Spartan Leo Hibiscus

Greek Spartiátēs, of Sparta — adjectival suffix referring to the Lacedaemonian warrior city. As a color modifier, spartan implies a saturated-and-disciplined-and-formal quality, the deep-rich color of Spartan-hoplite military-class crimson-and-bronze armor-and-cloak. Sits at the bold-and-formal end of the grid, parallel to austere and stern in tone.

Latin leo, lion-of-the-zodiac. As a color modifier, leo implies a lion-and-fire-sign-and-Sun-ruled-fixed-fire quality, the visual register of Hellenic-Leo-and-Nemean-lion hand-lion-and-fire-sign-and-Sun-ruled-fixed-fire Hellenic-Leo-and-Nemean-lion-and-Hercules-twelve-labors leo-and-lion-and-fire-sign surfaces under Hellenic-Leo-and-Nemean-lion-and-Hercules-twelve-labors high-summer-and-July-and-August fixed-fire-sign-light. Sits at the modifier-and-zodiac end of the grid, parallel to cancer and virgo in usage.

Hibiscus rosa-sinensis — the showy mallow of Pacific gardens, the Hawaiian state flower, the source of the deep red sorrel tea sold across West Africa as bissap. The color refers to a fully open hibiscus petal at midday: a hot, slightly magenta red with the velvet texture of a single-day bloom. By evening the same flower has wilted; by morning it's gone.