Not a Bulb (a bit off topic geophyte note)
Joe Shaw (Wed, 14 Jun 2006 15:30:37 PDT)
Not a Bulb (off topic a bit)
My email friend Willy in Argentina sent me some images of my cactus Web
site. One plant is a remarkable geophyte. It is a cactus, not too
distantly related to prickly pears. It lives mostly underground in its
truly hostile desert environment.
The tip of the stem barely shows at the surface. Most of the stem is
underground. The low profile allows the cactus to avoid excess heat and
drying winds. However, when it rains the little plant expands a bit
(accordion- or telescope-like) and takes advantage of a bit more exposure to
sunlight to carry on the business of photosynthesis. But, even in the best
of times the plants is mostly underground..
In the garden it can make stems, but it seldom does so in the driest regions
of its natural range.
LINK: Puna bonnieae, third row down, middle and left thumbnails
Cordially,
Joe
The first Amarcrinum of the year is blooming. It is a light-pink, intensely
fragrant hybrid created by Les Hannibal. They sure stand up to the heat.