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Photos, musings, and flashes of brilliance from the staff at The Ruth Bancroft Garden
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Syringa protolaciniata

Plants in the genus Syringa are known as lilacs, and they are native to Eurasia. Syringa vulgaris is the common lilac, widely grown in gardens in temperate regions of the world, and it is taller-growing than the plant pictured here. I have labeled my photo Syringa protolaciniata, but its name and origins are in dispute. Many people think this plant is a hybrid originating in southern Asia, perhaps in Iran or Afghanistan, but in any case it is much shorter than S. vulgaris, though it shares the delightful fragrance for which lilacs are famous. It belongs to the Oleaceae, or Olive Family.

-Brian

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Stenocactus crispatus

Stenocactus is not a large genus, but it is well known by the common name of “brain cactus” on account of the wavy ribs that extend down the sides of the plant, reminiscent of the folds of a brain. On species with fewer spines, the folds are very evident, but on spinier plants a close look is needed to see them. This is an early-flowering group, with most of the species blooming in late winter to early spring. Stenocactus crispatus occurs northeast, east and southeast of Mexico City. Another name for the genus is Echinofossulocactus.

-Brian

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Mammillaria klissingiana

There are a great many genera in the Cactus Family, and one of the largest is Mammillaria, whose species are generally on the small side and very popular with collectors. Though Mexico has the bulk of the species, they also occur on various islands in the Caribbean, as well as northern South America, Central America and the southwestern United States. This one is Mammillaria klissingiana, from northeastern Mexico.

-Brian

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Pelargonium echinatum

Pelargonium is a large genus in the Geranium Family, and many of the plants commonly grown as “geraniums” are actually pelargoniums. They are very abundant in southern Africa, occurring in both summer-rainfall and winter-rainfall areas. Pelargonium echinatum is one of the winter-rainfall species, coming from Namaqualand in the dry northwestern corner of South Africa. Its leaves, with scalloped edges and grayish undersides, hide the spiny stems during the winter growing season, and it flowers profusely toward the end of winter. The flowers are initially white with crimson spots, but they change to pale pink and then deeper pink as they age. Once dry conditions set in in late spring or early summer, it will stop flowering and shed its leaves, and at this time its spiny stems are on full display until the next rainy season.

-Brian

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Hakea cinerea

Like Banksia, Hakea is an Australian genus in the Protea Family, with many species found in the winter-rainfall region in the southwestern part of the country. The name “cinerea” refers to the ashy-gray of the leaves. Its flower heads are round, with the long stigmas extending way beyond the little flowers from which they arise. In the lower photo, the cluster on the right is just coming into flower, and the stigmas are still curled back at the tips, but soon they will extend fully like the cluster on the left, at which time the flowers become tinged with red. Hakea cinerea occurs along the southern coast of Western Australia.

-Brian

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Banksia nivea

This species was originally put in the genus Dryandra, but this whole genus has been merged into Banksia, so we now call it Banksia nivea (though it is still widely known as the “honeypot dryandra”). It grows like a small dome of narrow jaggedy-edged leaves, with its flowers nestled down in the middle, so that they could easily be missed. But if you part the leaves, the flowers are unique and delightful. Like many other plants in the Protea Family, this one has flower heads that are made up of many tiny flowers in an intricate arrangement. The species has a large distribution in the southwestern part of Western Australia.

-Brian

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Aloinopsis luckhoffii

Aloinopsis is a genus of dwarf succulents in the Ice Plant Family, native to arid inland regions of South Africa. This one is Aloinopsis luckhoffii, its leaves like little puffy spatulas with pebbly-textured tips. There is a scattering of larger white tubercles among the bumps on the leaf tips, and these give the plant a toothy appearance. This plant is a marvel at any time, but the yellow flowers in early spring are like icing on the cake!

-Brian

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Aloe excelsa × petricola

It is always gratifying when a hybrid turns out the way you wanted it to, and this one is a good example. I was looking for a plant with the large size and many-branched inflorescence of Aloe excelsa, but with the extra-long bi-colored racemes of Aloe petricola - and this is just what I got. Aloe excelsa is mainly from Zimbabwe (though it does occur in the northeastern corner of South Africa as well), and Aloe petricola is endemic to South Africa.

-Brian

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Aloe zubb

We have many species of Aloe at the Ruth Bancroft Garden, but this is the only one from Sudan, where it is found in hills a little way inland from the Red Sea coast. Long grown under the name Aloe sinkatana, it was re-named when it turned out that the true A. sinkatana was another somewhat larger species that grows nearby. Aloe zubb is a repeat-bloomer that remains in flower for a good part of the year, and it has yellow flowers that widen toward the mouth, as can be seen in the lower photo.

-Brian

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Protea longifolia

Proteas are well known from the cut-flower trade, but few people realize how many species there are, most of them native to the southwestern part of South Africa. This one is Protea longifolia, notable for the way the center of the flower head is gathered into a furry black cone, as can be seen in the lower photo. This is a shrub that is a little awkward as a garden subject, given the way that its branches tend to flop this way and that, but it is putting on a wonderful flower display this year at the Ruth Bancroft Garden.

-Brian