Rumble Among the Jungle, Matches 1.21-1.24

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 results, 1.5 to 1.8

I'm finding it interesting that so far, the winner of the first twenty or so votes has always accurately predicted the final result. Maybe this is a sign that I don't understand statistics. Even in the closest match so far (1.2: Peperomia obtusifolia vs. small Vriesea hybrids), every time I checked, the same plant was always ahead, and it was the one that eventually won the match. Considering that Vriesea was sometimes only down by 2 votes, I would have expected the leader to change back and forth at least once.

The ongoing match between Mammillaria spp. and Sansevieria cylindrica (match 1.19) may be the first one to break this rule -- initially Sansevieria cylindrica was leading, then Mammillaria. They were exactly tied as of 3 PM CDT today.

Anyway.

Match 1.5 was very nearly a blowout, as Saintpaulia cvv. pounded Hemigraphis exotica into a sticky green-purple paste, 82 to 27. Sure, that's more or less what I was expecting to happen, but still. Pretty brutal.

In what I consider a stunning upset, Echinopsis spp. stomped Cyclamen persicum in match 1.6, 72 to 45. I would have bet money that Cyclamen would win that one: apparently I had underestimated the amount of Cyclamen hatred (or Echinopsis love?) out there.

Saintpaulia cvv. will face off against Echinopsis spp. in match 2.3, in a couple weeks. I'm pretty sure I know how that one's going to end up, but we'll see.

Match 1.7 saw Pachypodium spp. making a good effort against Epipremnum aureum, but not quite good enough. Pachypodium loses, 47 to 68.

Finally, Match 1.8 was very nearly the same story, as a perfectly nice, somewhat unusual plant (Scindapsus pictus) was defeated by a popular and well-known one (Crassula ovata et al.). The only difference was the more one-sided margin of victory: the final score was 31 to 85.

Epipremnum aureum will face off against Crassula ovata in match 2.4. That one's going to be really interesting to watch.

And now, today's matches:

Match 1.21
Dracaena marginata cvv. (madagascar dragon tree) vs. Ficus lyrata cvv. (fiddle-leaf fig)

(L-R:) Dracaena marginata, D. marginata 'Colorama,' D. marginata 'Bicolor.'

L-R: Ficus lyrata, F. lyrata, F. lyrata 'Little Fiddle.'





Match 1.22
Fittonia albivenis cvv. (nerve plant) vs. Cereus peruvianus (peruvian apple cactus)

Clockwise from top left: Fittonia albivenis 'White Anne,' NOID, NOID, species (?), 'Frankie.'

L-R: Cereus peruvianus monstrose, C. peruvianus, C. peruvianus 'Spiralis.'





Match 1.23
Polyscias balfouriana/scutellaria (balfour aralia, shield aralia) vs. Hoya carnosa cvv. (wax plant)

L-R: Polyscias scutellaria, variegated Polyscias balfouriana.

Clockwise from top left: Hoya carnosa 'Krimson Princess,' 'Chelsea,' all-green revert of 'Krimson Princess,' 'Krimson Queen.'





Match 1.24
Maranta leuconeura cvv. (prayer plant) vs. Anthurium cvv. (flamingo flower, tail flower)

Top: Maranta leuconeura 'Marisela.' Bottom: M. leuconeura var. kerchoveana.

Clockwise from top left: A. 'Pandola,' NOID, A. 'Florida,' 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?

Amusing Moment in a Gardening Forum

As I write this (Sunday morning), there's a post on Garden Web's House Plants forum titled "Mum, can I prune them back?"

I haven't been logged into GW in a very long time, but I have been sorely tempted to do so just to leave the comment, "No, it's 'Mother, may I prune them back?'"


The actual question involves the appropriateness of cutting back an indoor Chrysanthemum¹ because the center of the plant has died back, but sometimes spelling out the whole word really does make a difference.

Also: comma splices, avoid them.²

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¹ Which is apparently possible in certain circumstances: the original poster claims to have had the plant for two years. I was not aware that this could happen.
² Yes, I know. It's a joke, like.

Rumble Among the Jungle, Matches 1.17-1.20

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 results, 1.1-1.4
Today we have the first set of official results to report, from matches 1.1-1.4. Winners advance to the second round; losers . . . slink quietly away in shame or something.

In match 1.1, Clivia miniata decisively defeated Kalanchoe tomentosa, 74-53.
Match 1.2 was remarkably close for the entire three days of voting; small Vriesea hybrids barely slipped past Peperomia obtusifolia cvv. with a score of 65 to 58.

Clivia miniata and small Vriesea hybrids will face one another in a couple weeks, in Match 2.1.

Ficus elastica narrowly lost match 1.3 to Cryptanthus cvv., 56-68, which surprised the hell out of me.
Finally, Tradescantia pallida made Yucca guatemalensis wish it had never been germinated in match 1.4, by a very decisive 81 to 39, which leaves me extremely disappointed with you people.

Cryptanthus cvv. will go up against Tradescantia pallida in match 2.2.

Now for today's matches:

Match 1.17
Phalaenopsis and Doritaenopsis cvv. (moth orchid) vs. Senecio rowleyanus and S. radicans (string of pearls / string of bananas)

(All unidentified Phalaenopsis cvv.)

Clockwise from top left: Senecio rowleyanus, poorly-photgraphed Senecio radicans, Senecio rowleyanus flower.





Match 1.18
Monstera deliciosa (swiss cheese philodendron) vs. Musa / Ensete cvv. (ornamental banana)

Clockwise from top left: close-up of Monstera deliciosa leaf, M. deliciosa 'Cheesecake,' mature plant at the Quad City Botanical Gardens, M. deliciosa 'Cheesecake.'

Lower left is Musa x 'Cheeka;' others are NOID Musa or Ensete cvv.





Match 1.19
Mammillaria cvv./spp. vs. Sansevieria cylindrica (wisdom horns)

Clockwise from top left: Mammillaria elongata 'Pink Nymph,' M. spinosissima, NOID, M. bombycina, NOID.

Clockwise from top: Sansevieria cylindrica, S. cylindrica flowers, cutesy braided S. cylindrica.





Match 1.20
Chamaedorea elegans (parlor palm) vs. Araucaria heterophylla (norfolk island pine)

(All Chamaedorea elegans.)

Top: young Araucaria heterophylla. Bottom: mature A. heterophylla.





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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?

Pictures: Petunia 'Phantom'

I took these photos in April, and by now everybody's already blogged about how they do or don't like them, and quite a few people don't approve of Petunias under any circumstances, so nobody's going to care about this post, but it's late on Saturday night and I don't have a post yet and this was the best I could do, so.


I think I have to come down on the side of not liking them. One of the churches in town planted some in a small bed, and from a distance, they don't read well. The black basically disappears, and all you're left with are five narrow slashes of pale yellow, which to my eye looks a lot like five chlorotic, withered leaves. (And sometimes the actual leaves are chlorotic and/or withered, which doesn't help.)


Not saying I couldn't maybe like them in a different context -- a yellow container? against a red wall? -- but so far I'm not impressed. The only thing I'd like less in a Petunia would be solid black, and I hear they have a pronounced tendency to revert to solid black.

Rumble Among the Jungle, Matches 1.13-1.16

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.

Match 1.13
Ficus maclellandii (long leaf fig, alii fig) vs. Schefflera elegantissima (false aralia, Dizygotheca elegantissima)

(Ficus maclellandii.)

(Both Schefflera elegantissima.)





Match 1.14
Guzmania cvv. vs. Strelitzia nicolai/reginae (white/orange bird of paradise)

(Various unidentified Guzmania cvv.)

Clockwise from left: Strelitzia nicolai, S. reginae flower, S. reginae.





Match 1.15
Philodendron hederaceum cvv. (heart-leaf philodendron) vs. Syngonium podophyllum cvv. (arrowhead vine, nephthytis)

Clockwise from top left: Philodendron hederaceum 'Brasil,' P. hederaceum micans, NOID, P. hederaceum 'Aureum' or something similar, species, P. hederaceum 'Frilly Philly.'

Clockwise from top left: Syngonium podophyllum 'White Butterfly' (?), NOID (possibly 'Confetti'), 'Pink Margarita,' NOID.





Match 1.16
Dracaena fragrans cvv. (corn plant) vs. Saxifraga stolonifera (strawberry begonia)

Clockwise from top left: Dracaena fragrans 'Massangeana,' 'Sol,' 'Massangeana,' 'Sol,' 'Massangeana.'

(Both Saxifraga stolonifera.)





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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?

Saturday morning Sheba and/or Nina picture

As you might imagine, my week was mostly consumed with the beginnings of the RATJ. Had I known what a crazy huge amount of work it was going to be,¹ I would probably have tried to get it all lined up before announcing that it was going to happen, but oh well. The first round, all sixteen days' worth of it, has been written and scheduled, so now it's just a matter of waiting to see the results come in, and try to figure out what it all means.

While this was going on, we had a prolonged power outage on Wednesday night. The local electric company had notified us that this was going to happen, but they'd told us two or three weeks ago, and we'd forgotten about it. Things turned out fine anyway (the power went out just as dinner was ready), but we wound up going down to the basement to hang out after dinner, and it was there that Sheba discovered a medium-sized black dog watching her from behind a large mirror, who had no smell but was giving her increasingly threatening looks. So we got to be sort of alternately entertained by and embarrassed for her, as Sheba defended us against her reflection.

Does not recognize herself in a mirror.
On the plus side, I feel (somewhat) safer -- her German shepherd ancestry does, apparently, kick in when she thinks something threatening is going on, and we had wanted a pet that could be a guard dog if the circumstances called for one.²

The power was back on after a couple hours; according to the power company, this is supposed to make our connection to the grid more reliable or something. If true, that'd be great -- we lose power here a lot. It's never more than just a flicker (often the clocks don't even need to be reset) but it's just long enough to shut off my computer, and then I lose whatever I was working on, plus I have to wait fifteen minutes while I restart the computer and re-open the applications I was working in and so forth.

Anyway.

I attempted to get a photo of Nina this week too, but as usual, she darted into the Pellionia when she saw the camera, and then a couple days later I got the usual signed 8 x 10 glossy in the mail. It's not that I don't appreciate the effort (how is she even getting to the Post Office?), but it's not really what I'm wanting from her. So frustrating.

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¹ No individual step is particularly difficult or time-consuming, but there are a lot of steps, most of which require repetitive cutting and pasting of text, and they all have to be done accurately and (sometimes) in a particular sequence, so the overall project winds up being pretty time-consuming and tedious:
*Create 16 new posts.
*Copy and paste the rules and footnote to each one. (16x)
*Change the footnote references for each post. (4x/post)
*Number the "Match" lines. (4/post)
*Copy and paste the competitors. (8/post)
*Italicize the competitors' botanical names (~9/post)
*Add the labels for each post (9/post)
*Change the date and time for each post so they go up on their appointed days. (x16)
*Add in links to past plant profiles, where appropriate. (~3/post)
*Create a collage of pictures for each of the eight plants in each post, and upload to the RATJ photo bank. (Which is just an unpublished blog post; it's easier to keep them all in one place, already uploaded, and it'll make it easier to find them later when I have to re-use photos for the later rounds of the RATJ.) (8/post)
*Caption the collages with variety or species IDs, where appropriate. (8/post)
*Paste the collages from the photo bank into each post. (8/post)
*Create 64 new polls.
*Change the times on the polls to end on their appointed days. (x64)
*Copy/paste the code for the polls into the RATJ posts. (4/post)
*Publish the RATJ posts. (x16)
² (One remains slightly concerned that, her German shepherd side having manifested to chase off an intruder, the Labrador retriever side might then kick in, causing her to chase down the intruder and drag him/r back to us so s/he could be chased off again.)

Rumble Among the Jungle, Matches 1.9-1.12

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 1.9
Dracaena reflexa cvv. vs. Hylocereus/Gymnocalycium grafts

Clockwise from top left: D. reflexa 'Riki,' 'Anita,' 'Song of India,' 'Song of Jamaica.'

(Assorted Gymnocalyciums grafted to Hylocereus.)





Match 1.10
Asparagus spp. (asparagus fern) vs. Cissus rhombifolia cvv. (oakleaf ivy, grape ivy)

Clockwise from top: Asparagus setaceus, A. densiflorus 'Myersii,' A. macowanii.

Top left and bottom right: Cissus rhombifolia. Top right and bottom left: C. rhombifolia 'Ellen Danica.'





Match 1.11
Euphorbia pulcherrima (poinsettia) vs. Aglaonema cvv. (Chinese evergreen)

(Various unidentified Euphorbia pulcherrima cvv.)

Clockwise from top left: Aglaonema 'Emerald Bay,' 'Brilliant,' 'Mystic Marble,' 'Sparkling Sarah.'





Match 1.12
Oxalis triangularis cvv. (shamrock) vs. Jasminum spp. (jasmine)

(All Oxalis triangularis NOIDs.)

(Both Jasminum sambac, because that's all I had pictures for.)





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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 1.5-1.8

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 1.5
Saintpaulia cvv. (African violet) vs. Hemigraphis exotica (purple waffle plant)

Saintpaulia cvv.
Top row, L-R: NOID, assorted NOIDs, NOID.
Middle row, L-R: NOID, NOID, NOID.
Bottom row, L-R: 'Harmony's Red Star,' 'Mellow Magic' close-up, NOID.

Hemigraphis exotica, species.





Match 1.6
Cyclamen persicum (florists' cyclamen) vs. Echinopsis spp.

Assorted NOID Cyclamen persicums.

Unidentified Echinopsis sp. Probably.





Match 1.7
Pachypodium spp. (Madagascar palm) vs. Epipremnum aureum cvv. (pothos)

L-R: P. lamerei, close-up of P. lamerei trunk, NOID.

Clockwise from top left: Epipremnum aureum 'Neon,' 'Marble Queen,' 'N'Joy,' trained on a totem.





Match 1.8
Scindapsus pictus (satin pothos) vs. Crassula ovata/argentea/arborescens (jade plants)

(All Scindapsus pictus, possibly different cvv.)

Clockwise from top left: variegated Crassula ovata, C. ovata 'Gollum,' C. arborescens var. undulatifolia, C. ovata.





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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?