Because the world is photogenic.
The Dahlia has been the official flower of San Francisco since 1926, and a whole garden is dedicated to this leafy tuber at Golden Gate Park. The flowers reach full bloom in late summer—the perfect time for seeing thousands of these colorful flowers together in one plot. WHEREAS, in its versatility, its beauty, its infinite variety of color and…
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The wait has been long and insufferable at times, but after a full four years, the Stretlizia nicolai in the backyard is finally flowering. The flowers are admittedly much less colorful than those of Strelitzia reginae, but I was still super stoked when the first bracts emerged. Strelitzia nicolai, also known as the Giant White Bird of Paradise, is…
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A few years ago, I came across―to my great dismay―a vast collection of neon-colored, spray-painted Gasteraloe plants in the garden center of a home improvement store. They are marketed as Kosmik Kaktus; the product label describes them as part of “a new lineup of cacti with out-of-this-world color.” The plants came in every imaginable (and unimaginable) outlandish hue,…
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Siraitia grosvenorii is a perennial, deciduous, fruit-bearing vine endemic to southeast Asia, from the mountains of Guilin, China to northern Thailand. It belongs to the Cucurbitaceae family, of which the squash, pumpkin, zucchini, watermelon, and cucumber are also members. The plant’s fruit, commonly known as “Buddha Fruit,” is edible and often cultivated for its natural, low-calorie…
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This species is endemic to the Tororo district in eastern Uganda, from which it derives its name. It was first discovered there on bare rock surfaces by Henry C. Dawkins, a British botanist who spent many years in Uganda as a forest ecologist. Subsequently, Swiss botanist Peter R. O. Bally collected more samples, from which Reynolds gathered enough information to first publish it in 1953.
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Aloe calcairophila is a cute miniature Aloe from an area south of Ambatofinandrahana in the Fianarantsoa Province in Madagascar. The region is part of the Central Highlands at an altitude of about 1400 m.
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This species is a small Aloe from Madagascar, naturally found near granite outcrops on slopes of the Itremo Mountains at altitudes of 5000 – 6000 ft. Although it is considered critically endangered in the wild, it is commonly cultivated because of its small size, suitability to indoor planting, and attractive appearance—its epithet reflects it being a little, beautiful plant.
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Aloe scorpioides is a widely branching Aloe endemic to the western slopes of the Serra da Chela mountains in southern Angola, close to the Atlantic coast. There, it can be found growing out of rocky slopes, or in the shade of forests at lower altitudes.
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Aloe fouriei is a relatively recently discovered grass Aloe endemic to the Mpumalanga province in South Africa. It is found among dolomite formations near the towns of Lydenberg and Pilgrim’s Rest, on steep slopes at altitudes of 5000 ft. The species is named after Steve Fourie, a local conservation officer who first discovered the plant.
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Aloe arenicola is a unique, low creeping Aloe endemic to the Northern Cape province of South Africa, near the town of Kleinsee. Its natural distribution is along a narrow, 500 km strip along the western coast, from the Namibian border down to Lambert’s Bay. The plant grows on very arid, sandy soils near sea level. Its name, meaning sand-inhabiting, refers to its natural sandy habitat.
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