Viewing comments posted by skopjecollection

61 found:

[ Serrate Spurge (Euphorbia serrata) | Posted on April 6, 2021 ]

A very common plant which pops into bloom in spring. A small herbaceous plant growing its characteristic 5 cyanthia in a crownlike structure at its apex.
Bleeds latex like all spurges.

[ Sloe (Prunus spinosa) | Posted on April 6, 2021 ]

A somewhat thorny, durable shrub with glaucous purple fruit and a reddish colored trunk. It grows wild here, often forming thickets. The berry fruit is edible, though palatability is another matter. Taste like like a tart & sour plum, and a lot more resinous (which transfers to any type of liqueur made from this, like a resinous tart plum). Plant is very hardy, often growing along exposed mountain and hillside meadows.

I wouldn't recommend growing it (save maybe for bonsai purposes) due to the problems it poses. It's quite durable and hard to root out, it's spiny and may pose a threat, and it can spread aggressively.

[ Heartleaf Oxeye (Telekia speciosa) | Posted on November 27, 2020 ]

A tall herbaceous plant with relatively large flowers similar to that of many asterids like the sunflower. It can have multiple blooming heads.
It can be easily mistaken for another asterid of similar appearance, Elecampane (Inula helenium), whose roots can be used in food and medicinally. The Telekia's root, while similar, doesn't have such uses. Its main difference lies in its leaves with green undersides, as opposed to woolly on the Inula.

[ Plum (Prunus cerasifera) | Posted on October 3, 2020 ]

Here, it's a common sight in many remote villages. Taste is both sweeter and slightly more tart than common plums. Sometimes, wild trees can be found on exposed hillsides.
A short, densely branched tree

[ Medlar (Mespilus germanica) | Posted on September 16, 2020 ]

A short tree, with medium-sized leaves. Fruit, when ripe, is brown and resembles that of some varieties of rose, bearing 5 long sepals, fuzzy when unripe. It does well in a temperate climate, and it is seldom found here in people's yards. It is somewhat xeric, at least as far as fruit trees go.
Fruit taste changes from simply dry and woody, to sweet, tart and astringent when ripe, to mostly sweet, slightly tart and soft when left to ferment (like most tannin filled fruits do). Taste can be best described as something between an apple, quince, and jam. Closest to it would be some Sorbus species.
When consuming the fruit (for most people, best fermented) , one should be wary of the 5 seeds -- they are hard, and like most Rosid species, toxic in large quantities.

[ Biznaga de Metztitlan (Mammillaria schiedeana) | Posted on September 3, 2020 ]

I've only had one encounter with this plant: A flattened globular cactus, with lots and lots of fairly long tubercles bearing flexible yellow spines, forming a dense shield around the plant. From the looks of the plant, I'd treat it similar to a heyderii: mostly mineral soil, sparse watering, lots of sun.

[ Weingartia canigueralii | Posted on September 3, 2020 ]

Can't really say I've grown this plant, but I am familiar with the wholesale variety. It is a pinkish-purpleish globular clumping cactus, whose tubercules bear fairly harmless dark spines. If left to etiolate, new growth would be green and conical.
Like all rebutias, it should be grown in full mineral soil. Otherwise sold grafted on hylocereus stock. Probably lots of sun as well to keep the desired visage.

[ Silken Pincushion (Mammillaria bombycina) | Posted on September 3, 2020 ]

A very spiny, relatively small short-cylindrical cactus. Somewhat slower growing than many of its more popular relatives.
The most remarkable feature about it is its dense spination- it has several darker central spines, one of which is longer and hooked, surrounded by numerous white radial spines, densely covering the stem. I'd prefer to liken this plant to the many hair -covered flowering heads of thistles and burdock.
It prefers mineral soil, full sun, sparse watering. It should clump when older. Never bloomed for me personally, but it has fuchsia/magenta colored blooms.

[ Powderpuff Cactus (Mammillaria bocasana) | Posted on September 3, 2020 ]

A deceptively fluffy cactus, whose fuzzy spines obscure hooks. Easy to get to bloom even at a small size (about an inch or less/>2 ish cm). Likes mostly mineral soil, moderate to full sun. Clumps when potted.

[ White Asphodel (Asphodelus albus) | Posted on June 13, 2020 ]

An herbaceous perennial, foliage resembles that of yuccas. Grows in clusters, has a tall inflorescence filled with streaked white flowers. Grows on mountain meadows in its native habitat.

[ Viejito (Eriosyce senilis) | Posted on March 30, 2020 ]

A somewhat fast-growing, but nonetheless moderately difficult, short, cylindrical cactus. Its spines can be quite variable, with varieties having almost completely black spines to almost fuzzy white crowns blanketing the plant. What's interesting about this one is that it has bicolored magenta-yellow flowers, a rare feature among cacti (similar to the genus Oroya).

Likes well-draining soil and very bright exposure. Its quick growing speed (among globular and short columnar cacti) can lead to etiolation.
Prefers winter dormancy.

[ Rebutia 'Sunrise' | Posted on March 29, 2020 ]

One of the smaller cultivars of Rebutia. Has small white-cream colored flowers, sometimes with pink streaks along the length of the petal. Sometimes its lower petals may be darker/have an orange tint. It clumps, sometimes prolifically.
An undesirable feature of this cultivar is that it has weak roots -- rot prone, shallow, slow growing, and mechanically vulnerable.

[ Woolly Thistle (Cirsium eriophorum) | Posted on February 17, 2020 ]

A very large, upright herbaceous biennial. It's among the spiniest thistles I've encountered, as well as among the most interesting.
Leaves are somewhat pinnate, with spines adorning the leaf tip, and cilia and softer spines on the margins, with spines sometimes protruding from the upper and underside of the leaf. The plant itself only branches at the tip, and sometimes forms colonies of multiple plants. Flower bud is woolly, and covered with spines. Likes sunny to shady arid patches.

[ Centaurea rupestris | Posted on February 17, 2020 ]

A small herb, it favors arid and sunny slopes, often growing near rocks.

[ Plumeless Thistle (Carduus acanthoides) | Posted on February 17, 2020 ]

It's a large herbaceous biennial, completely covered in spines. Often grows in clusters of several plants. Favors sunny and arid areas, often growing near roads. Seeds are wind dispersed, similar to a dandelion.

[ Matucana (Matucana madisoniorum var. horridispinum) | Posted on February 16, 2020 ]

As it was said in llifle, it looks similar to the regular Matucana madisoniorum, but it's covered in persistent spines emerging from every areole. Slightly more tuberculate than the regular one as well. Texture is velvety, same as the regular madisoniorum.

[ Cape Gooseberry (Physalis peruviana) | Posted on February 13, 2020 ]

Tasted the fruit today. Tastes like something between citrus and goji berry. Fruit is gooey. Ive seen it growing wild (likely escaped cultivation) in a sprawling herbaceous habitat near a shaded country road.

[ Biznaga Semiesferica (Mammillaria heyderi subsp. hemisphaerica) | Posted on January 31, 2020 ]

A flattened globular cactus. Stem is tuberculate, spines are somewhat dense if grown in stronger sun.
Size moderate. Likes a winter rest, seldom watering, mineral soil and full sun. Flowers are white with red/orange stripes, but somewhat variable . Blooms in rings. Fruit is a red chili-shaped capsule, tastes like a gooey strawberry (typical of mammillaria fruit). The only downside with the plant is that it can be awkward to repot.

[ Biznaga Prolifera (Mammillaria prolifera) | Posted on January 31, 2020 ]

A small, heavily clumping, globular cactus. Flowers white, may possess stripes and a red/orange colored throat. Self pollinating. Spines yellow, prominent (obscuring the stem), can have shades of white or gray. Stems are tuberculated like all mammillarias, and are somewhat flexible. Certain parts of the plant (near branch joints and the base) can be colored red. Its heads can root and break easily, forming large clusters. Likes a winter rest and mineral to semi-mineral soil. It can tolerate moderate light levels and likes frequent watering in summer.
The cactus is famous for 2 things:
-it's among the easiest mammillarias to grow (along with elongata and vetula gracilis) because of its fast clumping speed and durability;
-and it's among the most famous mammillarias grown for fruit, with strawberry-flavored, chili-pepper-shaped berries.

[ Sinocrassula (Sinocrassula yunnanensis) | Posted on January 11, 2020 ]

Probably among the most troublesome/difficult succulents that can be found in wholesale. The plant is composed of small rosettes with thin dark green leaves covered in velvet like fuzz, densely packed on a somewhat bright green to red stem. The leaves are soft and slightly malleable (can bend slightly, much more compared to most succulents). The leaves, if removed from the stem (to which they are loosely attached), can sprout easily and make their own rosette like most crassulaceae members. It's fairly slow growing, but sort of troublesome due to it often being somewhat tender, and may die at random. Often they are potted in mounds, where splitting the rosettes is advised to prolong the plant's life. It's not cold hardy, and it doesn't like strong sun or heat.

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