A Field Guide to Surreal Botany, containing my piece ‘The Nabokov’ (co-authored with Ben Peek), has been released.  In honour of this, here’s a summary of a flower that exists (fleetingly) in my Downtown world:

Virginflower

The virginflower is characterised by the soft, pure flesh of its bloom, which is bell-shaped and resembles the form of a veiled female. The bloom ranges in colour from translucent to a dark chocolate, with all shades considered equally covetable. Some particularly exemplary specimens exhibit a wistful, longing countenance. Under some conditions the virginflower may bear a distinct resemblance to its relative the meretrixflower, with those specimens exhibiting aspects of both being particularly desirable.

The gentle characteristics of the virginflower are evident from within nine months, and can remain thus in some cases for up to eighty years. In most cases, the lifespan of the virginflower is between fourteen and eighteen years, after which the bloom begins to fade and wither, displaying little sign of its erstwhile seductive properties.

The virginflower may be found worldwide, but seems to be more prevalent in conservative societies. There has been a notable decline in virginflower numbers in the developed west, where the blooms have a tendency to wilt early, yet for unknown reasons do so without reproducing. In some societies, the bloom may be hacked away by its cultivators. The reasons for this are largely unknown.

The collecting of a virginflower is said to result in a distinct euphoria and a sense of power, although collectors must be wary of the addictive nature of the heady perfume produced when the bloom wilts. Virginflowers are also said to have curative properties, and may aid in the relief of sexually transmitted diseases, and may assist those suffering from low self-esteem and general malaise.

The virginflower has enjoyed a long and rich history in which it has often been attributed grail-like curative, life-bringing, and wealth-giving properties. Perhaps the most revered of all virginflowers is the bloom known as Mary the Immaculate, which has neither wilted nor shown any sign of ageing.