Rhoeo spathacea

Boat Lily, Cradle Lily, Moses in the Cradle

Message of the Flower

Divine Presence

The Mother’s Comment

It hides from the ignorant eye its ever-present magnificence!

Spiritual Message by the Mother/ Quotes by Sri Aurobindo

His laughter of beauty breaks out in green trees, His moments of beauty triumph in a flower; The blue sea's chant, the rivulet's wandering voice Are murmurs falling from the Eternal's harp.

This world is God fulfilled in outwardness.

Sri Aurobindo, Savitri - II: The Debate of Love and Death

It is intended by the word Presence to indicate the sense and perception of the Divine as a Being, felt as present in one's existence and consciousness or in relation with it, without the necessity of any farther qualification or description. Thus of the "ineffable Presence" it can only be said that it is there and nothing more can or need be said about it, although at the same time one knows that all is there, personality and impersonality, Power and Light and Ananda and everything else, and that all these flow from that indescribable Presence. The word may be used sometimes in a less absolute sense, but that is always the fundamental significance,—the essential perception of the essential presence supporting everything else.

Sri Aurobindo, Letters on Yoga - I: Terminology

It is the Divine Presence that gives value to life. This Presence is the source of all peace, all joy, all security.

The Mother, Words of the Mother - II: The Divine is with You

Colour

White

Family

Commelinaceae

Cultivars

Specialty cultivars with white and purple stripes

Flower Size

Small, typically hidden within the leaf sheaths.

Flower Texture

Soft and delicate

Number of Petals

Three

Floral Symmetry

Bilateral

Leaf Texture

Glossy and smooth

Leaf Arrangement

Rosette

Leaf Color

Green with purple or maroon undersides

Structural Variation (Shrub or Tree)

Herbaceous perennial

Life Cycle

Perennial

Blooming Period

Rarely flowers in temperate zones

Climate

Tropical and subtropical

Water Requirements

Moderate, prefers well-drained soil

Soil Type

Loamy, well-draining

Temperature Ranges

Prefers above 50F (10C)

Sun or Shade

Partial shade to full sun

Susceptibility to Insects and Diseases

Susceptible to spider mites and root rot

Pollinators

Not applicable, seldom blooms outside native range

Habitat

Central America and southern Mexico

Role in the Ecosystem

Provides cover and food for small insects and animals in native habitat

Ornamental

Widely used as an ornamental plant

Uses in Other Aspects of Life

Ornamental use in gardens and as a houseplant

Endangered Status

Not endangered