Prima Belladonna by J. G. Ballard [Vermilion Sands]

Eventually, the hub of commentary on the Vermilion Sands will be located here.

This story first appeared in John Carnell's Science Fantasy. Reprinted in a few major genre retrospectives by Judith Merril, Martin H. Greenberg, Damon Knight, Joseph D. Olander, Kathryn Cramer, David G. Hartwell. 

All the guys seem to go crazy for a golden-hued female mutant named Jane Ciracylides. Except Steve, the narrator, who is attracted but restrains himself. Instead he focuses on his choro-flora--plants that sing although the conditions and environment have to be just so, or he could lose his crop.

The trouble comes when Jane visits his plant shop. 

Commentary with Spoilers

The one plant she wants he cannot sell. She makes his plants sing in ways he's never seen. 

She turns out to be a major singer herself, and becomes Steve's lover. It all ends when Steve suggests it will end. The ending, though, is a bit ambiguous.

The description makes it sound like the plant that she's been drawn to, is aroused. Is it that or is her entrance an act of pollination? She, after all, has insect eyes. A third possibility is that she, entranced or conscious, is consumed by the plant.

When Steve tries to pull her away, she begs to continue, so Steve prevents his friends from disengaging her from the plant.

The story makes it sound like she might have been killed, or possibly continued on elsewhere. Perhaps it's a Schrodinger's cat scenario.

Note: 1) A prima donna is a talented singer, if perhaps full of herself. 2) Belladonna is a deadly plant although it has medicinal properties. Perhaps all meanings are on display.

Judith Merril praised it as "one of the very few entirely new s-f ideas of the last few years." Also laudable is the characterization of men--those driven and those restrained. Although some of the speculation may seem implausible, it is developed in a methodical manner that feels plausible.

We have a scale that goes up to or beyond "K" (which could be true if octaves were re-vamped in the future, perhaps introducing half tones), plants that sing (that seems plausible given holes and wind, however, these create music and read the music off one another, which is a huge step). Also, what kind of mutant is Jane? Maybe?    

Even though she's a human variant, she feels alien although her parentage brought her from Peru. Perhaps this is in such a distant future that science indeed feels strange. It's also interesting that she is said to cheat at cards. Perhaps this is meant to suggest that she somehow also cheats at life or some other endeavor, to make it interesting.

Elsewhere, Ballard argued for more sex and violence in the arts. It's interesting that they launched his career.