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Stapelia gigantea

This is one of the "stapeliads", succulents that typically form clumps of cylindrical stems. Many species occur in Africa and Arabia, and they all have remarkable 5-pointed flowers. Some, like this one, emit a foul odor in order to attract flies as pollinators. The stapeliads were fomerly placed in the Milkweed Family, but this whole family has now been rolled into the related Dogbane Family (Apocynaceae). Stapelia gigantea has a large distribution in northeastern South Africa, as well as in 9 other countries in southern Africa. The lower photo shows the central part of the flower.

Tulista pumila

When the genus Haworthia was divided into 3 genera, most of the species were either kept in Haworthia or moved into the genus Haworthiopsis. However, a few went into the small genus Tulista (with only a few species, but with relatively large individual plants). One of these is Tulista pumila. Like Haworthiopsis, the species in Tulista may be adorned with prominent white tubercles, as can be seen here with T. pumila, but Tulista differs in having a stouter multi-branched flower stalk, with the flowers not so strongly 2-lipped. T. pumila can be found in nature in the western part of the Little Karoo, and in the neighboring Robertson Karoo.

Haworthiopsis coarctata

All of the plants now placed in Haworthiopsis were formerly placed in Haworthia, but they differ in floral details and in their more rigid leaves, often adorned with white tubercles. Some of the species have a stacking habit, forming little columns of leaves like the plant shown. H. coarctata comes from South Africa's Eastern Cape Province, to the west of the Fish River.

Haworthia sp.

We received this Haworthia without a name, but it is one of the many window-leaved species known as the retuse haworthias (perhaps it is one of the forms of H. mirabilis or H. magnifica, but there are endless variants of these, and we can't be sure). Such plants are found in nature in a strip along South Africa's southern coast, where there is some rainfall in both winter and summer. The small flowers have a 2-lipped mouth, and they are white with darker stripes - much like those of other species in the genus.

Gasteria bicolor var. liliputana

This is another dwarf Gasteria species, but it has smooth strap-like spotted leaves and forms clumps of many heads. The flowers are smaller than those of most gasterias, and with a light pink color, except for the green-and-white striped mouth. From South Africa's Eastern Cape Province. Like Aloe and Haworthia, the genus Gasteria belongs to the Asphodel Family.

Gasteria armstrongii

This chubby-leaved dwarf Gasteria species is popular as a potted plant, but it makes a wonderful rock-garden plant if tucked into a crevice as ours has been. In nature, it is usually found on a coastal plain in the vicinity of Jeffreys Bay, on South Africa's southern coast, and it can become partially covered with leaf litter and soil, so that it can be very difficult to find when not in flower. The dangling flowers are similar to those of other Gasteria species.

Euphorbia officinarum subsp. echinus

Though often listed simply as Euphorbia echinus, this plant is very similar to the taller-growing E. officinarum, and it has now been named as a subspecies under that species. It forms a low spiny mound with many branches packed tightly together, and it has dark purplish-red flowering structures (cyathia) that can be seen in the lower photo. It is one of the many Euphorbia species with spiny stems that look very cactus-like, though they are in a completely different family. From southwestern Morocco (the closely related E. officinarum subsp. officinarum has a wider distribution, occurring not only in Morocco, but also in neighboring Algeria, Mauritania, and Western Sahara).

Beaucarnea recurvata

Although it is not really a palm, the common name for this plant is "pony-tail palm". Rather than the Palm Family, it actually belongs to the Nolinoideae subfamily within the Asparagus Family (previously, this subfamily was treated as its own family, Nolinaceae). In any case, B. recurvata is notable for its huge swollen base, its downward-drooping leaves, and its tiny white flowers. As with all Beaucarnea species, there are separate male and female plants, and the yellow pollen visible in the lower photo shows that ours is a male.

Aloe 'Purple Haze'

This miniature Aloe hybrid is one of the many plants bred by Kelly Griffin at Altman Plants. The parentage of these jewel-like hybrids is mostly small species from Madagascar, and they feature amazing leaf textures and colors.

Aloe aristata

The term "aristate" means tapering to a thread-like point, and this is certainly appropriate for this species of Aloe. It is one of the more cold-tolerant aloes, growing in some of the coldest places in South Africa and neighboring Lesotho, experiencing temperatures as low as -10 C (13 F). As can be seen in the lower photo, the flowers are salmon-pink (with grayish striping) on the side away from the stalk, and pale yellow on the side toward the stalk. Some classifiers have sought to take this species out of the genus Aloe and put it in a new genus Aristaloe, but this name has not gained wide acceptance.

Mammillaria muehlenpfordtii

This Mammillaria species comes from the states of San Luis Potosi, Guanajuato and Queretaro in east-central Mexico. It is initially single-headed, but in time it often divides at the growing point to become multi-headed. It flowers on and off during the summer months, unlike some other species that produce many flowers all at once, making a ring around the center.

Aloe pulcherrima

This Aloe species, with its light green, pliable leaves and tiny teeth that are scarcely noticeable, is native to central Ethiopia. In nature, it often grows on steep slopes or cliffs, and in such situations its inflorescence tends to grow downward, with the floral branches turned upward at the tips. Unfortunately, we do not have a cliff for it here at the Ruth Bancroft Garden, so it has a more conventional upward-growing stalk.

Sedum stahlii

This Sedum species, with its fat jellybean leaves, is not as widely grown as its relative Sedum ×rubrotinctum (known as "pork and beans", and valued for the vivid red and orange tinges taken on by its leaves). The "×" preceding rubrotinctum indicates that the plant is a hybrid, and its parents are Sedum stahlii and Sedum pachyphyllum. Sedum stahlii comes from Mexico, as does S. pachyphyllum.

Aloe hildebrandtii

This modest-sized Aloe species comes from Somaliland (the northwestern part of Somalia, whose coast lies along the Gulf of Aden). It is not a commonly-grown species, but I have used it in hybrids because I like yellow flowers.

Oreocereus celsianus

This tall-growing cactus occurs at high altitudes in the Andes of Peru, Bolivia and northern Argentina. Its common name is "old man of the Andes" because of its long white hair, but it also has a good compliment of stout spines that project out of all the whiteness. The upper photo shows a plant in flower, while the lower one shows the yellow fruit, which is light yellow, lumpy and smooth, looking almost like it was made of plastic. Within are the small round black seeds.

Cleistocactus strausii

Cleistocactus strausii is one of the most widely grown species in its genus, admired for its erect growth habit (not sprawling like many of its relatives) as well as for its beautiful dense white spines. We have quite a few different forms of it, with the flowers varying it how long they are as well as how furry they are. To illustrate this variability, I have photographed one with very long slender flowers and one with much shorter and furrier flowers. Both are delightful!

Cleistocactus baumannii

There are many species of Cleistocactus found in western Argentina and northward into Bolivia, and they tend to have slender tubular nectar-filled flowers that are visited by hummingbirds. Cleistocactus baumannii has extra-long flowers, and they are always a little bent rather than being straight, giving them a unique look.