Cyrtanthus belongs to the Amaryllis Family (Amaryllidaceae), with many species present in southern Africa. Mostly they have tubular flowers which are on the small side, but a few have large nodding flowers, including Cyrtanthus obliquus and Cyrtanthus herrei. We do not usually see them in flower simultaneously, since C. obliquus is summer-flowering (mostly June and July here at the Ruth Bancroft Garden in California), while C. herrei is autumn-flowering. However, this year one of our obliquus plants decided to re-flower in the autumn, so this affords an opportunity to cross the two species and see what comes from it. Since C. obliquus comes from the summer-rainfall area, while C. herrei is from the winter-rainfall area, we might hope that the seedlings will happily grow all year long.
The genus Crassula is a large one, but many of the species in it are quite small. This is certainly true of Crassula tecta, from South Africa’s Little Karoo region. Its leaves are very chubby and encrusted with short hairs that give it an almost crystalline look. The hairs extend all the way up the diminutive flower stalk, which is topped with a cluster of little white flowers. Crassula belongs to the Stonecrop Family (Crassulaceae).
This species of Mammillaria, sometimes called the “twin-spined Mammillaria”, is renowned for its ultra-white spines and its tendency to form large clumps. It produces most of its little magenta flowers in the fall, but these are sparser than those of many other Mammillaria species. From the state of Hidalgo in east-central Mexico.
Argyrodermas belong to the Ice Plant Family (Aizoaceae), and like most members of the family they are native to southern Africa. In particular, they favor quartz-fields in a dry area known as the Knersvlakte in western South Africa. Argyroderma delaetii is variable in flower color, but our pair pictured here have white flowers.
Aloe whitcombei is one of the few species in the genus native to Oman, in the eastern part of the Arabian Peninsula. It grows at the top of sheer cliffs overlooking the Indian Ocean, and can be hard to see without rappelling. Fortunately, it is not difficult to grow as a potted plant, and eventually it will reward you with short flower stalks which emerge from between the leaves and hook downward at the tip. At the bud stage, the flowers are pale yellow with striped green tips, but they turn white at maturity.
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