Rondeletia odorata

Panama Rose, Rondeletia

Message of the Flower

Mahasaraswati's Perfection in Work

The Mother’s Comment

It is not satisfied with makeshift.

Spiritual Message by the Mother/ Quotes by Sri Aurobindo

Mahasaraswati is the Mother's Power of Work and her spirit of perfection and order… Of all the Mother's powers she is the most long-suffering with man and his thousand imperfections. Kind, smiling, close and helpful, not easily turned away or discouraged, insistent even after repeated failure, her hand sustains our every step on condition that we are single in our will and straightforward and sincere; for a double mind she will not tolerate and her revealing irony is merciless to drama and histrionics and self-deceit and pretence. A mother to our wants, a friend in our difficulties, a persistent and tranquil counsellor and mentor, chasing away with her radiant smile the clouds of gloom and fretfulness and depression, reminding always of the ever-present help, pointing to the eternal sunshine, she is firm, quiet and persevering in the deep and continuous urge that drives us towards the integrality of the higher nature.

Sri Aurobindo, The Mother with Letters on The Mother: The Mother - VI

For Mahasaraswati everything must be done down to the last detail, and done in an absolutely perfect way. And she wants, she insists that it should be done physically, totally, materially, that it should not remain in the air, you see, like a mental or vital action, but that it should be a physical realisation in all its details, and all the details be perfect, that nothing be neglected.

The Mother, Questions and Answers 1954: 18 August 1954

Mahasaraswati is the goddess of divine skill and of the works of the Spirit, and hers is the Yoga that is skill in works, yogaḥ karmasu kauśalam, and the utilities of divine knowledge and the self-application of the spirit to life and the happiness of its harmonies.

Sri Aurobindo, The Synthesis of Yoga - II: Faith and Shakti

Colour

Bright orange or deep pink, yellow

Family

Rubiaceae

Person who named the flower

Carl Linnaeus

Flower Size

Approximately 1 inch in diameter

Flower Texture

Waxy

Number of Petals

Typically 5

Floral Symmetry

Radial

Fragrance of Flower

Strongly fragrant, especially in the evening

Leaf Texture

Glossy

Leaf Arrangement

Opposite

Leaf Color

Dark green

Structural Variation (Shrub or Tree)

Shrub

Life Cycle

Perennial

Blooming Period

Throughout the year, peaking in winter

Climate

Tropical and subtropical

Water Requirements

Moderate; tolerates some drought

Soil Type

Well-drained, fertile

Temperature Ranges

Warm, not frost-tolerant

Sun or Shade

Full sun to partial shade

Susceptibility to Insects and Diseases

Spider mites, fungal infections

Pollinators

Butterflies, hummingbirds

Habitat

Native to Central America

Role in the Ecosystem

Nectar source for pollinators

Quotations

Not specifically quoted

Ornamental

Valued for beauty and fragrance

Uses in Other Aspects of Life

Ornamental, garden aesthetics

Endangered Status

Not endangered