STORY BEHIND THE ART OF AKIKO ENOKIDO

Weird, Wild, & Wonderful

Second New York Botanical Garden Triennial Exhibition

2014 - 2016

Cat’s Whiskers

Tacca Chantrieri Andre

Tacca chantrieri is also known as “Cat Whiskers” or “Bat Flower”. It is named after the long bracts that emanate from the flower scape. This flowering plant is part of the yam family, Dioscoreaceae, which grows in the tropical forests of Yunnan Province in China, India and southeast Asia. In such places, the roots are used as food.

I found this mysterious plant at the Kyoto Uji-city Botanical Garden in Japan. It was blooming inside the greenhouse in mid-June. I was just fascinated by the shape and the process by which the “cat” developed.

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Read more about this artist's work: 16th Annual International