Published by Daniel Mosquin on April 13, 2018
Your reaction to the first photograph may be that this is a strange rose blossom. But, this is not a rose flower–nor is it any flower, for that matter. It’s actually an immature seed cone of a conifer species from southeastern Asia: Keteleeria evelyniana. And no, it doesn’t make a habit of tricking people, this […]
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Published by Daniel Mosquin on July 12, 2017
New Zealand has both the world’s tallest species of Fuchsia, Fuchsia excorticata (which can exceed heights of 12m (40 ft.)) and some of the world’s smallest species, like Fuchsia procumbens. Although the naturally-occurring hybrid Fuchsia × colensoi is considered to have the tall Fuchsia excorticata as one of its parents, individuals rarely exceed 3m (10 […]
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Published by Daniel Mosquin on July 7, 2017
Bencomia sphaerocarpa is a critically endangered species in the rose family. According to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, only 24 known individuals remain in the wild as of 2011. The island of El Hierro, in the Canary Islands, Spain, is home to the last wild Bencomia sphaerocarpa individuals. There are three subpopulations on […]
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Published by Daniel Mosquin on March 27, 2017
Spiraea arcuata is a small woody shrub species native to temperate regions of eastern Asia, specifically India, Myanmar, Nepal, Bhutan, Tibet, and Yunnan (China). It can be found growing at altitudes ranging from 3000m to 4200m (~10000 to 13750 feet) in forests, rocky subalpine areas and the edges of riverbanks. There doesn’t seem to be […]
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Published by Daniel Mosquin on December 6, 2011
Native to southern Africa, Gaziana krebsiana is an iconic perennial of Namaqualand, where it is an important constituent of the region’s exemplary wildflower displays.
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Published by Daniel Mosquin on December 2, 2009
Greyia radlkoferi is a riparian species occurring mainly in the mist-belt mountains of Swaziland and eastern South Africa (the provinces of Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal). Cultivated as a popular garden plant in warm temperate and subtropical parts of the world, it is commonly known as woolly or Natal bottlebrush. Greyia has been confusing taxonomically, and has […]
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Published by Daniel Mosquin on September 15, 2008
Geophyte (geo- or earth and -phyte or plant) is a term used to describe plants with underground storage organs. The term most people commonly use for these underground storage organs is “bulb”, but, scientifically, the terminology is extensive. For example, in Gladiolus, the organs are actually corms, while in Iris, they are typically rhizomes. Brunsvigia […]
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