Plant Story--Dragonfruit, A Big Viney Cactus

Dragonfruits show up occasionally in U.S. grocery stores, big funny-looking tropical fruits. They are staples of fruit markets in the tropics. They turn out to be the fruits of a big cactus.

dragonfruits, Serenicereus undatus, pitayas

Disambiguation of Plant Names: Goat's Beard, Indian Paintbrush, Coneflower, and Yucca

More than a few plants share a common name. Sometimes the plants are similar, sometimes very different. Following a previous disambiguation blog (link) I'll bring some more of those to your attention so you remember to be careful to check which plant is being called by that name. In this post: goat's beard, Indian paintbrush, coneflower, and yucca. 

Indian paintbrush, Castilleja species

Bat Pollination

Bats are important pollinators in the tropics. 

Queen of the night, Epiphyllum oxypetalum, bat-pollinated cactus
of the American tropics, now grown all over the world.
 Fitbit mini for scale. Flowers can be 12" long and 12" across

Plant Story--Blue Eryngo, Sea Holly, Eryngium planum

Blue eryngo, Eryngium planum, is the most common garden plant in the genus Erygnium. The eryngiums are a group of some 250 species native from southern Europe to Mexico and South America. They are also called sea holly. 

Eryngium planum, blue eryngo, sea holly

Plants and Tasks of the Past

Diving into the history of plants frequently shows me crafts and professions that I knew little about and that are now largely forgotten. Some have gone from household tasks to highly industrialized and so are out of everyday sight, for example, cloth production. Others, like carriage repair, have been replaced as the technology moved on and exist only for hobbyists. 

early modern loom,
National Wool Museum, Wales

Plant Story--Beautiful Hardy Fuchsia, Fuchsia magellanica

They are beautiful flowers 

Fuchsia magellanica flowers

Fuchsias are a group of some 105 species, native mostly to South America, in the evening primrose family, Onagraceae. 

Another Anniversary

This blog began in February 2013. So it is turning 13. 

Amazing! And I find no shortage of material to write about yet.