Plant Highlights By Date
Aloe sabaea
March 2026
There are quite a few species of Aloe native to the Arabian Peninsula, and most of these are stemless or short-stemmed rather than tall. An exception is Aloe sabaea, found in Yemen as well as in Saudi Arabia, and it has no apparent close relatives on the peninsula. The distribution of this species follows the mountain chain that runs parallel to the Red Sea, from southwestern Saudi Arabia in the north down through western Yemen, with an outlier population to the east in Yemen’s Hadhramaut region.
Cheiridopsis purpurea
February 2026
The Ice Plant Family, Aizoaceae, is a large one, with many genera and about 1,800 species, many of them highly succulent. Among the genera concentrated in the winter-rainfall zone is Cheiridopsis. Plants in this genus have showy flowers that often appear in winter, with fleshy leaves that range from long and finger-like to short and globular. In between are species with leaves like stubby thumbs, and among these is Cheiridopsis purpurea, from the Richtersveld in the arid northwest corner of South Africa.
Banksia nobilis
January 2026
The Australian genus Banksia is a large one, with about 170 species. Most of these are shrubs, though a few of the larger ones are trees. The genus was greatly enlarged in 2007, when all of the species formerly placed in Dryandra were merged into Banksia, based on DNA evidence. It was always known that Dryandra was close to Banksia, but the flower heads of the former are rounded, while the original species included in Banksia generally have cylindrical flower heads.
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.
