Mexican drama

DAY 50 (25 MAY) – Golden chalice vine (Solandra maxima) (Vejer, Spain)

I can’t get enough of these bright-coloured exotic plants. I love the sheer ‘blousiness’ of this golden chalice vine, with yellow flowers that look like old leather and twisted branches.

Like yesterday’s tree, this plant comes from far away – it’s native to the dry to moist forests of Mexico and central America. I found it in a dusty corner near the edge of town, sheltering a scruffy kitten whose dinner was a rubbish bag of prawn shells.

Its extract is said to be used for hallucinogenic effects in ceremonies of the Huichol people from Mexico. And at night its large flowers attract pollinating bats.