Probably the shapes of the flowers have something to do with the differences. And now that they are DNA testing all the plants, things are being changed all the time. In theory, Aloe branches are fleshy with a soft middle, like the Aloe vera you may grow and break to spread the sap on a burn. But I doubt that some of the aloes I showed yesterday are very soft inside.
This is Dyckia 'Twisted Twirl.' Dyckia are actually not succulents. They are bromeliads. Spanish Moss and Pineapple are also bromeliads. I like this one a lot.
I might have recognized this one as a Gasteria. The leaves are often patterned like this. They get their name from the shape of the flowers which look like little stomachs. I talked about that at Spring in the Kitchen. They can grow in a spiral like this or in a flat sheaf of leaves. This is Gasteria batesiana 'Variegata.'
Here's another one that sure could be mistaken for an Aloe. It's a Mangave, a cross between an Agave and a Manfreda. But, modern taxonomy has eliminated Manfreda and made them all part of Agave anyway. So I guess that makes it just an Agave. Variety is 'Blazing Saddles.' Most agave have spines along the edges of the leaves. This has short ones. It's a nice color.
I had no idea what genus to put this one in when I saw it. Turns out the taxonomists have made a new genus for it and 5 friends. They used to be in the genus Senecio, which was almost as weird a collection of plants as Euphorbia.
Anyway, it is Caputia scaposa.
Here is the plant you may know that has been moved into this new genus with it. This is the former Senecio haworthii, now Caputia haworthii. This picture was taken at Meijer Gardens a few years ago.
Today has been a non-starter. I was tired and groggy all day. I did a few things, went to bell choir practice, and got some groceries. Bleah.
 | See PFS- Six Aloes |
2 comments:
Java Bean: "Ayyy, that first one in particular looks a bit spiny!"
Chaplin: "I would still take a bite out of it."
I would be horrible at trying to keep all these plants straight. I wouldn't know the difference between an aloe, a succulent or a bromeliads. With that being said, I can tell you that I find all of these quite fascinating to look at.
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