The “Spirit Plant”, Ling Zhi, is more affectionately known in Western culture as the ‘Reishi mushroom’. This mushroom of immortality was held in the highest regard by the first emperor in the line of rulers in ancient China, Emperor Yan, who founded the agricultural tools and practices for farming. Its latin name is Ganoderma lucidum, originally meaning “shiny, brilliant skin”.…
“It was then that I noticed the hibiscus tree. Its magenta flowers were in bloom, brilliant and full with fertile golden centers. The tree was incongruous with its surroundings- the dirt, the man weathered from the sun and life.” -Alex Brunkhorst, The Gilded Life of Matilda Duplaine The Rose of Sharon, most commonly known as the Hibiscus plant, is…