Aerva tomentosa

Woolly Aerva, Desert Cotton

Message of the Flower

Aspiration for Integral Immortality

The Mother’s Comment

An organised, tenacious, and methodical development of the consciousness.

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

White

Family

Amaranthaceae

Flower Size

Small

Flower Texture

Woolly or fuzzy due to fine hairs.

Number of Petals

Small flowers with indistinct petals, more focused on the bracts.

Floral Symmetry

Radially symmetrical

Fragrance of Flower

No

Leaf Texture

Fuzzy or woolly.

Leaf Arrangement

Alternate

Leaf Color

Green, sometimes with a silvery hue due to hairiness.

Structural Variation (Shrub or Tree)

Shrub

Life Cycle

Perennial

Blooming Period

Varies by climate, typically in warmer months.

Climate

Prefers arid, desert-like conditions.

Water Requirements

Low, drought-tolerant.

Soil Type

Well-drained, sandy soils.

Temperature Ranges

Tolerant of high temperatures, not frost-hardy.

Sun or Shade

Prefers full sun.

Pollinators

Attracts insects.

Habitat

Dry, arid regions, including deserts and sandy soils.

Role in the Ecosystem

Provides ground cover and erosion control in desert habitats; supports local wildlife.

Ornamental

Valued for its foliage texture in xeriscaping and arid garden designs.

Uses in Other Aspects of Life

Primarily for landscaping in suitable climates.

Endangered Status

Not listed as endangered; relatively common in its native range.