Plant Highlights By Date
Arctostaphylos refugioensis
December 2025
Arctostaphylos refugioensis is a California native shrub that is endemic to Santa Barbara County in Southern California. While A. refugioensis is generally winter-flowering, the timing varies from year to year. In an early year, our plants at the Ruth Bancroft Garden may finish flowering by the end of November, while in a late year, they may flower in January-February.
Kleinia anteuphorbium var. anteuphorbium (Senecio anteuphorbium)
November 2025
In its dry native habitat, Kleinia anteuphorbium var. anteuphorbium is leafless for a large part of the year, with its growing period coming during the winter months, since this area has a Mediterranean climate. It is usually found growing in open sunny positions, with its ascending cylindrical stems crowded together and forming a small shrub.
Stapelia hirsuta
October 2025
Stapelia hirsuta is clump-forming, with erect (or nearly erect) velvety four-sided stems, these being 2 to 12 inches long (5 to 30 cm) long. Some populations have longer stems than others overall, but it is also true that plants in shadier positions tend to have longer stems than those in the sun.
Epilobium canum
September 2025
Epilobium canum has a large distribution in California, but it also occurs in other states in the western U.S., as well as southward into Mexico. It is often referred to by the name California fuchsia, and although it belongs to the same family, Onagraceae, the true fuchsias are in a separate genus.
Astrophytum ornatum
August 2025
by Brian Kemble About the genus and area of occurrence The genus Astrophytum is not a large one, with six species recognized in The New Cactus Lexicon, published in 2006. […]
Agave victoriae-reginae
July 2025
Plants of Agave victoriae-reginae have stemless or short-stemmed rosettes of triangular to lanceolate-triangular green leaves that are thick and fibrous, with dramatic white lines on the leaf faces, and they may be single-headed or produce a few offsets to make a small clump of heads.
Dudleya cymosa ssp. paniculata
June 2025
The genus Dudleya has a conspicuous presence along California’s shoreline, ranging from coastal southern Oregon in the north all the way down to Baja California in the south. However, there are species that occur farther inland as well, and one of these is Dudleya cymosa, with an extensive distribution along the Coast Ranges from Lake County down to the mountains around L.A., as well as on the western side of the Sierra Nevada from near Chico southward.
Ferocactus echidne
May 2025
One of the Ferocactus species from northeastern Mexico is Ferocactus echidne, found over a fairly large area from central Hidalgo northward through Queretaro, Guanajuato, and San Luis Potosí to southwestern Tamaulipas and southern Nuevo León. Though often multi-headed, it sometimes remains single.
Kalanchoe tomentosa
April 2025
Kalanchoe tomentosa is frequently grown as a potted plant, but it can be planted out where winters are mild. It can endure only brief dips below freezing, so it is not suitable outdoors where cold spells in winter exceed this.
Lachenalia aloides
March 2025
Lachenalia is a genus of bulbs, currently placed in the subfamily Scilloideae within the Asparagus family, but formerly in the family Hyacinthaceae. Of the 133 species recognized in the 2012 monograph of the genus, the great majority come from the winter-rainfall region in western South Africa, though a few come from farther east, or northward into Namibia.
