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Index


Succulents:
Aristaloe aristata
Crassula ovata ‘Gollum’
Crassula muscosa
Euphorbia globosa
Gasteria batesiana
Haworthia fasciata “Big Band”
Sanseviera cylindrica
Sansevieria trifasciata (Mother-in-laws-tongue)
Titanopsis calcarea


Cactus:
Cereus validus
Ferocactus fordii (subsp. borealis)
Mammillaria elongata
Oreocereus celsianus

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Mammillaria elongata

Mammillaria elongata For post number 7, I have the magnificent Mammillaria elongata , commonly called the ‘Ladyfinger cactus’. This is a truly beautiful cactus, with tons of character (and spikes!). Mammillaria derives from the word nipple or teat! Carl Linnaeus named this genus in 1753 after the tubercles (round like nodules) sometimes found on these cacti. Carl was somewhat of an expert on naming things and is often called the ‘father of modern taxonomy’ (it was him who grouped humans with apes), so I begrudgingly accept his nipple naming of this un-nipple like plant. The name Mammillaria elongata  makes slightly more sense knowing that ‘elongata’ means ‘longer’ or ‘elongated’. Mammillaria elongata , will forever be called the elongated nipple to me. The Mammillaria genus contains around 200 species of cactus, varying greatly from single stems to clumps, balls to columns, with stiff to hairy spines. I picked my Mammillaria elongata  from my local ...

Haworthia fasciata 'Big Band'

Haworthia fasciata “Big Band” Today’s post is about the succulent Haworthia fasciata “Big Band”. This plant has dark green leaves with lovely raised white stripey patterns, which look like frosting. Like lots of succulents, the Haworthia fasciata goes by a few names, such as Haworthiopsis attenuate ‘Big Band’ and Zebra plant ‘Big Band’. The Haworthia genus was named after the British botanist Adrain Haworth. Adrain was pretty cool, and as well as being a botanist, he was also an entomologist (the study of insects) and carcinologist (the study of crustaceans)! There are lots of ‘Zebra’ succulents that look similar, but what makes Haworthia fasciata “Big Band” stand out is how raised the white marks are. My Haworthia fasciata “Big Band” was a gift, so I am unsure of the price/where it was bought.   Care instructions: Haworthia fasciata “Big Band” are pretty tolerant of a range of temperatures, preferring 10°C to 30°C. They can however tolerate much low...

Cereus validus

Cereus validus Today I am going to look at a cactus, the fabulous Cereus validus . Cereus validus is sometimes named Cereus forbesii or Cereus haneanus . Cactus naming history is full of renaming and reclassification, largely a result of botanists, horticulturalists and scientists disagreeing. I tend to choose the cactus name that I prefer or see most commonly to label my plants.   Cereus is a genus of cacti containing around 33 species. Cereus are desert cacti from South America, that tend to look like long columns. The word ‘cereus’ derives from the Latin word for ‘candle’, which is fitting, as these cacti look like long thin candles. The origin of the word ‘cereus’ is more interesting than this though, as it is derived from the Greek name Selene, a Greek moon goddess. Selene was thought to drive her moon chariot across the heavens. Cereus are sometimes called ‘nightblooming’ cacti, as they bloom after dark, which is cool, and explains the link to the ...