Horticulture

NA

Nomenclature/History

Alikuyu, Bushillca, Cimbra-Potro

Botany

NA

Horticulture

Common kind is hardy as far north as southern New England,  but  is best  suited for regions of long, hot, dry summers. It does well even in decidedly alkaline soil. The Texas jujube requires similar climatic conditions. The Indian jujube thrives in Florida and elsewhere in a variety of soils. Mountains, hills, sunny dry slopes, plains, also widely cultivated. Late fall or early winter. Tolerates poor soil.  Fruits inn late fall or early winter. Medium water. Not suitable for containers. Easily grown in average, medium moisture, well-drained soils in full sun. Best in hot and somewhat dry climates in full sun. Plants tolerate alkaline soils. Mature plants have some tolerance for drought, but perform best with regular and consistent moisture. Avoid heavy, poorly drained soils. Plants will sucker from the roots. Other than pruning  to keep them shapely, no special care is  needed.  Propagation  is by seed, which  should  be  removed  from the stones before sowing.

Nomenclature/History

This plant is sometimes called Ziziphus zizyphus.

Botany

Trees small, rarely shrubs, deciduous, to 10 m tall, spinose or unarmed. Bark brown or gray-brown, with long reduced branches, without buds; branchlets (new branches) purple-red or gray-brown, flexuose, smooth, with 2 stipular spines or not; long spines erect, to 3 cm, stout; short spines recurved, developed from old branches; annual branchlets pendulous, green, solitary or 2-7-fascicled on short shoots. Stipular spines slender, caducous; petiole 1-6 mm, or to 1 cm on long shoots, glabrous or sparsely puberulent; leaf blade abaxially pale green, adaxially dark green, ovate, ovate-elliptic, or elliptic-oblong, 3-7 × 1.5-4 cm, papery, abaxially ± puberulent on major veins or glabrous, adaxially glabrous, 3-veined from base, base slightly asymmetric, subrounded, margin crenate-serrate, apex obtuse or rounded, rarely acute, mucronulate. Flowers yellow-green, bisexual, 5-merous, glabrous, solitary or 2-8 crowded in axillary cymes, shortly pedunculate. Pedicel 2-3 mm. Sepals ovate-triangular, adaxially distinctly keeled. Petals obovate, ca. as long as stamens, clawed at base. Disk orbicular, thick, fleshy, 5-lobed. Ovary basally slightly immersed in disk; style 2-cleft to half. Drupe red at maturity, turning red-purple, oblong or narrowly ovoid, 2-3.5 cm, (0.5-)1.5-2 cm in diam.; mesocarp fleshy, thick, sweet- or sour-tasting; stone acute or obtuse at both ends, 2-loculed, 1- or 2-seeded; fruiting pedicel 2-5 mm or longer. Seeds compressed-orbicular, ca. 1 × 0.8 cm, Fl. May-Jul, fr. Aug-Oct. 2n = 24*, 36*, 48*.

Plant Uses

Seeds used for relieving muscle spasms, as a tranquilizer, or to treat insomnia, neurasthenia and night sweats.)

Horticulture

Perennial

Nomenclature/History

Commonly called ginger.

Botany

Rhizomes white, slightly fragrant. Pseudostems 1–1.5 m. Ligule brown striped, 2-lobed, 4–7 mm, membranous; petiole 0.8–1.2 cm; leaf blade lanceolate or elliptic-lanceolate, 25–35 × 3–6 cm, abaxially glabrous or sparsely villous, base attenuate, apex caudate. Inflorescences arising from rhizomes, subovoid; peduncle 1.5–2 cm or longer, scalelike sheaths 2 or 3; bracts red, broadly ovate or elliptic, 3.5–5 cm, pubescent. Calyx ca. 5 cm, membranous. Corolla tube white, 4–6 cm; lobes white or yellowish with purplish brown stripes, oblong-lanceolate, 3–3.5 cm. Labellum pale purple, obovate, ca. 3 × 2.6 cm; lateral lobes ca. 5 mm. Filament very short; anther lanceolate, ca. 1.5 cm; connective appendage ca. 1.5 cm. Capsule ca. 3.5 cm, loculicidally dehiscent; pericarp red inside. Seeds black; aril white. Fl. Jul–Oct, fr. Sep–Dec. 2 n = 22*. Perennial.

Horticulture

Shaded humid places in forests

Nomenclature/History

The history of orchid growing dates back to the late 18th century when British horticulturist became fascinated with these plants. At that time, many ships were sent to explore the tropics. Among the discoveries were many orchids that were quite different from the native European forms. Soon, wealthy plant collectors commissioned explorers to gather orchids from tropical and subtropical areas. These plants were then boxed and sent back to Europe where a large demand was created and plants were sold for high prices. Only the hardiest plants survived the long trip back in crates. Once they arrived, growers put them into dark, hot greenhouses which they believed mimicked the tropical conditions where they were collected. Few plants survived these growing conditions which added to the fascination and mystery of these plants. Knowledge about growing orchids became closely guarded secrets and only the wealthy, who could afford greenhouses, were able to fully enjoy the diversity of this plant family.

Botany

Plants robust, 30-50 cm tall. Rhizome elongate, ca. 5 mm in diam. Stem ascending, stout, 4-6-leaved. Leaves cauline, widely spaced or sometimes clustered, not withering at anthesis, obliquely elliptic to ovate-elliptic, 5-12 × 3-7 cm, base rounded, apex acute; petiole-like base 1.5-3.5 cm including tubular sheath. Inflorescence 20-35 cm, with 3 or 4 sterile bracts, puberulent; rachis 5-8 cm, subdensely 10-15-flowered; floral bracts ovate-lanceolate, ca. 15 × 8 mm, pubescent on abaxial surface and margin, apex acuminate. Flowers fragrant, resupinate, half opening, relatively large; ovary and pedicel subcylindric, 8-10 mm, sparsely pubescent. Sepals whitish green, glabrous to puberulent; dorsal sepal ovate, concave, 6-8 × 4-5.5 mm, apex obtuse; lateral sepals obliquely ovate, 8-9 × 4-4.5 mm, apex obtuse to acute. Petals white, obliquely ovate, 7-8 × 3-4.5 mm, apex mucronate; lip white, Y-shaped, 9-9.5 mm, 3-partite; hypochile slightly dilated, saccate, ca. 4 × 3 mm, containing 2 to several lamellate calli; mesochile flat, ca. 1.5 × 1.5 mm, with 2 longitudinal keels; epichile dilated, ca. 3 × 7 mm, 2-lobed; lobes diverging at an acute angle, subsquare to suborbicular, ca. 2.8 × 2.8 mm, margin undulate, yellowish at base. Column 4-4.5 mm; wings quadrate; anther cordate, ca. 2.5 mm; rostellum arms ca. 2 mm. Fl. Apr. 2n = 20.

Horticulture

Seeds can be sown directly, although some members prefer to float the seeds. Since the seeds are on the smaller size, removing them from the water and planting is more difficult. Sow the seeds in a well drained medium, water, keep in a warm place. Fresh seeds should germinate in 1-2 weeks. Bulbs can be transplanted after 2 yeears of growth. Allow plants to go into natural dormancy cycles. Give the plants a light fertilizer during growth.

Nomenclature/History

More commonly called Habranthus tubispathus, Rio Grande Copperlily, Rain Lily, Rainlily, Stagger Grass or Copper Lily

Botany

The history of orchid growing dates back to the late 18th century when British horticulturist became fascinated with these plants. At that time, many ships were sent to explore the tropics. Among the discoveries were many orchids that were quite different from the native European forms. Soon, wealthy plant collectors commissioned explorers to gather orchids from tropical and subtropical areas. These plants were then boxed and sent back to Europe where a large demand was created and plants were sold for high prices. Only the hardiest plants survived the long trip back in crates. Once they arrived, growers put them into dark, hot greenhouses which they believed mimicked the tropical conditions where they were collected. Few plants survived these growing conditions which added to the fascination and mystery of these plants. Knowledge about growing orchids became closely guarded secrets and only the wealthy, who could afford greenhouses, were able to fully enjoy the diversity of this plant family.

Horticulture

Easily grown in average, medium, well-drained soils in full sun to part shade. Tolerates poor soils. Freely colonizes by root suckers to form dense thickets.

Nomenclature/History

Genus name comes from the Greek words xanthos meaning yellow and xylon meaning wood for the color of the heartwood of some species. Specific epithet means of the Americas. Sometimes called toothache tree.

Botany

Zanthoxylum americanum, commonly called prickly ash, is an aromatic, spiny, thicket-forming deciduous shrub or small tree that, as the common name suggests, resembles (particularly in leaf) an ash with prickles. It is not an ash, however, but a member of the citrus family (Rutaceae) and is closely related to the also spiny hardy orange, Poncirus trifoliata. Prickly ash is a Missouri native plant that typically occurs on bluffs, upland rocky hillsides, open woods, moist ravines and thickets in most of the State except for the Ozark region (Steyermark). It is most often seen in the wild as an 8-10′ tall multi-stemmed shrub. However, it will grow larger and is occasionally seen as a small tree up to 25′ tall. Compound, odd-pinnate, dark green leaves (to 1′ long) have 5-11 leaflets each. Stems and leaves have sharp prickles to 1/2″ long. Male and female flowers appear on separate trees (dioecious) in axillary clusters (cymes) on old wood. Flowers bloom in spring before the leaves emerge. Flowers are greenish-yellow, fragrant and inconspicuous, but are quite attractive to bees. Female flowers give way to clusters of rounded, reddish-brown, berry-like fruits (follicles) which mature in late summer (1-2 shiny black seeds per follicle). Fruits may be the best ornamental feature. All parts of this plant (leaves, flowers, fruit, bark and roots) are aromatic (lemony fragrance).

Horticulture

Winter hardy to USDA Zone 8, and may survive some Zone 7 winters with protection. Plant rhizomes 3-4” deep and 12-18” apart in spring after threat of frost has passed. Best in moist soils with full sun to part shade. Prefers part shade. Lift rhizomes in fall and store in a damp medium such as peat or immediately replant in containers to overwinter as a houseplant. Calla lilies may be planted in up to 12” of water in mud at the edge of ponds or water gardens. In this case, the rhizomes could arguably survive a St. Louis winter if the covering water does not freeze to the bottom. May also be grown year-round in containers that must be brought indoors in winter before first frost. Overwintering containers placed near a window with bright indirect light can make attractive houseplants. (Original Source)

Nomenclature/History

Genus name honors Giovanni Zantedeschi (1773-1846), Italian botanist. Also called the Calla Lily, White Calla Lily, Arum Lily, Large White Aethiopica, Lily of the Nile, Trumpet Lily and Giant White Calla Lily. (Original Source)

Botany

Plant Habit: Herb/Forb, Life cycle: Perennial, Sun Requirements: Full Sun to Partial Shade Water Preferences: In Water Wet Wet Mesic Plant Height: 2 to 3 feet (61-91cm) Plant Spread: 18 to 30 inches (46-76cm) Leaves: Evergreen Fruit: Other: Berries orange when ripe. Flowers: Showy Flower Color: White Other: White spathe and yellow spadix. Flower Time: Summer Other: Seasonal Inflorescence Type: Spadix Underground structures: Rhizome Suitable Locations: Bog gardening Uses: Water gardens Cut Flower Suitable as Annual Resistances: Deer Resistant Rabbit Resistant Toxicity: Other: All parts of plant contain calcium oxalate crystals, an irritant to the mouth and esophagus. Toxic to cats and dogs. Propagation: Seeds: Other info: Remove seeds from berry which contains chemicals that inhibit germination. Propagation: Other methods: Division Offsets Containers: Suitable in 3 gallon or larger Miscellaneous: Goes Dormant (Original Source)