Proiphys amboinensis flowers continously from November till February

It didn't rain at all in March this year 2019 in Thiruvananthapuram unlike the same time last year. The days and nights have been much hotter too this year. Yet the lily with the luminescent flowers Proiphys amboinensis flowered throughout January and February this year unlike last year. The flowering which began with the November rains in 2018 continued till February this year. The fragrance and the luminosity of the flowers remained the same throughout the flowering period from November till February.

With the shortage of water this year, rice water which is the left over from the cooking of rice was used for watering the plants. Could it have been the rice water which caused this continuous flowering?

 Proiphys amboinensis flowering in February 2019

Patchouli: From the Sunshine to the Shade

...Climate Change, Shrinking Habitat
Then: It is known that some mothers’ mothers planted Patchouli saplings in the sunshine near their laterite wells to draw water from for their growing plants. Patchouli plants grow better with regular watering when the laterite soil around them is moist; not caking and dry.
 
When the winds of the North East monsoon blew bringing the rains with them, the plants would give forth their white blossoms competing in brilliance with the soft, off-white mundu and neriyathu drapes worn by these grandmothers.

Patchouli was extensively grown in several regions of the Western ghats in area receiving good sunlight. In the Malayalam language, Patchouli is known as ‘patcha ella’; in Tamil as ‘patcha ellai’ which translates to ‘green leaves’ in English. Patchouli derives its name from these two languages.

Now: These days it is difficult to grow Patchouli in direct sunlight. The leaves get scorched and the plants just dry up and have to be discarded.

Growing patchouli under the shade of trees helps. Some plants start to flower when the winds of the North East monsoon blow.

Patchouli planted in the shade in Thiruvananthapuram flowering

An observation: Young kittens without a mother to care for them and having a startled-response to stimuli, preferring to to hide behind tall ferns.......

.......after a few months seem more relaxed when they spend time under flowering patchouli.

One of the kittens- seven months old