Rheum nobile
I hope everyone had a great Christmas! Mine certainly went well, large glasses of scotch and significantly more turkey and junk food then any one man should ever endure. Life is tough.
In the cold days of winter I often find myself perusing Google images, exploring the wealth of humanity’s travels. Late night plant research leads to plant lust and eventually I find myself on mail-order websites accidentally adding more plants to an already overcrowded collection. This year I’ve opted to save my money and skip the trip to the tropics, so a couple extra plant order’s shouldn’t be discouraged, right? A plant geek can surely travel through the exotica found in his collection, and forgo dealing with metal detectors and airplane turbulence. I recently placed this order, and if luck is on my side, they will arrive safely just in time for a fresh growing season. I generally like to research the obscurities I procure and in turn I thought I’d share my findings with you.
The 2011 strange and rare plant order.
Photo borrowed with admiration from Pacific Bulb Society website
Phaedranassa viridiflora – semi hardy, shallow planted, best grown in a greenhouse
Native to Ecuador, rarely seen in cultivation, native populations endangered due to agriculture. Amazing banded green and yellow flowers. Apparently simulating it’s dry season induces flowering.
Photo borrowed with admiration from The Alpine Society
Rheum nobile – Hardy to -17
Native to the Himalaya growing at over 4000 metres above sea level, this unusual member of the rhubarb family grows strange white leaves that create a greenhouse effect to protect it’s flowers from the cold elements. Marveled for it’s medicinal properties, the local people enjoy it’s stalk for it’s sour flavor.
Photo borrowed with admiration from ChileFlora
Aristolochia chilensis – Semi hardy to occasional -5 , (will not tolerate snow)
One of the few insectivore plants in Chile, grows in poor sandy soils where droughts can sometimes last upwards to 10 months. Silver lines leaves and strange fuzzy pitchers.
Photo borrowed with admiration from ChileFlora
Lardizabala biternata – Suspected to be hardy -6, potentially more
Native to the temperate forests of Chile, in humid moist locations this little known specimen is often praised for it’s unusual dark flowers, and tasty edible fruit.
Photo borrowed with admiration from UC Bontanical Garden Blog
Bomarea spp. – Not reportably hardy
Native to Mexico and south, this tuberous firecracker grows as a groundcover but most often as a climber. From what I’ve researched they come in an amazing array of colors and forms, and are closely related to Alstroemeria.
Photo borrowed with admiration from Agave Pages
Agave utahensis v. eborispina – Hardy to -20, dry conditions
Native to the United States, this is by far one of the spikiest agaves I’ve ever seen.
Photo borrowed with admiration from Bihrmann’s CAUDICIFORMS
Crinum buphanoides – Hardy to zone 7-10
Native to South Africa and Namibia this unusual Crinum species has similar leaves to a Boophane. I love the wavy crinkled leaves, it definitely looks prehistoric to me. Apparently it’s quite forgiving in cultivation, but needs a dry period to flower.
Photo borrowed with admiration from Pacific Bulb Society website
Eustephia ssp.
Native from Puru to Bolivia, another unusual tropical bloom. Summer growing, winter dormant. Cultivation similar to hybrid amaryllis.
Photo borrowed with admiration from Quest Machine
Tropaeolum tuberosum – Reportedly semi hardy, mulch in winter
An unusual food crop related to the garden nasturtium, producing an edible tuber. Reported to be easily grown in cultivation being resist to insects and disease. Another electric nasturtium, need I say I more.
And that’s that, another late night plant lust.
*Thanks to all the websites that let me use their photos as examples.