The Galston District Garden Club gathered at the Galston Community Hall on 34 Arcadia Road last month for its regular monthly meeting, where guest speaker John Graham delivered a talk on Bizarre Botany that left members buzzing well past the formalities.
The club meets on the second Wednesday of every month, with proceedings starting at 7.30 pm and the guest speaker taking the floor once the usual business wraps up.
Graham’s presentation ran through a string of odd and unexpected plants, but one specimen stole the show: Psychotria elata, better known to most as the Hot Lips Plant.
Native to the tropical rainforests of Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia and Ecuador, this member of the coffee family produces a pair of vivid red bracts that, before the flowers even open, curl into a shape uncannily close to a pair of human lips. Members who’d never seen it before were audibly surprised to learn the “lips” aren’t the flower at all, but modified leaves wrapped around it.
Those who missed the talk missed something memorable, by all accounts. Anyone hoping to catch the next one won’t have to wait long. September’s guest speaker will turn to roses, a comparatively tame follow-up.
As always, the evening closed with supper and a cuppa, and members mingling over the night’s talking points.
Visitors are welcome at any meeting, and anyone wanting more information can reach the club through www.galstongardenclub.com.au or by emailing [email protected].
