Gladiolus flanaganii, the elusive flower

There are rare and remote flowers on earth that inspire the occasional romantic young man to prove his love. These plants, surrounded by narrative of successful flower picking or disaster, include the edelweiss of the Alps, the ghost orchid of Florida and Cuba, the blue poppy of the Himalayas and the Snowdon lily of Wales.

Gladiolus flanaganii of the Drakensberg cliffs, dramatically called the suicide gladiolus, is a red-flowering plant restricted to a remote mountainous region that challenges climbers. It is not a rare plant, but still a South African contribution to the above list.

In ancient times when the Egyptians, the Greeks and the Romans gifted plants, there were deities, rituals and symbolic meanings involved. It will take digitalisation of neural networks to rid people of their heartfelt habits and superstitions. But do we ever need that?