Lima is on a dessert and it never rains there. That doesn't stop it from being humid and fog laden. It is winter there now and no sun was to be seen through the dense overcast and fog. Temps were in the 50s and 60s consistently and this damp cold kept me in a jacket the entire time. Since the summer highs rarely reach the mid 80s, no central heat or A/C is in the homes and buildings so there is no place to warm up or take a break from the constant chill.
Many of the plants there are found in Florida. Since it never freezes, many tropical palms only found in the Miami area will grow there if irrigated. Here is a look at some plants that caught my interest:
Cycads:
This 10 foot high plant behind a wall is a mystery to me. Perhaps a dasylirion?
A famous ancient olive grove.
Old eucalyptus trees
I found a nice park with some trees labeled.
I think these flat top jobbers are Poinciana trees
Flowers anyone?
Local fruit and veggie stores. Note the black corn used in making a popular drink called chicha.
Enough for now. I'll close with this lovely dancer.
Jim
"Advertising may be described as the science of arresting the human intelligence long enough to get money from it." -- Steven Leacock
We went to a seaside brunch at the Costa Verde restaurant on a Sunday and they had a show going on. This young lovely was part of the show. Here is a little more of it.
Jim
"Advertising may be described as the science of arresting the human intelligence long enough to get money from it." -- Steven Leacock
Jim, I love your pictures! Beautiful shapes on those old trees, so interesting. And you did a really nice job posting the trees with their labels!
Did you try some Chicha? Klaus tasted some at a local market years ago in Peru - I remember a whole bunch of guys sitting around lady with a vat full of the fermented stuff and sipping and laughing.
Great markets!
Must have been tough to sit down when this music was going on!
It didn't look like a ponytail to me, Elaine. It is too thin and neat for one. The top looked more like a dracena.
Did I mention the food?
There is no official botanical garden here which I thought is strange. We did find a very nice plant nursery and I enjoyed walking around looking at their offerings.
Jim
"Advertising may be described as the science of arresting the human intelligence long enough to get money from it." -- Steven Leacock
Name: Elaine Sarasota, Fl The one constant in life is change
Mmm hmmm, me too. Chocolate petit fours, what a treat! I always make for the nurseries when we visit somewhere else, too. It's hard though, to not be able to buy anything to bring home.
Here's a pic of my ponytail for comparison to your mystery plant above, Jim. Mine's pretty tidy, although I rarely comb it. I do remove the dead leaves occasionally. (remember Laurel combing the petals of her Bulbo. Medusa? )
Elaine
"Success is stumbling from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm." –Winston Churchill
Your ponytail certainly looks more like it than the behemoths I'm growing here. Mine are about 20 feet tall and the trunk is way bigger than the one in Peru. Check out these pics.
I forgot to respond to Ursula's question about Chicha. I'm quite familiar with this drink, both the soft and hard varieties. You can buy packages of instant chicha mix at certain grocery stores in Tampa. Not the same as the freshly made but refreshing nonetheless. It is hard to find the black corn to make a fresh batch here. In restaurants there, you can order either type by the glass or pitcher.
Jim
"Advertising may be described as the science of arresting the human intelligence long enough to get money from it." -- Steven Leacock
Name: Elaine Sarasota, Fl The one constant in life is change
My ponytail is a starving orphan compared to your big, lush ones. It's about 6ft. from the base of a huge oak, and gets no direct sun or TLC from me except maybe a bit of fert when I treat the Heliconias in that bed. Bet those ones in your Lima picture are in pots and probably starving like mine.
Both yours and mine have summer growth going on now, hence the crazy 'punk rocker' topknots. I think in winter mine would look more like your mystery plant.
Elaine
"Success is stumbling from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm." –Winston Churchill
I do remove the dead leaves occasionally. (remember Laurel combing the petals of her Bulbo. Medusa? 
)
