Plant Highlights By Date
Nolina nelsonii
June 2026
Nolina nelsonii is a trunk-forming species, attaining a height of up to nearly 15 feet (4.5 m). Plants may be single-headed, but often they divide at the growing point to make a multi-headed crown, though not with a large number of heads.
Hechtia argentea
May 2026
The genus Hechtia, belonging to the Bromeliaceae (the Bromeliad Family), is primarily native to Mexico, although its range extends into Texas in the north and into Central America in the south. The various species generally have rosettes of long tapering, sword-like leaves, and in most cases these are armed with sharp marginal teeth. While the leaves may sometimes be green, they are often flushed or blotched with red, or in other cases have a coating of pale scales that give them a silvery sheen. One particular species was named for its silver appearance: Hechtia argentea.
Pelargonium echinatum
April 2026
Pelargonium is a large genus in the Geraniaceae, or Geranium Family, with the majority of the species found in southern Africa. While the leaves of the various species are seldom more than slightly succulent, quite a few have succulent stems. One of these, Pelargonium echinatum, is spiny as well, with the spines being stipular spines.
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.
