of the divine meeting, the yet greater adventure of the divine Realisation.

The Mother, Questions and Answers 1956: 25 January 1956

Aspiration is like an arrow, like this (gesture). So you aspire, want very earnestly to understand, know, enter into the truth. Yes? And then with that aspiration you do this (gesture). Your aspiration rises, rises, rises, rises straight up, very strong and then it strikes against a kind of… how to put it?… lid which is there, hard like iron and extremely thick, and it does not pass through. And then you say, "See, what's the use of aspiring? It brings nothing at all. I meet with something hard and cannot pass!" But you know about the drop of water which falls on the rock, it ends up by making a chasm: it cuts the rock from top to bottom. Your aspiration is a drop of water which, instead of falling, rises. So, by dint of rising, it beats, beats, beats, and one day it makes a hole, by dint of rising; and when it makes the hole suddenly it springs out from this lid and enters an immensity of light, and you say, "Ah, now I understand."

The Mother, Questions and Answers 1955: 13 July 1955

Colour

Cream-white to pale green, white

Family

Araceae

Cultivars

Numerous, including 'Mauna Loa', 'Domino', and 'Sensation'

Person who named the flower

Gustav Wallis (for Spathiphyllum wallisii)

Flower Size

Generally 4-6 inches long (spathe)

Flower Texture

Waxy and smooth

Number of Petals

Not applicable (spathe and spadix)

Floral Symmetry

Radial

Fragrance of Flower

Generally not fragrant

Leaf Texture

Smooth, glossy

Leaf Arrangement

Basal, forming a clump

Leaf Color

Deep green

Structural Variation (Shrub or Tree)

Herbaceous perennial

Life Cycle

Perennial

Blooming Period

Can flower throughout the year in ideal conditions

Climate

Tropical, prefers humid conditions

Water Requirements

Medium; prefers moist but well-drained soil

Soil Type

Rich, loose, well-draining potting mix

Temperature Ranges

Prefers 65-85F (18-29C), not frost-hardy

Sun or Shade

Prefers shade; indirect sunlight ideal

Susceptibility to Insects and Diseases

Susceptible to root rot, mealybugs, spider mites

Pollinators

Not applicable; propagated by division

Habitat

Tropical rainforests of America and southeastern Asia

Role in the Ecosystem

Understory plant, helps in humidity regulation

Quotations

None noted

Ornamental

Highly valued for decorative appearance and ease of care

Uses in Other Aspects of Life

Indoor decoration, air quality improvement

Endangered Status

Not endangered