Pror Teal Angkor Chum – Rain Lily
Rain lily is known in Khmer as Pror Teal Angkor Chum. It was called Rain Lily because it burst to flower after a rain. For Cambodian, Pror Teal is a generic name of a group of plantations which do not flower all year round, and some are rarely to flower. “Chum” means gather together, collecting, or meeting. It was called Angkor Chum, because people believe that planting this flower in the house would bring relatives and friends together living happily.
Angkor Chum is very popular for home garden in Cambodia. Almost every house would have at least a pot of Angkor Chum planted. It was believe that Angkor Chum can predict one’s luck. Whenever it flower, the people in the house would have good luck, or good fortune. Many small business owners like to plant Angkor Chum, they believe that Angkor Chum would attract or gather many customers to their businesses. They plant it with special care in a nice pot, place it in a good place. Even it might not flower, but they need to see its leaves growing best grassy green.
Though this kind of specie have many other colors as white and yellow, but the pink one is the most popular to be planted. With only about 20-25cm height, the leaves grow out shiny grassy green. The flower has 6 or 7 petals, funnel shaped, and can last for one or two days. But during the flowering time, many other new buds keep blossoming for many days continuously. Normally in rainy season in Cambodia, from May to Nov, Angkor Chum would flowering when it rains after a hot day.
Angkor Chum is very easy to grow. It can grow in a huge garden or in just a small pot. Having a few bulbs at first, for a short time in could grow into a bush. I also have a small pot of Angkor Chum at home, after a while, the pot become too small for it, and I must change it to a bigger one. Every time it flower, it always give me a delighting surprise, because the pink color flowers always caught my eyes after sometimes I have forgotten about it.
Pror Teal Angkor Chum – Rain Lily in Cambodia
Just a small pot of Angkor Chum, you would have something to care, something to work about, and something to be joyful when its flower blossom. Put it in sunlight, but shouldn’t be too much. It grows best under a little shade, that might be have sunlight shining in the morning, and shadowing in the afternoon. It needs an average amount of moisture, but not too much water, otherwise it will not survive.
