By Monarda Tisan, writer for GardenGyal
Noantri Date: Lupercal 17

The most talked-about exhibit at the recent Larsa Garden Show was the legendary Algonar Blue Poppy. All attempts to grow this plant on New Earth have failed, until now. The seeds were brought over by settlers from the Algonar community, which was based in a chilly, damp region of that world whose skies were almost always filtered by clouds. Even though growers have tried to find places in our settled world that match those conditions, they've had no success trying to grow the poppy. Finally, right there in Larsa, a team of growers led by botanist Ardvi Nagopian managed to bring a set of Algonar Poppy plants to mature bloom.

The atmosphere on Earth was slightly different from that of Algonar, explained Nagopian. Her group created not only a climate-controlled habitat but an airtight one, in which they duplicated the original mixture of gases from the old world's air. The seeds themselves had been held in a vault for more than two hundred years! The scientist/gardeners also added in some preserved Algonar soil samples from that same vault, so that "friendly" bacteria would be present. And in this carefully maintained cradle, the Blue Poppy not only sprouted but bloomed.

According to the legends, the Blue Poppy's blooms and seeds have psychoactive and possibly nouetic qualities. Even the sight of the blue blossoms seems to cause a trance-like state. The plant, in its crystal-clear movable enclosure, was always surrounded by a silent crowd of admirers. According to Nagopian, this crop will yield a new generation of seeds and samples, and it's possible that with a bit of genetic engineering, the Blue Poppy could grow naturally in our own world. But right now this is the first time that a living Algonar Blue Poppy has been seen by anyone here on New Earth.

Here's Ardvi Nagopian inside the enclosure with her treasure.

Posted at 3:56 am | link

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