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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 ...

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 ...

Aristaloe aristata

Aristaloe aristata Post number 4: back to succulents with Aristaloe aristata , or the ‘lace aloe’. Aristaloe aristata  used to be called Aloe aristata , until phylogenetic studies showed it is not an Aloe. Aristaloe aristata still appears under the name  Aloe aristata , and in fact it is labelled as this in some of my books- so be warned! Aloe is a huge genus, with over 500 species. Aloe normally have a rosette of leaves that are thick and fleshy. The name Aloe is a derivative of the Arabic word ‘alloeh’, which means shining bitter substance, which is accurate since Aloe leaves have a bitter sap. Studies have shown that Aristaloe aristata  is closely related to the Atroloba and Haworthia genus’ and not the Aloe genus. As a result, a new genus ‘Aristaloe’ was created to represent its uniqueness. Aristaloe aristata is the only species in the Aristaloe genus! So it is really unique! Aristata means bristly or awned and refers to the  Aristalo...