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Gasteria glauca

Like almost all the Gasteria species, this one is from South Africa, where it has a very small area of occurrence on the Kouga River, on the western side of Eastern Cape Province. It is one of the dwarf species, forming a cluster of heads over time. The coral-red comma-shaped flowers are not unlike those of various other Gasteria species.

Euphorbia resinifera

Euphorbias come in an astounding variety of forms, and this is one of those with a mounding dome-like habit, with the spiny-edged stems looking quite cactus-like. It is native to Morocco's Atlas Mountains, and it is cold-hardy down to about 20 degrees F (-7 degrees C). Like other Euphorbia species, it has flowering structures called cyathia, featuring a ring of 5 glands around the outside and tiny flowers in the middle. In many species, including this one, the cyathia are vivid yellow.

Echeveria cante × subrigida

This striking Echeveria is a hybrid done by Garden Manager & Assistant Curator Walker Young. Its parents are related species from Mexico, and Walker thought that by crossing them he might gain some hybrid vigor and get a plant better able to withstand our winter cold and wet (both parents, like most species of Echeveria, come from summer-rainfall areas). So far, it looks like we have a winner!

Aloe brevifolia

This attractive little Aloe comes from near South Africa's Cape Agulhas, the southernmost point in Africa, with its tubular coral-orange flowers coming in late spring to early summer. The plant pictured is extra-toothy and extra-compact, which makes it a standout. Under dry conditions, and in a sunny position, the leaves of this species can take on tinges of pink and lilac and salmon, though our plant is not showing this since it gets afternoon shade. Aloes belong to the family Asphodelaceae.

Aeonium castello-paivae

Aeonium is a genus in the Crassulaceae, or Stonecrop Family, with most of the species native to the Canary Islands. This one is A. castello-paivae, from the island of La Gomera. It makes clusters of thick-leaved blue-green heads that look echeveria-like, and its pale greenish-white flowers come in summer. While the flowers are not showy, the plant itself is delightful in a pot or in the garden (where winters are mild enough for its liking - it can take winter lows down to about 25 degrees F, or -4 Centigrade).

×Mangave 'Mission to Mars'

A "Mangave" is a cross between a Manfreda and an Agave, with the preceding multiplication sign showing that it is of hybrid origin. In recent years, many botanists have favored including all of the Manfreda species within an expanded concept of Agave, in which case the plant shown would be Agave 'Mission to Mars', but it is still called ×Mangave in the horticultural trade. In any case, this plant is larger than most of the Mangave crosses, and it has striking reddish-purple leaves. The yellowish-green flowers are shown in the lower photo. Agave and Manfreda are part of what used to be known as the Agave Family, now treated as the subfamily Agavoideae within the Asparagus Family.

Dudleya pachyphytum hybrid

This beautiful Dudleya is a hybrid of the ultra-fat-leaved Dudleya pachyphytum, but we do not know the other parent. However, the reddish color of the flowers and the large size of the rosette lends credence to the idea that Dudleya pulverulenta might be in its parentage. In any case, fat leaves covered with snow-white powder make it a crowd-pleaser. Dudleya is a genus in the Crassulaceae, or Stonecrop Family.

Athanasia pinnata

This South African shrub in the Daisy Family (Asterceae) features towers of silvery gray-green foliage, topped in the flowering season by flat-topped heads of tiny golden yellow flowers. It has a wonderful fine texture and is soft to the touch. It occurs in the type of vegetation known as fynbos, in both the Western Cape Province and the Eastern Cape Province.

Sideritis cypria

This species has delighful fuzzy silvery-white leaves, and in spring to summer it produces surprisingly tall flower stalks, along which there are many light-green cups formed by bracts, and within these cups are the small flowers. The flowers are not showy, but up close it can be seen that they are pale yellowish-green with dark markings. From Cyprus. The genus Sideritis belongs to the Lamiaceae, or Mint Family.

Euphorbia meloformis

This chubby Euphorbia species comes from South Africa's Eastern Cape Province, in the vicinity of Port Elizabeth. It is related to the widely-grown Euphorbia obesa, but differs in its red-and-green striped body, as well as in the way its old inflorescences dry and harden to become spines. This plant has separate male and female individuals, and the plant pictured is a female.

Gasteria batesiana

Gasterias are related to aloes, but they are less wide-ranging, with all of the species native to southern Africa. Many of them occur in the southern part of the country, but G. batesiana occurs in the northeast. It is notable for its rough-textured leaves and for its long flowers with a noticeably narrowed mid-section. Like other Gasteria species, its tubular flowers contain nectar, and they are visited by nectar-loving sunbirds. Here in California we don't have sunbirds, but our hummingbirds are frequent visitors to the flowers.

Eriogonum latifolium

Plants in the genus Eriogonum are known as wild buckwheats, and they are found in many varied habitats in western North America. This one is Eriogonum latifolium, the seaside buckwheat. As its common name suggests, its distribution hugs the coast, extending from the Big Sur area of California northward to coastal Oregon and Washington. Like other wild buckwheats, it has tiny flowers packed together in clusters, and the flower color ranges from white to pink. The genus belongs to the family Polygonaceae.

Aloe falcata

This Aloe species is related to the more widely grown Aloe claviflora, but it comes from farther west in the winter-rainfall region (Namaqualand and the Tanqua Karoo). While many aloes come into flower in the winter months, this one blooms in spring to summer. Our plant is single-headed, but older plants form clusters, with their stems extending sideways along the ground.

Ferocactus peninsulae

Baja California is home to a greater concentration of Ferocactus species than anywhere else, and this one is a fine example from the central part of the peninsula. Like numerous other barrel cacti, it has a group of stout spines at the middle of each spine cluster, and then wispy spines around the outside, making a decorative (if formidable) effect. The showy flowers emerge near the top of the stem.

×Mangave 'Purple Leopard'

The genus Manfreda is now included by many botanists in Agave, but crosses between these soft-leaved (and often spotted) plants and regular agaves are widely known as "Mangaves" (this is properly written as ×Mangave, with the multiplication sign indicating that these plants are crosses between Manfreda and Agave). This one combines Agave marmorata (from Oaxaca and Puebla in southern Mexico) with a Manfreda hybrid, and its prominent purple spots are quite striking. It is flowering, and therefore at the end of its life span, but we hope it will prove to have an offset or two when it is done.

Leucospermum praecox

The plants in the genus Leucospermum are known as pincushions because of the long styles that extend out from the flower cluster (these start out curled in, then straighten out to impart the "pincushion" look). The species pictured is L. praecox, known as the Mossel Bay pincushion. It comes from South Africa's southern coastal plain, near the town of Mossel Bay, to the east of Cape Town. The flower heads are often referred to as "a flower", but actually they are a cluster of many flowers, and the lower photo shows these up close. Leucospermum is part of the Protea Family.

Ferocactus emoryi subsp. rectispinus

This is the spectacular Baja subspecies in the F. emoryi group, notable for its very long spines as well as its large and showy yellow flowers (sometimes these are more orange-yellow). It is certainly having a good year here at the Ruth Bancroft Garden!