Flowers, nature's bountiful gift to man

by Sripathy Jayamaha

The flower is the most loving and closest wonder bequeathed to man by nature. It has travelled with us from the beginning of time. Prince Siddhartha walked on seven lotus flowers immediately after he was born giving untold joy to his mother Queen Maha Maya who was beside a exquisitely patterned sal mal bearing tree. Again, Jesus Christ said, “Behold the lilies of the field, Solomon in all his glory was not attired as one of them.”

Botanists have classified flowers into different classes. The floral diagram gives us a glimpse of its inner structure. The flower is the spring of a new generation in the life of a plant. Have we ever seen a grotesquely coloured flower? Has there ever been an erratically patterned inflorescence or a multitude of flowers on one stalk? Actually we copy patterns and colour schemes from flowers.

Beauty

The flower is the symbol of beauty. The damsels in the Sigiriya frescoes are shown with a sprig of flowers in their hands. Flowers were thrown on the winners inside in the Collosium in ancient Rome. Greaks showered their sportsmen with flowers.

The flower comes from weeds. The sunflower, Wada mal, Beli mal and Pawatta mal are a few of the flowers taken in the preparation of curatives for many an ailment as found in our ancient manuscripts. The Pol mala is a must at all our religious and social functions.

The flower becomes a source of sugary food for the multicoloured butterfly, the impish honey sucker and the slim waisted honey bee. The latter gives us the nectar of kings and the king of nectars bees honey which makes our wedding and Christmas cake.

These sugary angels help in carrying the male component, the pollen grains to another flower, quite unaware that they help in the propagation of that plant.

Symbol

The flower is the symbol of recognition and thanks-giving. The garland or the bouquet placed at the feet, hands or round the necks of celestial teachers and distinguished people is a lovely gesture common to all mankind. A wedding will lose its lustre without glowers. It is there from the pure white flower in the glass of water on the dressing table when the happy bride gets into her white dress the bridal bouquet, the single flower clipped on to the front coat pocket of the bride groom. Next the brides-maids and the little maids.

Again the ‘flower girls’ with their dainty flower bouquets. At Hindu weddings women adorn their hair with flowers. Flowers of the corriander plant are very popular in India. The poruwa and altars in churches overflow with flowers. The bride walks to meet her spouse under a floral pandal. She walks back with the proud groom to meet the invitees. The settee back and table decorations are all made of flowers.

National flower

In our own little isle, the nil manel is the national flower. The lovely cherry blossom and rose are the national flowers of Japan and Ireland. Of all these flowers, the most talked about, resplendent flower is the multipetalled, sweet scented rose. The Tamil song Raja Malaray Raja Kumari, says so. It is the princess among flowers. “Roses are red my love....”, “The yellow rose of Texas” are songs with the rose as its heroine.

Our own Rosa malay Natuway katu, Suwanda rosa mal nela and also our Nanda Malini's song bring memories of Rabindranath Tagore.

It says ‘I wish I were a flower thrown before a righteous person. Only a flower is worthy of being placed to be trod on by a sagatious person. The flower will lose its meaning without the fragrant rose.

A husband gives eleven roses to his wife on the Lover's Day. Why eleven? asks a puzzled spouse. The husband embraces her and say, “No, there are twelve roses here. You are the other rose! A rose is surely between two thorns when you are seated between your mother-in-law and your gossipy neighbour.

Thomas Grey says in his Elegy “Full many of flower is born to blush unseen and waste its sweetness in the desert air”. They are like our unknown gems in the rural areas who blossom in all glory, but fade away due to chill penury. Hamlet's mother says, ‘Sweet to the sweetest while scattering flowers into the grave of sweet Ophelia.

The cactus flower, the Orchid beauties grow in hot climes. The dahlia carnation, gladiola, chrysanthemum and arum lilies grow well in cold climes. The manel and the olu and the water hyacinth flower come from aquatic plants. The Niyangala plant is taboo in gardens. Its tuber is deadly. But the flower is so beautiful that it is called Gloriosa Superta. Have you seen the flower of the passion fruit? The red five petalled poppy flower or its artificial replica is worn by many on November 11. They are also fixed on to the vehicles. The poppy flower is placed at the foot of war memorials amid the sound of bugles on the Armistice Day. The poppy flower secretes a wax. It is a medicine and also a narcotic. Above all it is also a flower.

Natural flowers

When we walk down, some of the streets in the Pettah, or gaze at the showrooms advertising bridal décor, church, and hall decorations we know that they are all made of artificial flowers, unlike the avenue of natural flower splendour opposite the Eye Hospital, which serve all those who patronise the flower shops at times of joy and bereavement.

However, the natural flower is for man, beast and bird. Queen of Sheba places two vases. One, with natural flowers, the other with artificial flowers to test the provertial wisdom of wise king Solomons “Which is false and which is true?”, she asks.

The king is worried, because the flowers in both vases look so real. Then he sees a swarm of bees outside the window. He gets the windows to be opened. A few bees came in and settle on the natural flowers. “This is false and this true”, said a exhuberant king, who thankful to the tiny bees who had shown a wise king the beauty of a true natural flowers. Finally, the flower becomes the most exalted offering to the ones in whom we believe. Its fragrance mingles with those of burning joss-sticks or incence or Sambrani.

Be it a single jasmine flower or a tray full exquisite flowers worth Rs. 2,000 the receiver accepts both with a smile and a blessing. Flowers are offered before evening prayers in our altars at home. They are round the bier when one is silently serene in eternal slumber.

Flowers are placed inside the casket along with those from the nearest of kin. Expensive wreaths called ‘floral tributes’ are placed round the bier. They precede the hearse upto the cemetery.

The flower is a silent and beautiful friend of humans. They too wither but their everlasting fragrance is with us in the form of perfumes extracted from jasmine, rose, gardenia, lavendar and rose.