I'm Not Sure What These White Protrusions Are...

I try and look at my plants at least once a day. If for screening for mealie bugs, wind damage, or ensuring any recent efforts (repotting, propping, or trimming) aren't going sideways, or just for trying to unwind after a day of commuting and working, watching plants grow is a luxury I've never had before settling down and it is one that I do not intend to take for granted. My latest observations yielded this - I noticed white protrusions growing out from the Mymercodia tuberosa (Ant Plant). When I get some down time (like when I'm not posting plant pictures and writing a bunch of gibberish) I'll research what these growths could be - but for now I'm betting they are good growth (new leaf nodules, or incentives for ants to colonize) and not bad growth.

Impending Flowers on the Mammillaria Hahniana

This is why I bought this plant - the one I saw at Karl S's house was brilliant - I can't wait for this to pop!

Possible Xerosicyos perrieri

I picked this cutting up from the Kapolei Home Depot a month or so ago. It was another cutting that was in a single 2" plastic pot and it was the only one in the nursery - I can't help myself in those situations. It looks like a fat leafed version of a Xerosicyos danguyi plant - but leaves just don't get fat because they feel like it. Upon further research, this looks like it could be a Xerosicyos perrieri (most likely), or even a Dischidia nummularia (far less likely). Regardless of what it is, it is growing (finally - more of the 'patience' stuff).

Asclepiad Surprise

As with most of the plants in this family, it isn't until you get flowers that you can identify the species. This was a plant I snatched up at one of the local big boxes - and one that I haven't seen out here yet. It didn't have roots when I got it. It's been planted in this pot for a couple of weeks now - but I am guessing that I won't see much change for a couple of months or so, and if we make it that far - blooms not until the Fall months. That is fine, I like plant surprises (good ones) and if there is one thing I learn more everyday it is that patient is 90% of what gardening is...

Euphorbia globosa

This was recently reclassified from Euphorbia pseudoglobosa to Euphorbia globosa. There was also another Euphorbia globosa, and this reclassification begs the question "what happened to the old Euphorbia globosa???" Regardless of that activity, this is a wonderful plant with tons of character. The flowers are unique, the stem/body is really cool and the caudex takes the cake!!! I am looking forward to observing this plant grow this year!

Crassula falcata, the Propeller Plant

I picked this one up from Once Again several weeks back. I posted a picture of it, but it hasn't been upfront on the bench, so it's kinda been out sight out of mind. Not that it's cold or anything like that over here, but the duration of daylight hours certainly has an impact on the plants (in particular they exhibit slower growth rates). With the sun returning to the Northern Hemisphere, I suspect this will be one of the faster growers this year. More to follow. Adding daytime pictures

Glottiphyllum depressum

I got this plant from the last www.succulents.us order - same shipment as the Ant Plant, the Uncarina and a couple others. It flowered once (I thought I took a picture of it, but I can't find any anywhere on our drives... UPDATE - Noe had th epicture) and it looks like it has stabilized in the pot (converted bowl). Before it warms up any more and the plants start growing, I'll likely put it in a wider pot to give it some room to room this coming year. This is one of the weirdest plants I know of - reminds me of something that you'd find in an alien invasion movie - which makes it really cool! Looking forward to seeing how it grows this year. Adding daytime pictures -

Jatropha podagrica Dropping Seed Pods

Here's a pictures from yesterday. I was originally going to comment on the dormancy and how long these seed pods have been sitting on the plant. Most of the time the seed pods mature quickly and before you get a chance to address them with some device to catch the seed, you turn your back and the pod is gone with the seed ejected far from the plant. These have been on the plant for quite some time with zero change in status - until I decided to blog on them... This morning I was walking around to observe the plants and the seeds were dropped - straight down with the pods still intact. I out these pods in a container - when the humidity drops, perhaps they'll split and eject the seeds within (and I can recover them without hunting). Now I can shift my attention to the new growth!

More Pictures of the Uncarina Flower

The more I look at these flowers, the more intriguing they become! I really like the way the sunlight makes the entrance to the flower look - pretty much like a glowing party room!

Cactus at Mexican Restaurants Makes the Food Better

At least the breakfast burritos do....

Ariocarpus fissuratus

Here's a look at one of the plants I recently purchased from Cactuslands - an Ariocarpus fissuratus.

 


 This is supposedly a really slow growing plant - but when considering time, good things come to those who wait.

Pachypodium saundersii Exiting Dormancy

This plant lost it's last leaf back in November (if I remember correctly) and it has been pretty low key since. I've kept it in relatively the same spot (save the big move to clear the space for our PV array installation) since it entered dormancy. All that is coming to an end - here is this growing season's first leaf. This entire upcoming growing season will be spent learning how this plant grows as last year it seemed to be making adjustments the entire time. I purchased it from www.succulents.us (Tina's) and the weather there is definitely less humid than Ewa Beach. There are other spots (growing tips) where new leaves will soon be emerging. It's going to be fun studying this plant this year!

Just Saying...

I'm not judging... but looks obviously do kill in this case.

Aloe Night at the CSSH

This month's meeting focused on the ubiquitous Aloe. Unfortunately I had the onset of the flu and also had a large chuck of work with a short deadline - so we couldn't stay for the whole meeting. We did scan the for sale plants and the plants reserved for the raffle (and lucky for us there wasn't anything we couldn't live without).

What The Heck Is Going On???!!!

The Portulaca molokiniensis on the left has always had a mind of it's own (figuratively speaking), but look what it is doing just days after it's transplant... That is not a small movement. And if I didn't know better, I'd say someone steamed it and bent it into that shape. I'll try to relocate the box to give it more light - that's all I can come up with why it MOVED SO MUCH in so little time... The good news is there are offsets forming on so of the exposed stem.

What Is This? Possibly a Tylecodon wallichii...

Tylecodon wallichii is the thought right now, but even if it is, this plant is real young or it is a cultivar. More research into this is warranted... regardless it seems to be a fast grower. Here is a picture shortly after I initially brought it home (purchased at Once Again on our last trip there a few weeks back).

Uncarina Bloom Number Two

This one is not a surprise as it has been developing just behind the first one. I'm doubtful the true pollinator lives in Hawaii, but what would be a nice surprise is if some other insect did manage to pollinate the one or both of these flowers - we'll see.

My Uncarina in Bloom

This plant is pretty young and it just put out it's first flower (not sure if it flowered before I took ownership, but I think this is the first season it would have been capable of blooming). Yeah - this is the plant I just transplanted and posted about a couple of days ago.

Noe Getting Back into Making Flower Pots

Since Christmas I've been on a pot making hiatus. I didn't exactly burn out, but I did lose some drive as I wanted to do more surfing and fishing (of which I have done neither). I have been playing more music and tending the plants more, oh and I have been doing a lot of home improvements (re-bulbing the whole house with LEDS, a new kitchen sink, more outside carpentry, re-chalking the bathrooms, and other things) - but I've let working with clay move off the front burner. Well, Noe changed all that yesterday evening. Here is her new rectangular pot. She used slabs to form the body. We're planning on using just oxide on the outside to highlight the hieroglyphics, and glaze just the interior and the rim. Now I'm going to have to make some pots and clay fishing lures... :)

Plants at Windward Community College

I took Marlon over to Windward Community College this Saturday to participate in the Regional Science Olympiad. The campus had lots of native Hawaiian plants (of which I have a soft spot for)... And more chickens than people -