Innocent Blood

This ground cover plant has heart-shaped leaves and small delicate flowers that are usually white in colour, but can also be variegated in shades of red. Curiously, this plant only grows in soil where blood has been spilled. The lush white leaves hide its precious fruit. If you reach your hand in to pluck it you may be in for a surprise… for under the soft leaves are a labyrinth of sharp red thorns. It is nearly impossible to pluck the fruit without having your hands cut. Folk tales say that this is the source of the plant's medicinal properties, for many believe that the blood spilled on the leaves is the toll the plant demands in return for its healing gifts.