Team Flare plants #1: Celosia.
There are many types of plant collectors in the world… some choose their collections by variegation, some by plant genus, some are crazy about aroids, some have houses and gardens full of carnivorous plants (okay, we're a bit like that too…), some hang rafts of epiphytic orchids on the walls, and… and then… and then there's us, trying to collect all the plants named after Team Flare characters, the antagonistic team in Pokémon XY.
Let's start with a beautiful silver Celosia, strictly purple(ish)-flowered, in honor of the Team Flare scientist of the same name.
It's interesting; the packaging says it's an indoor plant, but from what we know, this plant loves intense sun, and we're having good results growing it outdoors (though that means we have to water it thoroughly every day, filling the saucer well, because the scorching heat here dries it out too quickly).
Celosia argentea is also known as Lagos spinach (yes, you can eat it!) and is a traditional dish in Central and West African countries. It's also a major leafy green in Nigeria, where it's known as "soko yokoto," meaning "makes husbands fat and happy"… so, yeah, we thought it wasn't exactly an indoor houseplant.
Anyway, back to the Team Flare part… it's one of the most fitting flowers for the team. The genus name, Celosia, comes from the Ancient Greek word κήλεος (kḗleos), meaning "burning," and refers to the flame-like shape of the inflorescences.
Celosia was also chosen as the official flower of the Sinulog Festival, the largest celebration in the Philippines held in honor of the Santo Niño every third Sunday of January. The reason for this choice lies in the fact that the colors of the flowers used, predominantly red and yellow, recall the colors of Baby Jesus's cloak, crown, and other vestments.
And how Jesus is connected to Team Flare (and specifically to Lysandre, but yeah, to Team Flare in general too) is something we'll need to explore further sooner or later… but it's there, in the background, telling a story of ancient nobles, intrigue, scams, and much more.
So, we're happy to own this plant! Unfortunately, it's an annual, so at the end of the season, when the flowers turn into capsules full of tiny seeds, we'll have to harvest them and then sow the plant if we want to have many more celosias next year! But hey, maybe we'll have enough to harvest and eat them, so we're not complaining ;)
We'll keep you updated on the collection (and our "jungle on a budget").
And you, do you have any Team Flare plants?
