The American Columbo (Frasera caroliniensis) lives a life wrapped in mystery. A species that can spend up to 75 years in silence, its flowering remains an enigma—an uncertain event, emerging only when the plant reaches a tipping point after decades of vegetative growth. We do not know why or when it blooms, and this unknowability imbues it with a profound sense of otherworldliness.
In this series, I explore the fleeting and almost alien beauty of the American Columbo’s bloom. These flowers, which emerge once and never again, seem to belong to a time long past, as though they hail from a forgotten era, one that predates human existence. Their appearance is almost ethereal, their shape and structure like something dreamed up by another world. They seem ancient, alien, and yet, intimately tied to the earth.
The plant’s complex life cycle, marked by an agonizingly slow progression toward a single flowering event, reflects the tension between resilience and impermanence. For most of its life, the plant exists as a basal rosette of leaves that can grow up to 40 cm long, quietly developing before its eventual dramatic bloom. When it does flower, it produces up to 100 delicate blooms, its towering stalk reaching as high as 8 feet tall, serving as a silent testament to the mysteries of life, death, and time itself.
The American Columbo also holds historical significance beyond its biological complexity. It was used for a wide range of medicinal purposes by the Cherokee Nation, serving as a tonic, antidiarrheal, antiemetic, and disinfectant—underscoring the deep connection between Indigenous knowledge and the natural world.
In Canada, American Columbo occurs only in southwestern Ontario, where it is listed as endangered under Ontario’s Endangered Species Act. With only 12 known extant populations and an estimated total of 7,633 plants, this species stands at the precipice of extinction. Set against the backdrop of Ontario’s woods, these photographs invite the viewer to contemplate the delicate balance of existence and the unknown rhythms that govern the natural world.
The American Columbo’s struggle for survival is emblematic of our changing environment, its habitat slowly fading, consumed by development and invasive species. Through this work, I aim to illuminate the quiet, alien beauty of this plant and remind us of the fragility of nature. In a world where so much is disappearing from view, the Columbo's bloom is an urgent and poetic reminder of what we stand to lose.
