From the Field

15 Apr 2002

What the heck is that!!!! That was what we said when we first laid eyes on this very strange, almost spooky looking flower. For a moment we couldn't tell what it was for sure. Was it plant or animal? Some sort of Fungus? Or a creature from another world, the underworld?

Lance wanted to photograph the thing and ordered me to "put my hands under it and lift it up just slightly", that way he could get a better view of whatever it was. "Like heck" I replied. "It" could have teeth or jump on me or something!"

The vine was growing in a thick tangled forest. The blooms and buds started on the ground but the vine itself weaved its way up through the tangled undergrowth for many meters, further than we could see. Although the blooms were at ground level we never actually found where the vine rooted into the ground.

After some heavy investigative work back in our office we discovered this strange, but beautiful, flower has a name ! But do you think we can remember what that name was or where we could have possible found it? We have thumbed through all our plant keys (again) and resource books (again). Both of us suffer from R.M.S. (recall malfunction syndrome) and have called off the search until some future date. Sorry.