High summer in the Algarve

[Uli]

Dear All,

Today, during a drive through the bone dry lowlands of the Algarve hinterland, I came across this remarkable plant. At first, from afar I thought it was a dried up annual with silky seed. But then curiosity struck and I stood in front of a very fragrant "bush" with countless white flowers. The light pink sheen is made of the dark red pollen. It is again so amazing how a plant can even flower  in absolutely dry and very hot conditions. In some places it is quite abundant which gives a striking effect in the dry countryside. The plant is almost leafless and invests its energy into the abundant flowering. At closer inspection  I saw snails estivating well protected between the vicious spines, their shells hermetically locked. Would you have guessed? It is Asparagus albus.
Bye for now 

Uli 

[Martin Bohnet]

that's absolutely stunning - without a comment I had IDd that as something Prunus-ish in spring somewhere.

[Diane Whitehead]

That reminds me of a scented  
one I admired in South Africa.  I don't know which species it is - there are about 120 species growing there.

When you consider how many have spines, it is surprising that we discovered how good one of them is to eat.

[Uli]

Dear All,

Is summer already over? Look at my Amaryllis belladonna 'Rose Foncé' which is always the first autumn flower of the season around this time of the year. It is a good coloured cultivar and may have some Brunsvigia blood. The pale pink flowers that intermingle are of Podranea 'Comtess Sarah' a dwarf(er) shrubby  cultivar of the otherwise overvigorous vine. I had to take this picture at midday for the dwarf waterlily flowers to be open.
This clump of Amaryllis benefits from the irrigation of the neighboring plants  but is  not watered directly. The ones without any summer water will flower a little later.

Uli 

[Robert_Parks]

That reminds me of a scented one I admired in South Africa.  I don't know which species it is - there are about 120 species growing there.

When you consider how many have spines, it is surprising that we discovered how good one of them is to eat.

When you are hungry enough, you'll try anything! It appears that the young shoots of all of them are edible!

Wow! That's amazing, I wonder if it could handle my cool foggy summers?

Presumably it has fleshy roots to support this show? But even plants that lack apparent storage organs will put on a show in mediterranean summers...I'm thinking on our local deerweed (Acmispon glaber) that flowers all summer
supported by wiry anchor roots!

Amaryllis belladonna is still blooming intermittently here, in more clement locations in the city, they are mostly done, although a sunny protected cliffside population hasn't started yet.
Robert
firmly in the grip of Fogust, which followed No Sky July, where some of the South African bulbs have decided winter is coming on (mostly Oxalis), the first Colchicum is showing color, and the Andean tuber crops are all growing wildly.