this past weekend, john, my dad and i went to the huntington botanical garden in pasadena. it is a truly amazing place and we all left with a feeling of awe and inspiration.
many trees on the property were damaged or lost last month, due to severe santa ana winds. thankfully, not much of my favorite succulent + cactus gardens were affected.
so many of the succulents are in bloom and it's truly a spectacular time of year to experience these living beings. i couldn't help but take a hundred pictures of them. getting closer, i noticed the proper names of these plants. i realized that i only know them by their common names and i could stand to study-up on the specifics of the plants i love. here are a few things i learned:
sempervivum
sempervivum, genus of 40 similar succulent species - crassulaceae family
very hardy rosettes whose latin name means "ever living"
among the most frost-resistant succulents + grow very well in dry conditions.
most commonly known as "hen and chicks"
echeveria
also commonly known as "hen and chicks" (though quite different from sempervivum)
drought-resistant + resist some frost
loses lower leaves in winter - will eventually grow taller + lose their compact shape
haworthia
haworthia fasciata - small genus of haworthia
dark green leaves with white crested stripes on reverse side
most commonly confused with aloe aristata, due to similar appearance
(similar, but with less-pronounced stripes)
aeonium
aeonium - genus of about 35 species - crassulaceae family
name comes from ancient greek "aionos" = ageless"
rosette leaves on a stem
tropical plant + not frost-resistant
sedum (tiny plants)
sedum - very large genus of over 400 flowering plants - crassulaceae family
most commonly known as "stonecrops" - vary from creeping varieties to shrubs
vastly differ in temperature desires - some like it hot, some like it cold
leaves of all sedums are edible
used as a roof covering for green roofs
plants tend to adopt a deeper color when stressed
kalanchoe
kalanchoe genus of about 125 species- crassulaceae family
tropical, flowering plants
easy to propagate + require little water
kalanchoe tomentosa is the variety i use most, but much smaller!
aloe
genus aloe - about 500 species - family xanthorrhoeaceae
flowering succulents, aloe vera is most common + used in herbal medicine
very hardy
birds + bees love them!
succulents are such a remarkable type of plant.
i look forward to loving + enjoying them my entire life.
xo - crystal
p.s. thank you wikipedia for a wonderful evening of learning.
No comments:
Post a Comment