Leijpark013

@leijpark013 · 17 Aug 2023

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Leijpark 013 Girl's eyes

Written by Thierry P. Thijens ·


Many cultures have a paradise. So did the Chinese, and according to their mythology (stories about their gods), paradise lies in the Kunlun Mountains (pronounced kuenloen), managed by an elf queen who presented peaches of immortality to important Chinese monarchs so that they lived on in this paradise. A nice story, but with provable elements, because the Kunlun Mountains are real. And the famous Kunlun tea comes from these mountains. Dried flower heads (only the rusty brown heart is used) of a certain plant are doused with water and when the tea has turned brownish red after about ten minutes, it tastes sweet, like dark honey with a hint of caramel. This tea is only made in the Kunlun Mountains and is therefore rare.
Coincidentally, we come across the plant, which provides the flowers for this sweet Chinese tea, in the Leijpark. Her name: Girl's eyes. So named for its dark spot in the heart of the flower.
Thanks to various trade relations, the plants have also ended up in our parts and are grown to our heart's content, so that there are now all kinds of variants. The cultivated flowers are not only found in gardens, but also as garnishes in the more expensive restaurants.
For years, girls' eyes had a completely different function than garden flowers or a raw material supplier for Chinese tea. In the art and textile industry, there was (and is) a great demand for dyes. Girls' Eyes provides a beautiful natural yellow dye that painters loved to use and that naturally colored textiles yellow and orange. After around 1850, synthetic dyes were preferred because they were cheaper and easier to obtain. Then this application of Girl's Eyes slowly fell into oblivion.
A not so positive feature of Girl's Eyes is reflected in her nickname “lice flower”. The plant attracts lice easily, so that, in addition to lice, we also find many ladybugs on it, which then flock to the lice. Nowadays, however, in addition to being cut flowers in bouquets, it is certainly valuable as a garden flower, because it attracts many bees and butterflies. The nectar and pollen of Girl's Eyes are a real treat. If you want to increase biodiversity in the garden, you should put the plant in the garden. Girls' eyes don't like wet feet at all, so keep that in mind.
How did such a plant end up in the Leijpark? Perhaps it was in a flower mixture, that's what it must be. The fact is that it grows there, far from mythical Chinese mountains, elf queens and peaches of immortality. However, her own story is also immortal, as long as we keep telling it. With this one.

#park #girleyes