Rumble Among the Jungle, Match 4.8

The result for match 4.4:

4.4 was pretty darn one-sided: Schlumbergera cvv. defeated Hibiscus rosa-sinensis 75 to 39.

I mention this because large margins of victory were fairly regular occurrences during the first couple rounds, but the last time we saw anything like a 66%-34% split was back in match 3.7. That one was also a win for Schlumbergera (over Platycerium spp.), so perhaps we should be keeping an eye on Schlumbergera to win the whole tournament. Perhaps not. I don't know.

In any case, here's the last match for round 4:

Match 4.8
Aeonium spp. vs. Calathea spp./cvv.

Clockwise from top: Aeonium 'Kiwi,' 'Irish Bouquet,' A. arboreum atropurpureum 'Zwartkop.'

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

Rumble Among the Jungle, Matches 3.15 and 3.16

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 of matches 3.7 and 3.8:

In match 3.7, Schlumbergera cvv. stomped Platycerium spp. pretty hard (73 to 32), which is more or less what I expected to happen.

Match 3.8 was surprising only in how close it was -- I wasn't sure which plant I expected people to prefer (and personally had a hard time choosing), but I figured most of the votes would come down on one side or the other. Though basically tied for the first couple days, Hibiscus rosa-sinensis pulled ahead in the last half of the competition, and defeated Cordyline fruticosa 56 to 49.

Today's matches:

Match 3.15
Aeonium spp. vs. Tillandsia spp. (air plants)

Clockwise from top: Aeonium 'Kiwi,' 'Irish Bouquet,' A. arboreum atropurpureum 'Zwartkop.'

Left side, top to bottom: Tillandsia xerographica, T. capitata 'Peach.'
Center, top to bottom: NOID, NOID, T. ionantha 'Druid.'
Right side, top to bottom: NOID, T. abdita Mexican form.





Match 3.16
Agave spp. vs. Calathea spp./cvv.

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

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





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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?

Rumble Among the Jungle, Matches 2.29-2.32

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.

Match 2.13 to 2.16 results:

No huge surprises here. This set was 3/4 about pretty and colorful plants advancing past plants that are less pretty and colorful. In 2.13, Platycerium spp. beat Gynura aurantiaca 77 to 42, probably because when it comes right down to it, Gynura is just not a very popular plant. (It only made it into the second round because it was paired with Hypoestes phyllostachya, which people really hate, in the first.)
I'd worried about 2.14, but Schlumbergera cvv. did defeat Aloe vera like I'd hoped, and by a wider margin than I expected. The score was 78-46.

So Platycerium spp. goes against Schlumbergera cvv. in match 3.7; voting begins 18 October.

Cordyline fruticosa cvv. advances to the third round past Pachira aquatica, in match 2.15. It wasn't even close: 76 to 34.
Finally, in match 2.16, Hibiscus rosa-sinensis clobbered Mimosa pudica (sorry, Liza), 86 to 30.

On 18 October, Cordyline fruticosa cvv. will battle Hibiscus rosa-sinensis for a ticket to round 4.

And now, today's end-of-the-second-round matches.

Match 2.29
Aeonium spp. vs. Euphorbia milii (crown of thorns)

Clockwise from top: Aeonium 'Kiwi,' 'Irish Bouquet,' A. arboreum atropurpureum 'Zwartkop.'

(All Euphorbia milii cvv.)





Match 2.30
Tillandsia spp. (air plants) vs. Dieffenbachia cvv. (dumb cane)

Left side, top to bottom: Tillandsia xerographica, T. capitata 'Peach.'
Center, top to bottom: NOID, NOID, T. ionantha 'Druid.'
Right side, top to bottom: NOID, T. abdita Mexican form.

Clockwise from top left: Dieffenbachia 'Sterling,' 'Panther,' 'Camille' or 'Tropic Marianne' or something similar, 'Camouflage,' NOID.





Match 2.31
Hippeastrum cvv. (amaryllis) vs. Agave spp.

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

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





Match 2.32
Opuntia spp./cvv. (prickly pear cactus) vs. Calathea spp./cvv.

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





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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?

Rumble Among the Jungle, Matches 1.57-1.60

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 from matches 1.41 to 1.44:

Not many surprises from this set. In match 1.41, Dendrobium cvv. beat Ficus pumila 73 to 35, which I suppose is what Ficus gets for not having colorful flowers.
Match 1.42 was incredibly close, but in the end Beaucarnea recurvata defeated Sedum morganianum and S. burrito by a single vote (56 to 55).

Dendrobium and Beaucarnea will next compete in match 2.21, on 12 October, facing one another to determine who makes it to the third round.

Oncidium alliance orchids, as expected, beat out large columnar Euphorbia spp. (ammak, ingens, trigona, etc.) in match 1.43, but at least it was relatively close. *sigh* The score was 63 to 44.
Finally, in match 1.44, Polyscias fruticosa beat Austrocylindropuntia subulata monstrose by 64 to 38, which I personally kind of appreciate because it's hard to type Austrocylindropuntia.

Oncidium alliance orchids face Polyscias fruticosa in match 2.22, on 12 October.

Today's matches:

Match 1.57
Aeonium spp. vs. Aphelandra squarrosa (zebra plant)

Clockwise from top: Aeonium 'Kiwi,' 'Irish Bouquet,' A. arboreum atropurpureum 'Zwartkop.'

(Aphelandra squarrosa)





Match 1.58
Euphorbia milii (crown of thorns) vs. Tradescantia spathacea cvv. (moses-in-the-cradle, oyster plant)

(All Euphorbia milii cvv.)

Top row, L-R: Tradescantia spathacea, variegated T. spathacea.
Bottom row: T. spathacea, T. spathacea 'Sitara Gold,' close-up of T. spathacea flower.





Match 1.59
Tillandsia spp. (air plants) vs. Philodendron bipinnatifidum cvv. and similar spp. (xanadu, 'Hope,' 'Spicy Dog')

Left side, top to bottom: Tillandsia xerographica, T. capitata 'Peach.'
Center, top to bottom: NOID, NOID, T. ionantha 'Druid.'
Right side, top to bottom: NOID, T. abdita Mexican form.

Clockwise from top left: Philodendron bipinnatifidum ('Hope?'), P. xanadu, Philodendron bipinnatifidum ('Hope?'), P. 'Spicy Dog.'





Match 1.60
Pilea cadierei (aluminum plant) vs. Dieffenbachia cvv. (dumb cane)

(Both are Pilea cadierei.)

Clockwise from top left: Dieffenbachia 'Sterling,' 'Panther,' 'Camille' or 'Tropic Marianne' or something similar, 'Camouflage,' NOID.





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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?

Walkaways Part 13, and One New Plant (Part 2 of 2)

Continuing from where we left off this morning:

Adromischus maculatus.
I was not tempted by Adromischus -- I had one (different species) a long time ago, which didn't do well (probably a light issue). This is noteworthy, though, because I rarely see them for sale around here, and I don't think we ever got them at the garden center when I worked there.

Aloe nobilis.
Another former Aloe victim that I want to retry. I felt especially bad about the A. nobilis, because I've heard they're exceptionally forgiving and easygoing outdoors, for Aloes. In my defense, the offset I received initially didn't have roots, and I think never managed to develop any, either. So not 100% my fault.

Peperomia dolabriformis.
WANT. SO MUCH. It looks like Peperomia obtusifolia, if you smeared a quarter-inch (6 mm) of Vaseline on the tops of all the leaves and then folded all the leaves in half along the midrib so the Vaseline stuck to itself. I mean, the plant isn't greasy at all, but there's a translucent window down the center of the leaf that has that yellowish, waxy/jelly appearance of Vaseline. The plant is completely ridiculous, but I really want it.

Aloe x 'Firebird.'
Aloes and I get along well, my previous stories of aloicide notwithstanding, so they stand out to me in retail situations. I assume that's the reason why I bothered to get a picture of this plant; it doesn't look like much, and wasn't even aggressively ugly like the Aloinopsis. Surprisingly, the handful of images Google served up aren't much either. Too pretty to be ugly, too ugly to be pretty.

Pleiospilos nelii.
I understand why people would be interested in it, but I wouldn't trust myself not to overwater, and everything else being equal, I tend to like plants that are going to grow faster, rather than slower.

Anacapseros rufescens.
The Anacampseros I've seen before were bright pink, red and green, not dull purple like this. From looking around the net, I think this is a difference in variety, not in culture, with the brighter-colored version being a variegated form.

Aeonium x 'Irish Bouquet.'
I don't even think this is pretty. Who thinks this is pretty?

And finally, the plant I actually bought, which was perhaps a little bit foreshadowed in the post this morning (and maybe yesterday's, too, a little bit):

Sedum rubrotinctum 'Aurora.'
It was a really calculated choice. I've grown the species before, so care shouldn't be a problem, and Sedum rubrotinctum is sort of infinitely propagatable, so I should always have plenty to trade or sell. (Is it patented? How would I find out?)

All the plants in today's posts, by the way, were grown at Altman Plants, in Vista, CA. There's a complete list of what they have here, though I've seen relatively few of these in stores. I suspect the list may be somewhat out of date.

Walkaways Part 13, and One New Plant (Part 1 of 2)

Tragically, Lowe's has new succulents in, at the same time that I have no money to buy them. I did get pictures of a lot of plants, which is fifth next-best thing to buying,¹ and I wasn't actually interested in all of the plants in the post, but having to leave a few of them behind really did hurt. (The blow is softened by the idea that I might be able to get some of them elsewhere, or elsewhen, and by the fact that the husband did buy me the one that I really really wanted.)

Part 2 will be posted this afternoon.

Crassula perforata variegata.
Not particularly tempted, owing to my previous bad experiences with the "stacked" Crassulas, but there's no denying it's very colorful and pretty.

Aloinopsis rubrolineata.
What an incredibly dull and stupid-looking plant. I want one. So much.

Though it was in the "mimicry" tray, along with Fenestraria rhopalophylla and Argyroderma. This suggests that I would probably find it difficult.

Aloe x 'Minibelle.'
I got an Aloe 'Minibelle' in one of the first trades I ever did, but somehow killed it. Never figured out what I'd done wrong. I'd like to try again at some point, though it's not urgent. I have some Aloes already that look something like this.

Argyroderma NOID.
I don't understand the appeal.

Sedum rubrotinctum NOID.
After a long, long period of struggling with a light-starved, leggy S. rubrotinctum, I finally started putting them in the basement under lights. They liked that. Since then, they're still not my favorite plant, but they've definitely moving up in my estimation.

xGraptosedum 'Alpenglow' / 'Vera Higgins.'
Mildly tempting. The whole Sedum / Pachyphytum / Echeveria / Sedeveria / Pachyveria area is full of some attractive plants, but I've had problems getting them enough light, and I grew disillusioned with them quickly at work, because it was impossible to move them around without knocking a bunch of leaves off, and they don't look so good when they're partly naked. But I'm not ruling them out forever, and this is an awesome color. (Note to self: get more lights and shelves.)

Aeonium arboreum atropurpureum 'Zwartkop.'
I think they're gorgeous plants, but I don't ever even consider buying one, ever since WCW told me years ago that she'd had one years before that, and it had fallen apart on her during the winter. All I needed to hear.

Aloe x 'Crosby's Prolific.'
Another one I would like to retry, despite having killed it before. Though the one I killed never had any of the reddish color this one does, so maybe it was mislabeled? Or maybe this is?

xPachyveria glauca.
This is just begging to be planted with an Agave victoriae-reginae. See the little outlines on the leaves where they were pressed together? SO CUTE.

Stay tuned for the remaining walkaways. That post will include the succulent I actually bought.

Oh! I should maybe also tell you that they had new cacti in as well, but I didn't take pictures of any of them, because all the cacti had glued-on fake flowers. (Most were cacti I already have pictures of, too.) I hate the glued-on fake flowers. Still. Why have the plant producers not bowed to my wishes yet? Is it because I'm hating too many things at once?² I'm putting as much negative energy out there as I can, per The Secret. It should be working by now.

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¹ Best: buying. Second-best: buying cuttings. Third-best: stealing cuttings. Fourth-best: renting. Fifth-best: getting pictures.
² Besides hating glued-on fake flowers, I hate glued-on rocks, plants that have been spray-painted and/or glittered, foil-wrapped pots, pots without drainage holes, and anything "lucky." And I'm probably forgetting a lot of stuff.