#geophytes

[thebashfulbotanist]

There are many, many Begonia species, and lots of them are native or even endemic to Mexico. This beautiful white begonia is Begonia michoacana, a relatively uncommon species from the state of Michoacán and surrounding southwestern Pacific Mexico. It's considered a geophyte, meaning that it has a large underground structure for nutrient storage, enabling it to come back "from the root" (or in this case, from the tuber).

[botaniqueer]

I feel very hashtag-blessed whenever I see plants with the same kind of hair as me :3

The Albuca I got as a mate for my surviving one also came with a volunteer Conophytum! No clue which species though.

I’m hoping I can keep the Moraea alive to adulthood since they’re pretty cool! They’re in the iris family and have the showy flowers along with the fun leaves.

[birdsy-purplefishes]

Could it be… my baby bulbs?! I wasn’t sure if my Calochortus weedii seedlings had made it through (or even to) dormancy but these look like bulbs and they seem to be alive! I’m thrilled and cautiously optimistic. If these really survived then they’re coming up on one year of the 5-7 they’ll take to get to maturity & blooming age! Enjoy some digging sounds with a male Anna’s hummingbird singing in the background of the video. 🥰 #californianativeplantpropagation #bulbsfromseed #californianativebulbs #geophytes #babybulbs #plantpropagation (at San Diego County, California) https://www.instagram.com/p/CVgmre9vC9R/?utm_medium=tumblr

[figbeetles]

Cyclamen.... Coum?

[awkwardbotany]

Selections from the Boise Biophilia Archives

Selections from the Boise Biophilia Archives

For a little over a year now, I’ve been doing a tiny radio show with a friend of mine named Casey O’leary. The show is called Boise Biophilia and airs weekly on Radio Boise. On the show we each take about a minute to talk about something biology or ecology related that listeners in our local area can relate to. Our goal is to encourage listeners to get outside and explore the natural world. It’s…

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[regnum-plantae]

Chionodoxa gigantea (syn. C. luciliae), Asparagaceae

If you are new to my blog you probably don’t know I have a very weak spot for blue flowers, and early spring is a great period to enjoy many short lived sky-coloured beauties. A true show-stopper is known as Lucile’s glory-of-the-snow and with its lilac-blue tepals, white centre and yellow stamens, it really ticks all the boxes for me. Native to western and southern Turkey, this geophyte is very hardy if grown in free-draining soil and full sun exposure, but like many others can resent excessive wetness, something to always keep in mind here in rainy Scotland and other wet-cool areas. Given the right conditions it can easily self-sow and naturalise on rockeries, gravel gardens or even lawns, but if very good drainage is hard to provide in the ground then a container is the next best option. If blue is not your colour, you can opt for white, mauve or pink flowered cultivars, like ‘Pink Giant’, which I photographed at work -not nearly as impressive to me as the regular blue species from Glasgow Botanic Gardens.

Although closely related to the genus Scilla, and somewhat similar to species like S. siberica and S. mischtschenkoana, a distinguishing trait is how the stamens are clustered together at the centre of the flower, something you can easily notice if you compare these photos with those two posts from last spring.    

[indefenseofplants]

Episode 102 - Building a Flora of Syria

Did you know that there are many regions around the world that do not have a descriptive flora? Syria is one such place and my guest today is working very hard on ameliorating that. With her focus on geophytes, Angham Daiyoub is scouring the mountainous regions of western Syria to characterize the seasonal plant diversity. There are many challenges associated with this task so join us for a fascinating discussion of what its like to be a botanist in Syria. This episode was produced in part by Mark, Allen, Desiree, Sienna & Garth, Laura, Margie, Troy, Bryan, Sara, Jennifer, Christopher, Manuel, Daniel, John, Rosanna, and Mary Jane.

[botaniqueer]

Silver squill (Ledebouria socialis) is such a pretty plant. Surprisingly fast growing for a south African bulb too! This one was donated to the cafe I sell my plants and art at as a large cluster and I only kept a single small bulb of it, and now that single bulb is its own cluster after two-ish years. It's even flowering!