Marina Welham's Archive
The Afrikaans common name “kanniedood” (literally “cannot die”) refers to the exceptional ability of all commiphoras to retain their water content and withstand drought for long periods. To my knowledge, very little is written in C&S; literature or on the internet on the succulent commiphoras.
Plants have been flowering away for several weeks in shops and garden centers. You bought one, attracted by the lovely flowers, and soon after you got it home, all the buds and/or flowers fell off. You may wonder why.
If anyone has ever told you that cacti and succulents don’t ever need much water, be assured that they are dead wrong. It is a widely believed myth that cacti and succulents need very little water, if any, and that cacti in particular can go forever without it.
Buying a new plant is exciting. If it is healthy when you buy it, it should give you years of enjoyment. The most critical time in the life of your new plant is going to be the first few weeks in your care.
The intensity of the acid/alkali reaction of soil or compost is commonly expressed in terms of pH units. pH stands for pondus hydrogenii, the concentration of hydrogen ions.
Post-mortem examination of people killed by Euphorbia latex has revealed severe inflammation of the walls of the stomach and intestine and in some cases the wall of the stomach has been perforated. The poison is called euphorbon about which little is known.
Epiphyllums (type Epiphyllum phyllanthus) are epiphytic cacti with flattened leaf-like stems and large white flowers that open at night. Outer petals usually have some color, usually yellow.
This species is occasionally known as Jatropha cathartica and not very common in collections here. It is highly prized as a neat, compact and handsome plant, bearing many small and pretty red flowers in midsummer, being very suitable for the show bench.
Some cacti form fruit with viable seeds by means of self-pollination. Two of the best examples of plants producing seeds themselves are found in the genera Mammillaria or Rebutia.
Cacti and succulents can safely be sent through the mail, but if you are mailing plants from one country to another, you should contact the Plant Protection Division of the Department of Agriculture for that country to find out what the guidelines are about plants you are allowed to mail and where you can mail them.
Adeniums are from Arabia through Kenya to Tanzania and also south-west Africa. They are stem succulents with thickened tuberous stems and thick branches not to mention lovely flowers. The milky sap of adeniums is VERY poisonous.
Is your succulent collection a hospital of plants you play nurse to every day? Are you frequently tossing out plants that just won’t grow for you? Are you tired of seeing flowering plants in books and journals and other collections while your same plants sit there doing nothing from one season to the next?
Ceraria namaquensis belongs to Family Portulacaceae and has a fairly widespread habitat in South Africa and Namibia. I have had plants of this grafted on to stems of Portulacaria afra for many years.