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“Plants need roots because they can't move on their own. Their roots serve them well, stopping them from getting blown all over the place by the wind. But we humans can move around at will, and our roots hold us in place unnecessarily. Usually in a place we don't want to be. Then, when we try to move, we rip our roots, and it hurts, so we end up staying right where we are.”
― Hothouse Flower and the Nine Plants of Desire
― Hothouse Flower and the Nine Plants of Desire
“What a strange place, I thought. If I look up everything is so clear and beautiful, and if I look down, everything is so dangerous and ugly. I wished I could keep my head in the sky, but the scorpions brought me back to reality. Or was the sky the reality?”
― Hothouse Flower and the Nine Plants of Desire
― Hothouse Flower and the Nine Plants of Desire
“The model stripped down naked and stood with her arms out to her sides while genderless cohorts sprayed her body with large silver canisters of foundation. They wore masks over there faces and sprayed her from head to toe like they were putting out a fire. They airbrushed her into a mono-toned six-foot-two column of a human being with no visible veins, nipples, nails, lips, or eyelashes. When every single thing that was real about the model was gone, the make up artist fug through a suite case of brushes and plowed through hundreds of tubes of flesh colored colors and began to draw human features onto her face. At the same time, the hair stylist meticulously sewed with a needle and thread strand after strand of long blond hairs onto her thin light brown locks, creating a thick full mane of shimmering gold. The model had brought her own chef, who cooked her spinach soup from scratch. The soup was fed to her by one of her lackeys, who existed solely for this purpose. The blond boy stood in front of her, blowing on the soup and then feeding it to her from a small silver child's spoon, just big enough to fit between her lips. the model's mouth was barely open, maybe a quarter of an inch wide, so that she would not crack the flesh colored paint.”
― Hothouse Flower and the Nine Plants of Desire
― Hothouse Flower and the Nine Plants of Desire
“I liked the sound of that. A true plant person. It sounded so much more alive, and warmer than a true advertising person.”
― Hothouse Flower and the Nine Plants of Desire
― Hothouse Flower and the Nine Plants of Desire
“I opened the door and stepped down onto something squishy. It was moss, velvety smooth, creating uneven hills of emerald green across the floor of the laundry. I slipped off my silver ballet flats, and my feet sank into the floor
”
― Hothouse Flower and the Nine Plants of Desire
”
― Hothouse Flower and the Nine Plants of Desire
“It was a color I didn't realize the earth could make without the help of human beings. I knew the water would be blue, but I had in mind a tamer, more pastel blue: a light color through which all the sand and fish underneath would be clearly visible. This water was like super-wavy, lit up turquoise, and so beautiful I could hardly take my eyes off it. The moment I was spellbound by the color of the water was the moment I knew I had been in New York for to long and my decision to leave was a good one.”
― Hothouse Flower and the Nine Plants of Desire
― Hothouse Flower and the Nine Plants of Desire
“They think they are, but the person they were born to be was covered up by years of living with parents and going to school and fitting in. Every year that passes, a person gets covered up a little bit more, like a sleeping bag slowly zipping up around a body. It's a subtle process until the day a person is totally gone. The sleeping bag is closed, and they never see the sun again”
― Hothouse Flower and the Nine Plants of Desire
― Hothouse Flower and the Nine Plants of Desire
“Anyway, being afraid of a human being is nothing. We're here for such a short period of time, so what does it matter, scared, not scared; what matters is that we last. That's why the blue lotus is so important."
"Why?"
"In legends, immortals are attracted to its scent. Vampires, werewolves, that sort of thing. That's why the ancient Egyptians called it the scent of immortality."
I took Levon's card out of my pocket and rotated the Magician between my fingers. Magical words for good or bad.
"Gabriel told me that you painted werewolves."
"I have painted the odd rougarou from time to time."
"But you don't believe in them?"
"I believe in immortality in whatever form it takes. Paintings, books, music, werewolves. They're all the same- the desire to last forever. In my opinion, every artist is a vampire or a werewolf, or a thief. All we want is to live on and on through the work we do and we'll take whatever we can from the people unlucky enough to be around us- their stories, pieces of their selves, their very souls if they'll let us, which they so often do with surprising ease- in order to reach our creative goals. How is that different from a vampire?”
― Scent of Darkness
"Why?"
"In legends, immortals are attracted to its scent. Vampires, werewolves, that sort of thing. That's why the ancient Egyptians called it the scent of immortality."
I took Levon's card out of my pocket and rotated the Magician between my fingers. Magical words for good or bad.
"Gabriel told me that you painted werewolves."
"I have painted the odd rougarou from time to time."
"But you don't believe in them?"
"I believe in immortality in whatever form it takes. Paintings, books, music, werewolves. They're all the same- the desire to last forever. In my opinion, every artist is a vampire or a werewolf, or a thief. All we want is to live on and on through the work we do and we'll take whatever we can from the people unlucky enough to be around us- their stories, pieces of their selves, their very souls if they'll let us, which they so often do with surprising ease- in order to reach our creative goals. How is that different from a vampire?”
― Scent of Darkness
“If you can hear the quiet while being woken up by the garbage trucks, you have power. When you can feel the stars when all you can see are the skyscrapers, that's power. When you can smell the forest in front of the dumpster, then you have power. Never let the events in front of you or the people around you, tell you what to see, feel, taste, smell or hear.”
― Hothouse Flower and the Nine Plants of Desire
― Hothouse Flower and the Nine Plants of Desire
“After the death of my marriage, I was hell-bent on keeping the bird-of-paradise alive. I would take it slowly. Plants first. And if everything went well, then I'd move on to people.”
― Hothouse Flower and the Nine Plants of Desire
― Hothouse Flower and the Nine Plants of Desire
“In just one moment I had emerged from a world of dark green, almost black, to a world of bright blue and light sunshine. It was what I imagined birth to be like.”
― Hothouse Flower and the Nine Plants of Desire
― Hothouse Flower and the Nine Plants of Desire
“The scent of my blood was mesmerizing in its intensity, a luscious, potent, ethereal haze that clung to the walls of the bathroom. It was far more intense than the opening of the vial itself. It was like a thousand ruby red vials. A million. It filled the room like an actual presence, and it dawned on us both at the same time that my blood not only contained the scent, but was the scent itself.
Leather, like warm Egyptian incense, like a dark library in an old city.
Jasmine, like the sweet, sweet scent of decay.
Fire, like hot darkness.
And red velvet rose, like a sheath of light and lilting femininity.”
― Scent of Darkness
Leather, like warm Egyptian incense, like a dark library in an old city.
Jasmine, like the sweet, sweet scent of decay.
Fire, like hot darkness.
And red velvet rose, like a sheath of light and lilting femininity.”
― Scent of Darkness
“Digitoxin
(sometimes referred to as digitoxin or digitalis)
This widely used heart medication is a cardiac glycoside used in the treatment of atrial fibrillation, atrial flutter, and congestive heart failure. Found in the lovely purple bells of the foxglove plant and the gorgeous, velvety black wings of the monarch butterfly, digoxin is probably the most beautiful medication there ever was.”
― Hothouse Flower and the Nine Plants of Desire
(sometimes referred to as digitoxin or digitalis)
This widely used heart medication is a cardiac glycoside used in the treatment of atrial fibrillation, atrial flutter, and congestive heart failure. Found in the lovely purple bells of the foxglove plant and the gorgeous, velvety black wings of the monarch butterfly, digoxin is probably the most beautiful medication there ever was.”
― Hothouse Flower and the Nine Plants of Desire
“Remember, she is much more delicate than you, yet you will see that she can withstand a lot. Under the worst of conditions, she maintains her beauty and her delicacy. She adapts! She is graceful.”
― Hothouse Flower and the Nine Plants of Desire
― Hothouse Flower and the Nine Plants of Desire
“I twirled it around in front of my eyes, going momentarily cross-eyed as I looked for any sign of roots. Of course it was much too soon, and I knew that there wouldn't be any, but I checked anyway, because I'm a checker by nature: lights, stoves, occasionally underneath beds, and, apparently, now plant stems. Life was getting complicated.”
― Hothouse Flower and the Nine Plants of Desire
― Hothouse Flower and the Nine Plants of Desire
“I went back to the ocean for a wash. The salt stung my face. I didn't know my skin was so raw. I slung my backpack over my shoulders, and with the white mosquito netting wrapped around me like a wedding dress, I went back into the jungle.”
― Hothouse Flower and the Nine Plants of Desire
― Hothouse Flower and the Nine Plants of Desire
“Поварвай ми, когато опознаеш себе си, никога да поискаш да се преструваш, че си някой друг.Защото да си себе си е по-прекрасно от всичко, на което можеш да се престориш, за което си мечтал, което можеи да си представиш или в което да се превърнеш.”
― Hothouse Flower and the Nine Plants of Desire
― Hothouse Flower and the Nine Plants of Desire
“Jasmine smells like human flesh. Mix it with cumin, which smells like sweat, and you have the scent of sex. If you spread it on your body, watch out, you'll have sycophants all over the place, people crawling out of the woodwork to be close to you.”
― Scent of Darkness
― Scent of Darkness
“Chicory
(Cichorium intybus)
The ancient Egyptians considered chicory a magical plant, capable of removing all obstacles as well as opening locks, boxes, and doors. They anointed their bodies with chicory juice from the root of the plant in order to gain the powers of invisibility and special favors from important people. They believed chicory magic was much more potent if the plant was cut with a solid-gold knife, in total silence, at midnight. And if none of that worked, they ground and roasted the root and blended it with their favorite coffee to taste.
A very versatile plant indeed.”
― Hothouse Flower and the Nine Plants of Desire
(Cichorium intybus)
The ancient Egyptians considered chicory a magical plant, capable of removing all obstacles as well as opening locks, boxes, and doors. They anointed their bodies with chicory juice from the root of the plant in order to gain the powers of invisibility and special favors from important people. They believed chicory magic was much more potent if the plant was cut with a solid-gold knife, in total silence, at midnight. And if none of that worked, they ground and roasted the root and blended it with their favorite coffee to taste.
A very versatile plant indeed.”
― Hothouse Flower and the Nine Plants of Desire
“Gabriel will give you things you never expected to receive in this lifetime. He will take you places in love that you cannot imagine. Gabriel will haunt you. Gabriel can save you. Gabriel will make you want to live forever. Gabriel will make you wish you were dead."
I looked around the packed church for my Gabriel.
Father Madrid continued.
"Gabriel is the messenger of God and the angel of death. How can one being be both of those things?
"Gabriel signifies duality, complication, perplexity; the true human condition in the form of an angel.
"How many of you have acted like Gabriel in your day-to-day life? On the one hand finding a special person to love and on the other hand bringing pain and heartache to that very same person?
"On the one hand loving someone new and exciting. And on the other knowing that that very love brings destruction and hurt to others, who feel abandoned by you as you live only for your new love, and brings pain to those who desire your beloved for themselves.”
― Scent of Darkness
I looked around the packed church for my Gabriel.
Father Madrid continued.
"Gabriel is the messenger of God and the angel of death. How can one being be both of those things?
"Gabriel signifies duality, complication, perplexity; the true human condition in the form of an angel.
"How many of you have acted like Gabriel in your day-to-day life? On the one hand finding a special person to love and on the other hand bringing pain and heartache to that very same person?
"On the one hand loving someone new and exciting. And on the other knowing that that very love brings destruction and hurt to others, who feel abandoned by you as you live only for your new love, and brings pain to those who desire your beloved for themselves.”
― Scent of Darkness
“Lily of the Valley
(Convallaria majalis)
Lily of the valley is known to slow the disturbed action of a weak and irritable heart, while at the same time increasing its power. As a heart medication, it is sometimes preferable to the digitalis made from the foxglove plant, because it is less toxic and does not accumulate in the blood. Lily of the valley has one of the most sexual scents of all plants and is widely used in perfume. No wonder it causes the heart to beat stronger.”
― Hothouse Flower and the Nine Plants of Desire
(Convallaria majalis)
Lily of the valley is known to slow the disturbed action of a weak and irritable heart, while at the same time increasing its power. As a heart medication, it is sometimes preferable to the digitalis made from the foxglove plant, because it is less toxic and does not accumulate in the blood. Lily of the valley has one of the most sexual scents of all plants and is widely used in perfume. No wonder it causes the heart to beat stronger.”
― Hothouse Flower and the Nine Plants of Desire
“Cacao
(Theobroma cacao)
Theobroma cacao, translated from the Greek to mean "food of the gods," is one plant that will never let you down. Through the good times and the bad, in times of high anxiety and too much stress, during relationship problems when it seems that all of the passion is gone, when there is no one around to talk to, or when no one will listen, understand, or believe in you, Theobroma cacao, otherwise known as chocolate, is always there to make you feel better.”
― Hothouse Flower and the Nine Plants of Desire
(Theobroma cacao)
Theobroma cacao, translated from the Greek to mean "food of the gods," is one plant that will never let you down. Through the good times and the bad, in times of high anxiety and too much stress, during relationship problems when it seems that all of the passion is gone, when there is no one around to talk to, or when no one will listen, understand, or believe in you, Theobroma cacao, otherwise known as chocolate, is always there to make you feel better.”
― Hothouse Flower and the Nine Plants of Desire
“Is that an orchid?" I asked, pointing to a particularly unattractive small brown plant.
"Maxillaria tenuifolia," said Sonali. "One of my favorites. This little brown orchid is a species. Not as spectacular as a hybrid, but very satisfying nonetheless. Its charms are quite powerful. Come closer and smell it."
I leaned over the ugly brown plant.
"Coconut pie! How is that possible?"
"Wonderful, isn't it? She doesn't need bright, flashy colors or spectacular sprays of flowers. Her pollinators, the moths, come out at night. She uses her coconut scent to guide and entice the little moth in much the way we use perfume to entice men in nightclubs and cafés."
Sonali winked at me.
"You can learn much about how an orchid is pollinated by the way it looks. White, pink, and pale-green flowers usually get pollinated at night, since those colors are easily seen under moonlight. The little moth sneaks up on the flower in the middle of the night like a lover. He lands on her, pollinates her, and then leaves. We've all had that experience, yes?"
"Yes," I said, thinking of Exley.
"Brightly colored orchids, on the other hand, are pollinated by butterflies and birds. Butterflies prefer red and orange. Bees love orange and yellow all the way through to ultraviolet."
"Just like certain men like certain color clothing," I said.
"Yes, colored petals are the clothing of flowers. The insect must find a way through those petals to get what he wants, like a man brushing his hand through the layers of a woman's skirt.”
― Hothouse Flower and the Nine Plants of Desire
"Maxillaria tenuifolia," said Sonali. "One of my favorites. This little brown orchid is a species. Not as spectacular as a hybrid, but very satisfying nonetheless. Its charms are quite powerful. Come closer and smell it."
I leaned over the ugly brown plant.
"Coconut pie! How is that possible?"
"Wonderful, isn't it? She doesn't need bright, flashy colors or spectacular sprays of flowers. Her pollinators, the moths, come out at night. She uses her coconut scent to guide and entice the little moth in much the way we use perfume to entice men in nightclubs and cafés."
Sonali winked at me.
"You can learn much about how an orchid is pollinated by the way it looks. White, pink, and pale-green flowers usually get pollinated at night, since those colors are easily seen under moonlight. The little moth sneaks up on the flower in the middle of the night like a lover. He lands on her, pollinates her, and then leaves. We've all had that experience, yes?"
"Yes," I said, thinking of Exley.
"Brightly colored orchids, on the other hand, are pollinated by butterflies and birds. Butterflies prefer red and orange. Bees love orange and yellow all the way through to ultraviolet."
"Just like certain men like certain color clothing," I said.
"Yes, colored petals are the clothing of flowers. The insect must find a way through those petals to get what he wants, like a man brushing his hand through the layers of a woman's skirt.”
― Hothouse Flower and the Nine Plants of Desire
“He opened his hand, and inside was a tiny lavender-colored flower with a small stem.
"Well, well, well. Look what we have here. Mr. Exley left us a present. Cichorium intybus. Chicory. The plant of freedom and one of the nine plants. He used it to get out of the basement, and then he left us a cutting as a courtesy. Your Mr. Exley has a good sense of humor."
"He's not my Mr. Exley."
"Unimportant. This little petal tells us how he got out of here."
"He broke a deadbolt with a flower petal?"
"In a sense, yes. Cichorium intybus is a perennial related to the dandelion. It's cultivated in England and Ireland and from Nova Scotia to Florida and west to the plains. It is not cultivated here, in South America. He brought it with him!"
"For what?"
"For its magical properties. The plant has a long, thick taproot filled with a bitter milky-white juice. The ancient Egyptians believed that if the juice is rubbed on the body it promotes invisibility, and removal of obstacles. The Mayans called it the plant of freedom, for the same reason.”
― Hothouse Flower and the Nine Plants of Desire
"Well, well, well. Look what we have here. Mr. Exley left us a present. Cichorium intybus. Chicory. The plant of freedom and one of the nine plants. He used it to get out of the basement, and then he left us a cutting as a courtesy. Your Mr. Exley has a good sense of humor."
"He's not my Mr. Exley."
"Unimportant. This little petal tells us how he got out of here."
"He broke a deadbolt with a flower petal?"
"In a sense, yes. Cichorium intybus is a perennial related to the dandelion. It's cultivated in England and Ireland and from Nova Scotia to Florida and west to the plains. It is not cultivated here, in South America. He brought it with him!"
"For what?"
"For its magical properties. The plant has a long, thick taproot filled with a bitter milky-white juice. The ancient Egyptians believed that if the juice is rubbed on the body it promotes invisibility, and removal of obstacles. The Mayans called it the plant of freedom, for the same reason.”
― Hothouse Flower and the Nine Plants of Desire
“THE NINE PLANTS OF DESIRE
~ Gloxinia--The mythical plant of love at first sight.
~ Mexican cycad--The plant of immortality. A living dinosaur straight from the Jurassic period.
~ Cacao--The chocolate tree of food and fortune.
~ Moonflower--Bringer of fertility and procreation.
~ Cannabis sativa in the form of sinsemilla--The plant of female sexuality.
~ Lily of the valley--Delivers life force. In a pinch, this beautiful plant can replace digitalis as medication for an ailing heart.
~ Mandrake--According to both William Shakespeare and the Holy Bible, this is the plant of magic.
~ Chicory--The plant of freedom. Offering invisibility to those who dare to ingest its bitter, milky juice.
~ Datura--The plant of mind travel and high adventure. Bringer of visions and dreams of the future.”
― Hothouse Flower and the Nine Plants of Desire
~ Gloxinia--The mythical plant of love at first sight.
~ Mexican cycad--The plant of immortality. A living dinosaur straight from the Jurassic period.
~ Cacao--The chocolate tree of food and fortune.
~ Moonflower--Bringer of fertility and procreation.
~ Cannabis sativa in the form of sinsemilla--The plant of female sexuality.
~ Lily of the valley--Delivers life force. In a pinch, this beautiful plant can replace digitalis as medication for an ailing heart.
~ Mandrake--According to both William Shakespeare and the Holy Bible, this is the plant of magic.
~ Chicory--The plant of freedom. Offering invisibility to those who dare to ingest its bitter, milky juice.
~ Datura--The plant of mind travel and high adventure. Bringer of visions and dreams of the future.”
― Hothouse Flower and the Nine Plants of Desire
“What are you making?"
"It doesn't matter. I'm only cooking so that I can smell something besides you."
There was that edge in his voice again.
He turned up the fire and poured oil into a skillet and water into a pot and then he lined up the jars of spice that Louise kept on the countertop: parsley, oregano, bay leaves, pepper, and thyme, and mini branches of herbs, including basil and dill as well as some lemons and fresh cloves of garlic. He added them to the oil. His plan worked- the kitchen filled up with new odors that did not quite overcome my own, but were certainly gaining ground.
"The ancient Romans wore bay leaves on their heads for virility," he said.
"You don't need any," I said.
"Borage is used to induce abortion. We learned that in the first year of med school."
"I don't need any."
"Arabs believe that cardamom builds good feelings among friends."
"We don't need any other people in our lives."
"I'm showing off, you know."
"I know. Keep going."
"Let's see. Curry powder should always be browned in butter. Fenugreek is hairy and it'll make you dream of sex. Ginger makes men horny, but not women. Lavender should be spread on the bedsheets. Not yours, of course, we don't need to add any more scent to your bed, but it can also be used in making soup."
"I'm impressed.”
― Scent of Darkness
"It doesn't matter. I'm only cooking so that I can smell something besides you."
There was that edge in his voice again.
He turned up the fire and poured oil into a skillet and water into a pot and then he lined up the jars of spice that Louise kept on the countertop: parsley, oregano, bay leaves, pepper, and thyme, and mini branches of herbs, including basil and dill as well as some lemons and fresh cloves of garlic. He added them to the oil. His plan worked- the kitchen filled up with new odors that did not quite overcome my own, but were certainly gaining ground.
"The ancient Romans wore bay leaves on their heads for virility," he said.
"You don't need any," I said.
"Borage is used to induce abortion. We learned that in the first year of med school."
"I don't need any."
"Arabs believe that cardamom builds good feelings among friends."
"We don't need any other people in our lives."
"I'm showing off, you know."
"I know. Keep going."
"Let's see. Curry powder should always be browned in butter. Fenugreek is hairy and it'll make you dream of sex. Ginger makes men horny, but not women. Lavender should be spread on the bedsheets. Not yours, of course, we don't need to add any more scent to your bed, but it can also be used in making soup."
"I'm impressed.”
― Scent of Darkness
“Plant Money
Marijuana can go for thousands of dollars an ounce.
In fact, as of 2006, it was the number-one cash crop in the United States, averaging thirty billion dollars a year.
Saffron from Iran is the next-most-expensive plant, as it takes seventy-five thousand flowers to make one pound of the popular spice. Orchids, on the other hand, tend to elude the laws of supply and demand and are priced much more like paintings or sculpture, their value being in the eye of a particular collector.”
― Hothouse Flower and the Nine Plants of Desire
Marijuana can go for thousands of dollars an ounce.
In fact, as of 2006, it was the number-one cash crop in the United States, averaging thirty billion dollars a year.
Saffron from Iran is the next-most-expensive plant, as it takes seventy-five thousand flowers to make one pound of the popular spice. Orchids, on the other hand, tend to elude the laws of supply and demand and are priced much more like paintings or sculpture, their value being in the eye of a particular collector.”
― Hothouse Flower and the Nine Plants of Desire
“How many serious situations do you find yourself in?"
"Not too many, but the ones that I have to figure out are important. Like if I should go visit my old grandma in Bayou Jolie, or if a cupcake should be chocolate or red velvet or orange cake. A decision like that could change your whole day. Make you feel one way or another one, depending on your choice.”
― Scent of Darkness
"Not too many, but the ones that I have to figure out are important. Like if I should go visit my old grandma in Bayou Jolie, or if a cupcake should be chocolate or red velvet or orange cake. A decision like that could change your whole day. Make you feel one way or another one, depending on your choice.”
― Scent of Darkness
“I said, why are you growing all of these mandrake plants?"
"Calm down," said Armand. "She can't understand you."
"She can when she wants to."
"Some people call this plant the 'devil's candle,' because it glistens at night."
"Is she the devil?"
The Cashier looked angry.”
― Hothouse Flower and the Nine Plants of Desire
"Calm down," said Armand. "She can't understand you."
"She can when she wants to."
"Some people call this plant the 'devil's candle,' because it glistens at night."
"Is she the devil?"
The Cashier looked angry.”
― Hothouse Flower and the Nine Plants of Desire
“Champagne arrived by the bottle, and the food came out of the kitchen à la carte on small plates. Roasted foie gras with passion fruit, saki-pine nut gazpacho with oysters and cherries, melted chestnut soup with salmon threads and celery root, and Mediterranean sea bass with Parmesan and charred lily bulb.”
― Hothouse Flower and the Nine Plants of Desire
― Hothouse Flower and the Nine Plants of Desire
