The Garden.org Plants Database

This plant is probably one of the more famous and most hotly debated Cymbidiums in existence. This is the type for the species, collected as an epiphyte in 1904. It was thought lost from cultivation until 1961 when Emma Menninger located it in a nursery and had it cloned. Don Wimber later converted it to a tetraploid (see Orchid (Cymbidium sanderae 'Emma Menninger')) (Du Puy & Cribb, 2007).

It was called Cym. parishii var. sanderae until 2001, when it was renamed Cym. sanderae. This has lead to some confusion in the RHS Orchid registry, as many hybrids made with this plant were registered as having Cym. parishii as a parent.

The plant itself is unique, exhibiting behaviour that differs from other plants classified as Orchid (Cymbidium sanderae). Andy Easton has selfed both the 2N and 4N forms (the aforementioned 'Emma Menninger' clone) and produced seedlings that varied considerably, often with green blooms. He regards it as a naturally-occurring hybrid involving Ivory-Colored Cymbidium (Cymbidium eburneum) (due to its ability to produce concolour lips, a trait that eburneum is known for). He discusses the matter at length in a few posts on the New Horizon Orchid forums (which are reproduced in the book Cymbidium Orchids: Secrets Revealed by Graham & Sue Guest with Andy Easton).

Additionally, this plant produces both axial and basal flower spikes (as opposed to Orchid (Cymbidium parishii), which only produces axial spikes, and Orchid (Cymbidium sanderae), which has been reported to produce basal spikes).

Grieg Russell (2003) has also selfed it and found it has a level of self-incompatibility - it does not produce a full pod of seed, unlike Cym. eburneum (which is highly self-fertile).

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An Almost Eden of Louisiana exclusive introduction.

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This is a tetraploid (4N) F3 tracyanum produced by New Horizon Orchids and is one of the best alba forms of the species currently available. Clones were made available in Australia in 2019 by Guest Orchids.

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This is a selection from the 4N F1 tracyanums produced by New Horizon Orchids. It was marketed somewhere around 2000 by Mukoyama Orchids. Unfortunately it seems that the clonal process wasn't up to scratch in this case and that the clones mutated, resulting in quite a few reports of them being difficult to bloom.

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Large, slow-growing spiny plant with a bottle-shaped stem, growing tree-like with age. Rare in cultivation and in habitat (the Tehuacán Valley of Puebla and Oaxaca in south-central Mexico). Prized for its unusual and distinctive caudex, which is perhaps most like F. fasciculata, among the Fouquierias. White flowers.

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Treelike shrub to 6-20 feet tall which is easily confused with the ocotillo (F. splendens) and occurs with it in habitat, though it tends to be far less common. May be distinguished based on its thicker, more definite trunk (rather than a collection of whip-like stems coming from the base) and the number of stamens per flower (usually 10, rather than the 12-15 of F. splendens). Very young plants may be nearly impossible to discriminate. Also overlaps in range with the very different F. columnaris (cirio). Red flowers are most abundant from February through May and are pollinated by hummingbirds.

A near-endemic of Baja California, found in the central desert and northern rain shadow areas, south through the Cape region. Also found on several Gulf islands and in Sonora and Sinaloa. Toward the southern end of its range, this plant is taller and more tree-like.

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"Xanthos" means yellow in Greek as "Carpa" means fruit. I think of this yellow fruited variation as a variety of American Holly being: Ilex opaca xanthocarpa, rather than as a cultivar. I think this variety is the mother source for most of the yellow fruited cultivars. It occurs sporadically throughout the range of the species. I would go ahead and group any yellow fruited trees into this category if one does not know if the plant they are looking at is this variety or some specific cultivar. Many plants placed in landscapes don't have labels.

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Bizarre caudiciform succulent with a swollen bottle-shaped base and many skinny, spiny branches off the main stem extending above that point. As with other Fouquierias, the spines originate as the bases of leaves and persist after those leaves fall; a new round of leaves sprouts from the base of these spines in subsequent seasons. White flowers appear in winter.

Uncommon in cultivation and prized for its striking form, which may take many years to develop. Large specimens are extremely pricy. Found in southern Hidalgo, Mexico.

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Large, leafy succulent shrub from South Africa which is relatively common in cultivation, second only to the jade (Crassula ovata) in this category. The common name elephant bush refers to the fact that it's consumed by elephants in Africa. Incredibly easy to propagate from cuttings of different sizes (sometimes by accident from prunings). A member of the Didiereaceae.

Relatively popular as a bonsai subject. Large, gnarly, fat-stemmed plants in small pots (especially bonsai pots) were most likely grown to size in larger pots or the ground and then cut and rooted for display. Long lived and growth limited in smaller containers.

This plant is quite drought tolerant and easily shaped by pruning, often used for hedges in dry climates. Left unchecked it will grow to be a large, multibranched shrub in just a few years. Provide strong light for the strongest, most compact form.

Tiny pink flowers appear at the ends of stems in early summer. Young plants do not flower and even older plants may vary quite a bit from year to year in this respect.

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Curious spiny shrub or tree from southwestern Madagascar. May grow over 30 feet tall in nature but rarely approaches that in cultivation. Long, stringy, flexible leaves fall in winter and sprout in late spring or summer on peduncles that are armed with multiple spines. Related to other Didierea and Alluaudia species which also appear in Madagascar; these plants behave somewhat like the New World ocotillos.

Unisexual cream-colored flowers. May be grafted onto Alluaudia procera. Slow growing when young but faster after a few years have passed. Provide excellent drainage and strong light in cultivation. This plant enjoys lots of water while it is leafy during summer, and should be watered less often when dormant during winter, which is the dry season in habitat.

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