Racinaea crispa

I saw Racinaea crispa at WBC that was for sale.

A very interesting looking plant to say the least.

I would have bought it but was told it  is a cloud forest plant that likes it shady, cool and humid.

Humidity got it

Shady could do that

but can't do anything about cool temperatures.

It is also said to be water- sensitive.

 

 

It is one of these plant what likes it cooler than Florida would get in the summer. Most Navia's are also like the cooler temperatures. That’s one reason you don't see to many round.
 

Contrasting colors

I really like the dyckia's that have contrasting colors on its leaves and thorns like the dyckia's shown below. The dark leaves with the white thorns stand out nicely.

 

With out looking them up I think they all have some Dyckia Arizona in them.




 

Dyckia Arizona f2 #4
 

Dyckia Arizona f2 #5

Dyckia Arizona f2 I thank




Dyckia Chocolate

Dyckia by me and I have no idea what's in it

 

Dyckia Larry the Chopper



Dyckia Heaven and Hell



To enlarge the photo for a better look just hit it.

Fall / Winter Flowering Dyckia's

Fall / Winter Flowering Dyckia's
Today is November 17, 2012 and these are the dyckia's I see flowering or going to flower in the coming days/weeks.

*

Dyckia estevesii seens like it's in flower all the time but the coldest months of winter.

Dyckia estevesii

Dyckia estevesii
*
Dyckia Silverback f2 the last time it flowered was March 2011

Dyckia Silverback f2

Dyckia Silverback f2
*
Dyckia goiana sp. goiana the last time it flowered was June of this year. 

Dyckia goiana sp. goiana

Dyckia goiana sp. goiana
*
Dyckia hebdingii f2  don't know when it flowered last.

Dyckia hebdingii f2
*
Dyckia marnier-lapostollei x Dyckia beateae I think this is the first time it's flowering.

Dyckia marnier-lapostollei x Dyckia beateae

Dyckia marnier-lapostollei x Dyckia beateae


 

 

Hechtia montana

 

 

It seems this plant may be the silver or white  form of Hechtia montana. Most of the photo's that I can find on the net are of a green or some what green looking plant.

It also seems that a silver or white Hechtia's are common. 

To name a few Hechtia's that are silver or white are:

Hechtia aquamarina

Hechtia argentea
Hechtia lyman-smithii
Hechtia marnier-lapostollei

I looked at FCBS (http://fcbs.org/) Photo Index and some photo's I couldn't tell what color the plant was. But the plants listed below might be silver or white.

Hechtia bracteata
Hechtia caulescens
Hechtia confusa
Hechtia lepidophylla
Hechtia perotensis
Hechtia zamudioi



Hechtia montana

Hechtia montana was slow to root but once rooted is growing what I would call fast.


Hechtia montana ‎January ‎12, ‎2012

 

A new, eight-subfamily classification

I said some thing about this some time ago.
See the link below why this will happen.

From :American Journal of Botany 98(5): 872–895. 2011.

 

http://www.amjbot.org/content/98/5/872.full

All this is way over my head.
 

 I don't know where Neoregelia's fall in this new classification. I didn't see any on the list.
I wish they made a list with all bromeliads on it.

Or at lease a little bit easier to understand for us non-science types like myself.
I also wish the BSI would do a article about this for us non-science types.





 

How does a dyckia multiply?

 

Seed

Not the best way to get plants that will look like the plant it came from. Dyckia's will cross easy with any other dyckia nearby in flower at the same time.

 

 

Stolons - can be 6 or 8 inches long maybe longer but that’s the biggest pot I have them in.

A easy way to get more plants with out to much pain
 

 
Offsets - new plants form just a little way from the base of the parent plant

Also a easy way to get more plants but with a little more pain.

Divide - the plant will just divide in half.

This is the very hardest way to get more plant and not the beat way to get more plants. You have to cut in between the two heads with out cutting one or the other to badly so they can root. Should wait for the two heads to get larger and it will be a little easier to do.

Dyckia rariflora Select revisited

Dyckia rariflora Select I wrote about some time ago. I have found new infor. at:

http://www.strangewonderfulthings.com/307.htm

 

Now I know why this clone is called Dyckia rariflora Select. I also know that the other plant in the pot is NOT from the same plant but some thing that must of just came up in the same pot.

 

Kleinia obesa

Bought this plant a few years back, it didn't look like this then. But I guess you know that, right?
So what did I do wrong?

 

 Some time I wish some plants would just die.

Arid Lands was this to say about Kleinia obesa

"From southern Yemen, this species is sometimes listed as Senecio deflersii. The form of this species is similar to a giant green pickle, only this pickle produces bright yellow flowers in the fall."

My giant green pickle is looking more like a raisin.
 

Winter 2012/2013

Winter is on it's way.

Now what?

Last winter was not bad, it didn't  get that cold.  I don't think we had any days/nights that were below 40f.
But 2 years ago we had a few days/nights that went below 32f.

The Dyckia didn't notice the cold but the Orthophytum's, Euphorbia's and others did.

Bromelia humilis

Cardboard Palm / Zamia Furfuracea

The frost cloth didn't help, the Orthophytum I had under it froze.

 

I have no greenhouse or any other place to put cold tender plants.

So it's everyone for their self. Good luck to all this winter.