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From Pelargonium Species Three on Sunday 22nd of December 2024 04:23:45 PM PST
Pelargonium proliferum (Burm.f.) Steud. is a tuberous plant from the Southwest Cape area of South Africa, from Nieuwoudtville to Bredasdorp. It grows in fynbos on sandstone and in renosterveld on shale. The flowers may be white, cream, pink, with wine red feathering on the top two. Flowering takes place between October and December. The name refers to the fact that the branching scape produces several peduncles, each with many-flowered pseudo-umbellets. (Section Hoarea, Proliferum Group). Photos David Victor.
From Begonia on Saturday 21st of December 2024 06:09:38 PM PST
Begonia geranioides Hook.f. is a delicate species from Natal and the Eastern Cape, South Africa. The rounded leaves are borne on a very short stem on top of the tuber. In my experience this is a rather ephemeral plant that is suited to cool, shady conditions and is a good companion for small ferns. In winter it is dormant and should be kept dry. In small pots (2" to 3") it will grow and flower when only a few inches tall, though in nature the plants can be larger. A good write-up is here. Photos show plants grown and photographed by Dylan Hannon of material originally collected near Merrivale.
From Dandya on Friday 20th of December 2024 05:48:31 PM PST
Dandya thadhowardii grows in rocky terrain and dry hillsides in full sun or shade among cacti and thorny trees in Guerrero and Michoacan states, Mexico. It breaks dormancy and flowers soon after the first rains of summer. Flowers look much like Dodecatheon in form, growing in umbels of small pendent flowers that are white, keeled with a green line, with anthers touching to form a tiny birdcage surrounding a small bright green ovary. Photos were taken by Dylan Hannon.
From Delphinium Species One on Thursday 19th of December 2024 04:59:28 PM PST
Delphinium luteum A.Heller is a very rare species found in only two places on the coastal bluffs of Sonoma County California. It very closely resembles Delphinium nudicaule except it has yellow instead of orange red flowers. It has a distally branched rootstock and mostly basal leaves and is a short species about a foot tall. Photos 1-2 were taken by Mary Sue Ittner. Photo 2 shows the basal leaves before flowering.
The photos below were taken by Nhu Nguyen at the Tilden Botanic Garden.
From Pyrolirion on Wednesday 18th of December 2024 05:33:44 PM PST
Pyrolirion tubiflorum (L'Hér.) M.Roem. was named by L'Heritier in 1789. This species can be found in Peru, Ecuador and Bolivia, always next to crops and in between inter - Andean valleys ranging from 300 m to 3000 m. The perianth of Pyrolirion tubiflorum is up to 8 cm across in the upper part, the perianth tube is 1.8 cm wide, mostly green and it has a mild scent. Photos by Norton Cuba Melly.
From Hesperantha Five on Tuesday 17th of December 2024 04:35:56 PM PST
Hesperantha truncatula Goldblatt grows on dry north-facing shale slopes in renosterveld in the Karoo foothills. Plants grow from 8 to 12 cm high. The pale blue-mauve flowers occur late winter to early spring, are unscented and open during the day. Photos by Cameron McMaster taken near Napier in the Overberg.
From Tritonia Three on Monday 16th of December 2024 05:14:43 PM PST
Tritonia gladiolaris (Lam.) Goldblatt & J.C.Manning, syn. Tritonia lineata (Salisb.) Ker Gawl., grows in grassland in the southeastern Cape, about 60 cm high. It has creamy white or pale yellow or orange funnel shaped flowers with dark veins. This plant copes with a Mediterranean growing cycle even though it is a summer rainfall species, but I wouldn't say it thrives. When grown with regular summer water it expands rapidly. When grown with a dry summer, it merely survives or dies. The first photo was taken by Mary Sue Ittner. The last three were taken in habitat in the Eastern Cape by Cameron McMaster.
From Ring Mountain on Sunday 15th of December 2024 04:29:23 PM PST
Dipterostemon capitatus was photographed by Mary Sue Ittner March 2023.
From Xerophyllum on Saturday 14th of December 2024 04:47:38 PM PST
Xerophyllum tenax, commonly known as "Bear Grass", is found in open forests and meadows at subalpine and alpine elevations in the western US. It is an evergreen perennial growing from a large woody rhizome. Not all plants bloom every year.
Seed can be started fairly easily by sowing just scratched into the surface of a sandy soil mix in Autumn. The plants benefit from a mycorrhizae association, so inoculating the seeds or adding a handful of native soil (with the characteristic white "webbing" of mycorrhizae) added to the potting mix may improve survivability. Keep the seeds and soil medium moist and in the elements until germination occurs some time in late Winter or Spring, then move to a protected location (like a covered porch) or else Spring rains may kill the young seedlings. Travis Owen had success germinating the seeds this way but cautions that early rains will wreak havoc on the young seedlings (a lesson learned from experience). He shares the following photos of the surviving seedlings:
Photos 1-2 below were taken by Ron Parsons from populations in Jackson County, Oregon. Photo 3 by Paige Woodward.
Plants photographed in May 2009 by Mary Sue Ittner and Bob Rutemoeller were taken in Mendocino County, California, on a coastal ridge where they were blooming in an open area cleared for the power lines. Rarely seen in bloom except after a fire, we were very happy to spot them.
From South African Romuleas on Friday 13th of December 2024 04:10:38 PM PST
Romulea citrina Baker is found in Namaqualand on sandy or stony ground. It grows to 30 cm high with linear basal leaves, usually curved with narrow grooves. The outer bracts are green and the inner have wide brownish, brown-streaked or membranous edged margins. Flowers are lemon-yellow, often greenish or brownish on the backs. This species flowers in August and September. Photos were taken by Bob Rutemoeller, Mary Sue Ittner and Alan Horstmann including the final one showing corms with a crescent shaped basal ridge on a 1 cm grid.
Habitat photos from Rod Saunders, Cameron McMaster and Mary Sue Ittner. The last two taken in Namaqualand September 2006 show it growing in some wet spots.
