A Different Tack

A Different Tack
Oil on linen on MDF
37.5x55mm

$80

I got a couple of emails concerning the Unidentified Flower post of yesterday. It is in fact "Tecomanthe speciosa", a native climbing vine. Apparently, the last surviving specimen of this plant was discovered on Three Kings Island in 1945, all the rest having been eaten by goats. So all of today's plants have been propigated from this one plant. According to Wikipedia "The flowers appear to be adapted to be pollinated by bats, despite the fact that bats are not part of the present-day fauna of the Three Kings Islands (though they may once have been present). Nevertheless, the flowers of plants growing in cultivation are readily pollinated by a large number of native and exotic birds. "