Introduction

There is a common saying that the way to a man's heart is through his stomach. I wish to add that the way to a woman's heart is through flowers. I have yet to meet a woman who is not moved by them. Flowers present themselves in bridal bouquets , in flower garden and as part of home decor. Their most common use is as funeral wreaths. On a national scale the Hawaiian necklace garland of flowers called a lei is a welcome gift given to tourist arriving at the Polynesian ports. There is no social barrier to flower giving .Any one can acquire flowers for they can be found even on roadsides,but not all varieties are easily acquired. Such a one is the Anthurium Lily, a Tropical bloom that is classified as exotic. As a child I recognised the anthurium as a special plant that my grandmother grew under the mango tree.She used rotten immortel tree to mulch, and she fertilized with diluted human urine (stale pee) The flowers were of colours pink and white, with stems of average 10- 12 "long.These were cut when the plant grew to the size producing flowers of approximately 7 cm diameter. She started with 4 plants and increased her collection to about 24 plants through young shoots, in order to harvest a bouquet of flowers which adorned the dining table for up to 3 weeks.That was then. The Anthurium Lily in its indigenous form has been replaced by the Anthurium andraeanum Linden ex Andre.This is a hybrid version developed by the Dutch. The local Anthurium Lily was taken by the Dutch horticulturist and genetically engineered to produce new varieties that are commercially viable.They were reintroduced to the Trinidad market by Eugene Andre`.It is no secret that Holland, a Temperate country, controls the international Flower industry by introducing technology into the flower industry.They have perfected the conditions of temperature, feeding levels , exposure to sunlight and other features that would sustain the flower in its present form. The pictures displayed indicate the various bright colours that are now available on the commercial market