Berlandiera lyrata

In the collection Chantefables et chantefleurs (Sing-fables and Sing-flowers) the 20th-century French poet Robert Desnos included “La Fourmi” (“The Ant”):

Une fourmi de dix-huit mètres
Avec un chapeau sur la tête,
Ça n’existe pas, ça n’existe pas.
Une fourmi traînant un char
Plein de pingouins et de canards,
Ça n’existe pas, ça n’existe pas.
Une fourmi parlant français,
Parlant latin et javanais,
Ça n’existe pas, ça n’existe pas.
Eh ! Pourquoi pas ?

An ant 59 feet long
With a hat on its head:
That doesn’t exist, that doesn’t exist.
An ant pulling a float
Full of penguins and ducks:
That doesn’t exist, that doesn’t exist.
An ant that speaks French,
That speaks Latin and Javanese:
That doesn’t exist, that doesn’t exist.
Hey! Why not?

In that spirit, I’m tempted to ask: A flower that smells like chocolate and grows in the desert? Hey! Why not? Why not indeed, when Berlandiera lyrata, known as chocolate daisy, fits the bill. I found this one on the grounds of old Fort Davis on November 20.

DID YOU KNOW?  Vanilla and chocolate, which serve as the two most popular flavors of ice cream, both originated in Mexico.

© 2015 Steven Schwartzman