Thursday, October 6, 2011

Rumble Among the Jungle, Matches 1.61-1.64

Rules and Stuff
1) It's probably possible to vote more than once per poll, but please don't. If I believe that someone is voting repeatedly, I will throw out those results, repost the poll, and seriously question that person's priorities.
2) If you want to link to a poll on Twitter / Facebook / your blog / whatever and encourage your friends to come and pump up the support for your favorite plants, you are encouraged to do so.
3) You are also encouraged to leave comments on Rumble posts, if so moved.
4) All photos will enlarge if opened in a separate window/tab.
5) You can choose which plant is "best" according to whatever criteria you decide for yourself. My personal process is a bit convoluted.1
6) All polls will be open for three days.


Results for matches 1.45 to 1.48:

In match 1.45, Dracaena deremensis cvv. beat Nematanthus cvv., 62 to 44. (The Asparagaceae are having a good first round, in general; I have plans to discuss the results by family, once the first-round results are all in.)
Match 1.46 saw Gardenia jasminoides losing to Schefflera actinophylla / arboricola by 47 to 65, which I predict is going to upset some Gardenia-lovers.

Dracaena deremensis cvv. will next compete on 12 October, when they go up against Schefflera actinophylla and S. arboricola in match 2.23.

Match 1.47 was the one I was most interested in. I knew there are rabid fans of Hedera helix out there, but I wasn't sure how many. I still don't know exactly, but it's not enough of them to achieve victory over the rhizomatous Begonias: Hedera lost, 45 to 64.
Finally, in match 1.48, Sansevieria trifasciata cvv. defeated Lithops cvv., 77 to 46. This is about what I would have expected for most plants going up against Sansevieria, though.

Rhizomatous Begonias face Sansevieria trifasciata cvv. next, in match 2.24, on 12 October.

And now, the FINAL SET of first-round votes:

Match 1.61
Vriesea splendens (flaming sword) vs. Hippeastrum cvv. (amaryllis)

(All are Vriesea splendens, probably the cv. 'Splenreit.')


L-R: Hippeastrum NOID, Hippeastrum NOID (probably 'Apple Blossom?'), Hippeastrum NOID.
Left picture donated by Tigerdawn. Right picture is from Arpingstone, via Wikimedia Commons.






Match 1.62
Agave spp. vs. Cattleya alliance orchids

Clockwise from top left: Agave victoriae-reginae, A. americana medio-picta alba, NOID (maybe A. desmettiana?), A. marmorata.


Clockwise from top left: Cattleya aurantiaca, Potinara Eye Candy 'Sweet Sensation,' Sophrolaeliocattleya Hazel Boyd 'Debbie,' Potinara Eye Candy 'Mellow Yellow.'






Match 1.63
Opuntia spp./cvv. (prickly pear cactus) vs. Codiaeum variegatum cvv. (croton)

Various unidentified Opuntia spp.; the top left and bottom right plants might be O. microdasys. Center bottom plant might be too, but a different variety.


Clockwise from left: Codiaeum variegatum 'Petra,' 'Picasso's Paintbrush,' 'Revolutions,' 'Mrs. Iceton.'






Match 1.64
Calathea spp./cvv. vs. Radermachera sinica (china doll)

Clockwise from top left: Calathea ornata, C. roseo-picta 'Medallion' (?), C. makoyana, C. insignis, C. zebrina.


(Both Radermachera sinica.)






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1 I'm deciding according to a hypothetical situation in which all of my houseplants are gone, as are all the other houseplants of the world, except for one producer/supplier/retailer. Said person is offering to restock me with one or the other of the plants in question but refuses to give me both. Which one would I choose?


9 comments:

Pat said...

Was yours the first vote? If it was I voted exactly the same way for all four. I know our opinions vary on many of the others, though.

Joseph said...

Agaves better beat those dumb orchids or I'm going to be pretty pissed off. Be careful before you dare vote cast your vote... agaves make very good weapons.

mr_subjunctive said...

Pat:

I often get the first vote, but this time I was somewhere around #24.

mr_subjunctive said...

(I'm extremely amused by the results of 1.64. At the moment, it's 36 votes for Calathea, 2 votes for Radermachera. 95% to 5%.)

danger garden said...

Well hell Joseph beat me to the threat but I'll just go ahead and second it...if those whimpy little orchids beat the agaves there are going to be spikes flying everywhere...people VOTE SMART!!!

paivi said...

After my vote, both the agave and orchids have exactly 30 votes. Might this be the closest one yet?

I also didn't realise Calathea family has so many fans. I thought everybody had already given up on them.

Zach said...

The results of 1.64... That's what happens when you pair up one of the coolest plants on the planet with something lame. :)

Paul said...

"Wimpy little orchids"? HA! When it comes to adaptability and cleverness of reproductive strategies, there is little that can rival the orchid Family. While I do like agavas as well (they're very useful during a zombie apocalypse) I expect the catts to make tequila out of them.

mr_subjunctive said...

paivi:

Well, there have been two matches that only differed by a single vote (1.29 and 1.42), so the only way it could be closer would be if they were actually tied. At the moment, the orchids are ahead by four votes.

As to 1.64, it may not be that people like Calathea as much as that they hate Radermachera. That was a huge factor in why Calathea got my vote.