In Honor of Danger Garden...........

PACHYPODIUM GEAYI

"Madagascar Palm"

What an awesome looking plant, the structure is amazing. Looking similar to a palm but not even close in the plant kingdom. This looks like a plant that would be in the Danger Garden because of the spines. It is stated that all parts are poisonous if ingested. P. geayi comes from the Southwestern area of Madagascar, has a metallic grey trunk, thin grey-green leaves with a bright pink mid-rib. Bloom time is any time of the year on a plant that is at least 6 feet tall. Flowers are white or near white with a yellow throat and lightly scented. A deciduous tree that can reach a height of 15 feet. This will be a great addition to the patio next Spring. It is planted in a 6" pot, about 18" tall and the leaves extend out about 2 feet.

Euphorbia suzannae

Euphorbia suzannae
Suzanna's Spurge

Love this little plant, one of the most interesting Euphorbias in the Death Valley Shack collection. This one is very small, I think its planted in a 3 1/2" pot. Named after the wife of the discoverer Dr. Muir.

Euphorbias are a truly interesting plant. So many varieties and different growing conditions. There are over 2000 species of Euphorbias in the world. They range from annual weeds to trees. They all have latex and a unique flower structure. A significant percentage is succulent, but they are mostly originating from Africa and Madagascar, but there are also a few from the Americas. The Euphorbias are named after a Greek surgeon called Euphorbus. He was physician of Juba II who was the Romanised king of a North African kingdom, and is supposed to have used their milky latex as an ingredient for his potions.

Several Euphorbias are garden plants, the most popular being the Poinsettia and Diamond Frost an annual that is used in container planting.

Aloe haworthioides var. haworthioides

This attractive miniature Aloe is quite convincing as a Haworthia. I purchased this Aloe two years ago and is quite the good bloomer, as you can see it has two flower spikes at this time. The inside of the leaves are maroonish and the outside is rich green. Love the furry teeth it has like delicate filigree, not to worry about being hurt with this plant. Native to Madagascar, it forms a miniature rosette with slender 3" leaves. Rosette to 3" in diameter with numerous offsets. Small pinkish flowers on a tall spike. I have moved it inside the house to enjoy the flowers when they open. The pot size is 3".

Aloe deltoideodonta var. cardians

ALOE DELTOIDEODONTA var. CARDIANS

This stemless or short stemmed Aloe comes from the rocky slopes of the mountainous Fianarantsoa province of southern central Madagascar at elevation of 2,100 to 2,600 feet. It produces pups from the base to make a cluster of rosettes with pale green 6 to 8 inch long by 2 inch wide leaves with prominent darker green parallel lines and straw colored margins. It is shy to bloom but is described as having a short branched or unbranched conical inflorescence with green tipped pale orange flowers that open to near white and deflex downward.