23Sep25

Barleria prionitis-Vajradanti

Barleria cristata-Sphatika

How to differentiate the two.

The garden grows both these flowers. There is a White Cristata which bloom into varieties of pink, and purple here and there. One of the things about a wild garden is since you don't trim it to shape often it becomes a playground of opportunities for these plants to show up. I did not expect the white one give rise to the pink or deep purple one. The vajradanti, was bought online. I thought it had died but it popped up this year after a gap of two years. Who know which seed hides in the garden.

The colours of Skin and Earth

Amma's hand

Rivers and valleys on my mother’s hand.

The river on her middle finger curves back under the skin. And why is it the color of skin resembles the color of soil, I’ve always wondered.

Shampoo Ginger

Zingiber Zerumbet.