Flower Getting Plenty of Attention in Queens
1010WINS
October 22, 2008
New York — There’s plenty of attention being paid to a purple flower growing in the backyard of a house in Jamaica, Queens.
Homeowner Sam Lal said he believes the nearly 4-foot tall flower, shaped like an elephant’s head, is the incarnation of the Hindu God Ganesh.
Since the flower sprouted in June, Lal said he’s gotten relief from neck and back pain. Lal says word has spread in the Hindu community and the faithful have been showing up at his home.
Experts at the Queens Botanical Garden say the plant is native to India, Africa, and Southern Central America. Horticulturalists at the garden said they’ve never seen an amaranth take an elephant-like shape.
Friends and neighbors have already streamed to his 90th Ave. home to see the flower, and Lal said he’d welcome pilgrimages by Hindu faithful.