Plant of the day is: Alluadia procera or Madagascar ocotillo

Plant of the day is: Alluadia procera or Madagascar ocotillo

    Nope, it's not really a Fouquieria or ocotillo found in the USA southwest. It is something else.  Something else entirely...kind of.

    It IS worth noting and appreciating this thing called evolution.  This is another fine example of life coming up with the same answer in two completely different parts of the world.

    So we've been over how Cactaceae and Euphorbiaceae are different.  Cactaceae North/South America and Euphorbia Africa (in general...there ARE a few exceptions...life ya know?).  But how bought this little guy?

    The family:  Didiereaceae.  Yeah...that's a new one for me too folks.  A very small family consisting of just four genera.  If Wiki can be believed (depends on the day right?) it may be expanded a little bit to include the wonderful Portulacaria genus.  I believe it today, neat stuff that evolution.
    Of note, it is actually very closely related to some of the new world cacti, so much so that successful grafts can be made ... now that's cool.

    Description:  A columnar succulent that can reach up to 18m in its native habitat.  I would be blown away by that.  The reportedly only reach about 8m in cultivation, but that's still pretty impressive.  It grows in a tangle of stems until it reaches maturity and then can often form a large central stem.  All members (except for Decaria) are dioecious, or have separate male and female plants.  They have to be a pretty good size before they will flower (over 3m).  JUST LIKE the Fouquieria they form small oval shaped leaves during the wet season and will drop their leaves during dry periods (cuz what good is a whole lotta transpirational loss?!)
They make up the Madagascar Spiny forest habitat and are threatened/endangered due to over harvesting for fencing, etc. and habitat loss to sisal (Agave sisalana).

This plant grows in an extremely tough environment and really only needs one favor from us to survive.  Just leave it alone and don't try to grow something else in its place.  Up to you humans.  Up to you.

More leaves.  Hard to find good flower pictures.  :/.

Plant of the day is: Amorphophallus henryi or Henry's Voodo Lily

Plant of the day is: Amorphophallus henryi or Henry's Voodo Lily

So everyone gets all excited about the big ole corpse flower Amorphophallus titanum, but there are actually many other species in the genus!  Lets explore one.

Neat eh?

So as I mentioned, there are actual several species of Amorphophallus, to the tune of about 200 actually.  There is a LOT of variety in the genus and they are quite amazing.  The titanum of course gets all the credit for having the largest inflorescence in the world.  Now, that means that it is a flowering structure not a single flower.  Male flowers are found on the top of the spadix (the center) and the females are on the bottom.  The spathe circles the spadix here.

The largest SINGLE flower in the world is also bonkers cool and has been written up in POTD way back in the days before blog format, it is a Rafflesia arnoldii which is also commonly called a corpse flower and is actually found in habitat quite close to the titanum I believe (Sumatra).  It is also fascinating and well worth a look up.  One giant parasitic flower, 3 feet across and 24 pounds.  WHOA!

Rafflesia:  Careful, don't fall in.

Growth on these is quite different than the usual vegetative growth and then flower.  This planted decided to write the book a little differently.  It either puts on one huge leaf for a year, then goes dormant OR puts on one (relatively still) huge flower and then goes dormant.  Obviously the flower of this is smaller and likewise so is the tuber.  Tubers of the titanum can easily clear 40lbs.  Oh yes, a tuber, it grows from a big ole tuber underground.  Think of it kinda like a weird potato ...that makes a stinky flower.

Anyways, this particular species is endemic to Taiwan, is obviously much smaller, and is one of the few that is apomictic which means that is can sometimes set some viable seed prior to pollination.

Blue fruit is cool.  Like bow-ties.

It will also form some rooting offsets from the main tuber it looks like.  Someone tried to distinguish another species A. niimurai from A. henryi on the grounds of hairs on the spadix but apparently there is quite a bit of natural variation between clones.  Also very closely related to A. hirtus which IS an accepted name.  There is your taxonomic nitpicking again.

Leaf state.  Picture from somewhere, not many of them so don't be mad.

The things I dig up... http://edepot.wur.nl/296706

Great detail pictures here:  http://www4.ncsu.edu/~alan/plants/aroids/amorphophallus/henryi/

And if you made it this far, you deserve some time lapse of what the leaf (yes, singular) looks like as it unfurls.  ENJOY!

http://plantgasm.com/archives/5557

Plant of the day is: Pinus radiata or Monterey pine

Plant of the day is: Pinus radiata or Monterey pine

So what is the most widely planted and forested pine in the world?  I would have ventured a few guesses but until today I wouldn't have actually known the answer.

See the ocean?

I came across these because I was looking re-pot some Nepenthes and wanted to use some orchid bark.  I was told it came from New Zealand so I got curious and looked it up.  Turns out, this plant has a fascinating story to tell.

Habit/Range:  First thing I noticed was that it is IUCN listed as endangered.  Wait, why is an endangered species being turned into bark for orchid planting?!  Turns out it is actually native to three very limited areas in Santa Cruz, Monterey Peninsula, and San Luis Obispo counties.  It is also located as possibly different varieties on the islands Guadalupe and Cedros.  These are basically central coast of California and a few patches in the Baja penninsula.

 Growing points for Pinus.  We call them candles.

Endangered:  Well humans have done their humanly things to an almost absurd degree on this tree.  On Guadalupe island, introduced feral goats all but eliminated the tree.  For the rest of the trees, a fungal pathogen was brought from the southeast states (Fusarium circinatum) and is destroying populations.  The fungus weakens trees, which attracts beetles which then further (vector) spread the disease to other nearby trees.  If this pathogen makes it to New Zealand/Australia/South America it could devastate production plantations.  We should really sit down, as a culture, and think about the costs of international travel and the circulation of goods on the biodiversity of the planet.  A LOT of harm has been done already.  There are several ecological tie ins to this tree ranging from monarch butterflies to orchids.  Be a shame to destroy all this stuff.

Description:  We've greatly engineered these tree for our forestry purposes.  The wild type is generally knotty, twisty, and typically poor for lumber production.  The massive (and I mean MASSIVE) plantations in NZ/AUS use very selected seedlings for very straight and knot free growth.  It is a fast growing tree and typically is not very large in the wild.  In production it can reach heights of up to 200 ft.  When grown in the open I think it has a really nice rounded shape.  It does not handle temperatures below about -15C.  The needles are generally found in bundles of 3 but sometimes 2 with a blunt tip.  The cones are kind of egg shaped.  The cones are (new botanical term!) serotinous and remain closed until a fire or high heat forces them open and seeds are loosed.

Questions:  I often wonder if wood like this would be billed as "sustainable."  The issue I have with all of this, and I'm not the only one, is that by planting these massive swaths of non native trees through areas previously occupied by native species....you just wrecked an entire ecosystem.  In fact, in Chile, Monterey pine is replacing Valdivian temperate rain forests.  Rain forests folks, temperate rain forests, some of the absolutely most majestic occurrences on the planet, cut down for cheap timber to make particle board for cheaply constructed furniture.  I hope for better foresight.

This?

Or this?

Plant of the day is: Hyoscyamus niger or henbane

Plant of the day is: Hyoscyamus niger or henbane

Sometimes commonly referred to as stinking nightshade as well, as its leaves have a bit of a fetid odor.

I can't help but be a little drawn to the Solanaceae family.  The compounds contained in some of its more interesting members are absolutely fascinating.  From Datura stramonium (Jimson weed) to Atropa belladonna (Belladonna), and Solanum carolinense (horse nettle), it contains some downright deadly and arrestive (yes its a word spellchecker...) compounds.  Members of the family have some great flowers as well, and despite humans attempts to help this plant roam, it has very lovely flowers as well.

Without further adieu, here is the henbane.

Yes, interesting.

Fun facts:  This is quite the old-world plant, and was used in combinations for any number of rather absurd reasons.  I believe all parts of the plants contain the chemicals hyoscyamine, atropine (Atropa...get it!?) and scopolamine which according to WebMd can help muscle tremors and relax the muscles lining the digestive tract (see drug: Levsin).  It looks to have some interesting uses and effects but is QUITE toxic and dangerous if not taken appropriately.  Also, if you ingest parts of the plant directly, you can hallucinate quite heavily and suffer from what sound like, some mean terrors.  Probably not the best idea to eat.

The name henbane dates back to about AD 1265 and it may have been the hebenon poured into the ear of Hamlet's father.  The name henbane references that it is toxic to fowl but pigs will eat it and some species of Lepidoptera will also eat it (those clever caterpillars).

Grown in the open, pretty really

Habitat/range:  Originally from Eurasia, we've done a good job spreading it far from home. It is listed as a regulated invasive in: WA, ID, CA, NV, NM, and CO.  Depending on the maps you are looking at, it is finding small pockets to naturalize throughout many areas of the USA.  It enjoys disturbed soils and sites and sees can remain viable for upwards of 4 years in the soil bank.  I believe I read it was more of a Mediterranean plant at some point, which seems to fit the dry/poor soil bill.

Speaking of seeds, there the capsules are.  Almost look like Corylus eh?

Description:  It is a biennial or summer annual depending on where it is.  It has a very short hypocotyl (the stem of a seedling between seed and first cotyledons).  Forms a basal rosette of leaves and a branched to few branched stem that is densely covered with long glandular hairs.  Leaves are alternate and entire but very irregularly lobed, sometimes not much, sometimes more, it varies.  Leaves are very hairy, kind of impressed with how long they are, it needs a shave.  Veins of the leaves are an intriguing white color.  Leaves have a short petiole near the base becoming more sessile (also a word spellchecker) towards the top.  Oh, it has a taproot too (a fairly common Solanaceae thing)

Flowers are superlative.  A unique kind of yellow green for the petals, often with purple veins throughout and a purple throat.  Just fantastic really, a real looker.  Flowers often occur between June-September but I imagine it varies greatly by location.

The yellow and purple are great together.

Plant of the day is: Hepatica nobilis var. nobilis or liverleaf

Plant of the day is: Hepatica nobilis var. nobilis or liverleaf

IF you do NOTHING else with this.  Click this link and check out these absolutely brilliant flowers!

Hepatica Display

So this is the true Hepatica nobilis Mill.  NOT the Hepatica nobilis Schreb. which is a synonym for Anemone hepatica.  Sometimes I like taxonomy, then there are things like this...oye!

I'm blue.

Taxonomy/rant:  I was actually a little bleh on this today and was lacking some inspiration until I came across this one in a list. And as I continue to hunt through this taxonomical nightmare, I lose a bit more.  This is where I can really go down a rabbit hole of taxonomy.  Hepatica is often included in the genus Anemone but there are several similar genus in Hepatica sharing very similar names here and there and everywhere and when you really dig into it, your head starts to spin a bit.  It is a member of the buttercup family or Ranunculaceae.  Whatcha gonna do with all that Rununculunc?

The particular variety I'm TRYING to reference should be the European one.  Many variations in color and flower forms are available.  The Japanese variety of this, var. japonica, has been in cultivation for quite some time, and there are some very beautiful selections available.

There IS actually a native version of this as well, it's pretty neat that the genus is so similar across such a wide swathe of the planet.

Description:  Leaves are basal, generally leathery and three lobed.  The common name liverleaf references the leaves looking kind of like a liver.  Seems a stretch to me.  Naturally it was used medicinally because of the Doctrine of signatures which is yeah, apparently a thing.  Humans.  It is poisonous in large doses.  I can't recommend it.

3 bracts, sometimes larger than the petals.  Neat.

Flowers are bisexual, I've seen anywhere from 6 to 10+ petals.  The flowers are solitary on pubescent peduncles (say that five times fast).  Flowers occur in winter to early spring.

Awwwww

Culture:  Hepatica are pretty adaptable.  They are hardy in US zones 4-8, have a penchant for limestone, and can exist in drier sunny places as well as a fair bit of shade.  In general, especially for Saint Louis climates, I would recommend some shade and a decent amount of water depending on soil type.  They can reportedly handle clay soils but make sure you don't over water.  For small areas here and there I should say go showy and pick whatever cultivar you fancy.  For larger swathes in naturalized areas there is a dandy of a MO native species Hepatica americana with white flowers that is a sure stunner once established.

Anyways, there are LOTS of beautiful Hepatica out there, you'd be crazy not to look at some of them.

Plant of the day is: Dalbergia abrahamii or rosewood

Plant of the day is: Dalbergia abrahamii or rosewood

Let Me Google Those Images!

A new direction for plant of the day will be towards endangered/threatened species.  This is the first of many to come.  Information on these is quite limited, but I'll shed what I can on them.  For this one, Kew has some of the few images available and they are copyright so I have provided a link above.  Hopefully in the future, more pictures will be available.  

Habitat etc.:  This species is again a Fabaceae family member, completely by chance I assure you, it IS a big family after all.  It is endemic to northern Madagascar where it is known only from a few scattered populations, notably in Autsiranana and and Ankarana reserve.  It is found on limestone outcrops and/or thin volcanic soil at lower elevations and can handle some dry conditions.  This really highlights the necessity and utmost importance of even the smallest of protected areas in many a habitat (even here).  

Tropicos Herbarium Sample - Collection noted as Ankarana

Status:  It is endangered because of forest destruction, for a few reasons.  One, it is of great interest in selective felling as the wood is quite lovely.  I get that it is nice, but there are other species in the genus throughout other tropical areas that could be more responsibly utilized.  Secondly, it is targeted for charcoal, that's a neat read sometime to look up.  There are actually several members of this genus that are endangered or threatened, which is sad.  I'd like to see us embrace the things we find beautiful in a less destructive manner.

The best picture I can leave you with is an indicator of the beauty of the wood from a different species Dalbergia latifolia from the monsoon forests of eastern India.  It is IUCN listed a vulnerable.

Let us not go all check mate on this species.