🌸 Specimen: The Petalled Maw

📜 Field Guide Notes:

The Petalled Maw blooms in layered shades of lilac and old rose, its fleshy petals folding back to reveal a shadowed centre set with two small, pale teeth. Though still and silent, the hollow at its heart gives the impression of depth where none should be. Prolonged viewing often brings a reluctance to lean closer.

🍄 Habitat & Folklore:

Said to emerge in soil made rich by excess—forgotten compost beds and abandoned gardens. Old gardeners spoke of “mouth-flowers” that grew where the earth learned hunger, warning never to disturb them after dusk.

💀 Warnings:

Keep away from frequent movement or vibration. Repeated disturbance is believed to deepen the inner folds, subtly altering how close the bloom appears to be.

🎨 Sculptor’s Note:

Hand-sculpted in dusky mauve tones with vivid green foliage, set in a mossed terracotta pot. A deceptively lush specimen—ornamental at first glance, unsettling upon closer inspection.