The Garden.org Plants Database

A word of warning, or assistance, if you're trying to find database pages for variants or forms of what used to be called Haworthia reinwardtii. In 2013, when the new genus Haworthiopsis was created from a subset of Haworthia species, the mother species Haworthia reinwardtii became Haworthiopsis reinwardtii, BUT only some of its variants were similarly reclassified as Haworthiopsis reinwardtii. Other variants were subsumed into the genus Haworthiopsis coarctata, sometimes, but not always, keeping the variant-specific name. An example is Haworthia reinwardtii var. adelaidensis becoming Haworthiopsis coarctata var. adelaidensis, but Haworthia reinwardtii f. olivacea becoming Haworthiopsis reinwardtii f. olivacea.

This is but a small sample of the confusing renaming/reclassification that has recently taken place among species that used to be in the Haworthia genus. The point of this comment is to alert people who are trying to find database pages for some form or variant of what once was called Haworthia reinwardtii that they should now, at a minimum, look at all the entries both for Haworthiopsis reinwardtii and Haworthiopsis coarctata. Be warned, also, that the database entries don't have complete lists of all the taxonomic synonyms attached to a given accepted binomial, so searching the database won't always produce the desired 'hit', whereas viewing the lists of all entries under the mother species names might help you find what you're looking for.

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Zombia antillarum is the sole species in the genus Zombia. The genus is placed in the family Arecaceae, the palm family.
The species is endemic to the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles. It is a dry land palm that is tolerant of drought.

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Warning about the ambiguous common name, Chenille Plant, for this species. If you Google that term, the primary hit is for a very different plant, namely Acalypha hispida. This highlights a common problem with common names for plants. They tend not to be unique to a single plant, but get used and re-used by multiple plants.

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Disambiguation comment. The common name uses a 'z' in the name, Suzanne's Spurge, whereas the specific epithet uses an 's', viz. susannae. The problem is that a search on a misspelled species name, 'Euphorbia suzannae' lands on a completely different euphorbia species, Euphorbia suzannae-marnierae in the garden.org database. I have seen such a misspelling on a conservatory plant tag, and it may, in fact, be a fairly common mistake. Just be warned...

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Shrubby stem succulent from North Africa with relatively insubstantial, deciduous leaves and whitish compound flowers. Stems branch freely, may grow somewhat sideways, and may grow to a few feet tall. They are light green, with darker green vertical lines and brown leaf scars. Flowers appear in fall or winter.

Sun and drought tolerant in cultivation. Easy to start from cuttings. Leafiness is mostly a function of water availability. While this plant may be summer dormant in some of its natural habitat, and does very well in Mediterranean (dry summer, winter rainfall) climates, it is opportunistic and may remain leafy year round, given favorable conditions.

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This cultivar was selected from a seedling that came from Morton Arboretum in Lisle, Illinois and then introduced into the nursery trade in 1967 by Synnestvedt Nursery in Round Lake, Illinois, northwest of Chicago. It is noted as having dark, glossy leaves. It does not get good fall color. It does, however, bear abundant fruit if it is cross-pollinated by another Smooth Viburnum, whether the mother species or another cultivar.

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'Autumn Jazz,' also called 'Ralph Senior,' is another of several cultivars of the Smooth Arrowwood developed under the management of Chicagoland Grows, a nursery & arboretum association of the Chicago, Illinois area that has been developing new cultivars of woody plants. The straight species of the Smooth Arrowwood has a great range of fall color from good to poor, depending on the individual plant. This is another selection of one that displays good fall color and tends to be less leggy in habit, and has darker glossy leaves. It is a common cultivar that is often sold with other similar cultivars as 'Chicago Lustre' and 'Northern Burgundy' for the purpose of good fruit set, as the species is not self-fertile.

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This cultivar of 'Northern Burgundy' or 'Morton' was selected from a plant from Morton Arboretum in Lisle, Illinois and grown and then introduced into the trade by Synnestvedt Nursery in Round Lake, Illinois in conjunction with Chicagoland Grows. In full sun and with a good fall season this cultivar develops a good burgundy fall color from all over the plant to at least just the top. It can also have a more red or orange or even show yellow fall color depending on how much shade and the conditions of the autumn. The summer foliage is dark and glossy. This is one of the most common cultivars of Smooth Arrowwood that has been developed to always display a good fall color; while the straight species varies a lot in fall color display from good to poor. This cultivar is often sold with some other cultivars as 'Autumn Jazz' or 'Chicago Lustre' for cross-pollination to produce more fruit as the species is not self-fertile.

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I planted mizuna as a fall crop this year, seed sown August 30. It has grown very well, faster growing than arugula, romaine or spinach, for example, sown same date. It is a very frilly 'cut' leaf with a long but tender stalk/rib, 12 inches or so tall, softly arching. Bug free, at least the slugs, caterpillars, harlequin bugs, and white flies are attacking other crops and leaving this alone. I am a 'lazy' fertilizer user, usually hoping my organic practices do enough, but I have used a small amount of high nitrogen 'lawn fertilizer' around the green crops this fall. Had no problem with our first frost of the year, mid November, 26 degrees one night.

Spring of this year, I started purchased mizuna seed indoors, mid January, planted seedlings outside mid March, and plants grew well until beginning to bolt May 4. My brassicas (luckily) flowered at different times. I saved seed from mizuna and others, the mizuna appears to have stayed true. I used my saved seed for this fall crop.

Has a very mild flavor, dark green color, and is more tender to eat raw than a kale. It cooks tender, too. I chop it, entire leaf and stems, and use it in potato and vegetable soups to add greens. Cooks quickly, similar to other basic soup vegetables like carrots. Adds a nice dark green when cooked. Could be a salad green if you like the frilly texture. Chickens like fresh mizuna.

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This is a lovely tussock forming grass with a mound of blade like leaves around 15 - 18 inches high. In summer it bears long stems in a fan shape topped with dark purple flowers. It is suitable for any well drained soil in sun or partial shade but prefers an acid to neutral situation. It is a wonderful companion for other perennials and has superb autumn colour. It can be tidied up in early spring before the new leaves start to grow.

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