Aroids, Hoya, and other novelties

[fredg]

This is very low lighting--too low for even low light houseplants. I've completely given up trying to grow anything there. The windows are like being at the end of a cave due to shade from the unit above and the walls of this one. Even outside, immediately on the other side of the window, it's too shady for almost anything.

Try some ferns

 

[hcarlton]

So, I am a big fan of irises (1), especially odd ones or plants with dazzling or deep colors (2). THis guy I planted last year, and he has now thrown out a handful of flowers, with many more to come, and has well surpassed my expectations. Bonus points to anyone who can guess the third main reason I love this plant!
Iris 'Bewilderbeast' by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
All the aroids have fully awakened
Amorphophallus dunnii by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
Amorphophallus konjac by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
These two have since fully unfurled
Amorphophallus symonianus by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
Amorphophallus yuloensis by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
I almost lost one of these guys in the repot, but they're all growing again
Passiflora pinnatistipula by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
This one needs a repot. You can also see the new antioquiensis seedling in the background
Passiflora coccinea by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
And, the begonias are maturing
Begonia bogneri by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr

 

[hcarlton]

This guy went back into bloom, with 5 open bunches at once at one point
Hoya carnosa by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
Hoya carnosa by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
The seeds of these guys, I couldn't get to sprout and stay alive for nothing inside, but a soon as they were thrown outside..
Proboscidea louisianica by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
4 of 5 of these seeds sprouted
Casimiroa edulis by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
Unlike every other aroid, this particular plant went weird, two leaves from the same tuber
Amorphophallus konjac by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr

 

[hcarlton]

Saw a pic of this, had to get a bulb, and:
'Lionheart' Asiatic Lily by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
Also, have 3 of these guys growing in my back yard, and the first pods are expanding now
Proboscidea louisianica by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
Proboscidea louisianica by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
Got some updated pics more recently, every day these guys are bigger, and the flowers more impressive. 2 plants are flowering so far
Proboscidea louisianica by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
Proboscidea louisianica by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
Proboscidea louisianica by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
Updates on the aroids and others:
Amorphophallus symonianus by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
Amorphophallus symonianus by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
Amorphophallus yuloensis by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
Manilkara zapota by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
Begonia bogneri by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
Casimiroa edulis by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
The double-leaved konjac is keeping both leaves active
Amorphophallus konjac by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
Though not as big as this one
Amorphophallus konjac by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
Amorphophallus dunnii by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
And, fun thing: these guys grow wild all over the nursery I work at
Datura stramonium by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
Datura stramonium by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr

 

[Knuckles]

Amorphophallus plants are very interesting. How long have you had them?
Also a guess at reason 3 for that particular iris: It catches insects after filling with water?

 

[SubRosa]

Your id on the Datura is incorrect Hawken. Stramonium is a a common native around here, and has much smaller purple flowers. Yours is likely D. meteloides, aka D. inoxia.

 

[hcarlton]

Knuckles: not quite. It might make it clearer if I mention it's related to my profile pic...

SubRosa: You're probably right. I've never gotten an actual ID of the species, and that name is the one most commonly through out for the native Angel trumpets....I've fixed the name on flickr.

 

[SubRosa]

Don't mean to derail your thread Hawken, but I happened upon a Datura stramonium today. Note the much smaller flowers:

 

[katya_dog1]

Nice pics all, Hcarlton!

Andddd... I'm just throwing this out, but I've noticed you have the movies rendering of Toothless from How to Train your Dragon in your profile picture. The Bewilderbeast is, according to Valka in the second movie, the king of the dragons or whatever. So, again this is very convoluted, I'm guessing that's why you like the iris, as its name is "Bewilderbeast".

I too am a fan of variegated Irises.

 

[hcarlton]

Katy, you are correct!
Yes, I'm a HTTYD nut, so the iris' name immediately caught my attention. The picture on the tag further did me in....

 

[Dragoness]

What kind of light are you giving your amorphophallus?

 

[hcarlton]

I just realized I never answered: Knuckles, I've only had the aroids since early this year.

Dragoness: depends on the plant. The Typhonium gets a few hours of direct sun from an east window, the A. yuloensis and smaller symonianus get light from a 2 foot T8 shoplight (that probably needs a new bulb if I had the money to spare...), and the rest just get kind of whatever ambient light they receive from sitting next to the greenhouses or in various parts of the house. They aren't exactly "high light" plants, far as I can tell at least since they're all growing and both the yuloensis and larger symonianus have/are producing adventitious bulbs..

 

[hcarlton]

So, it's likely the Proboscidea I have growing right now are actually parviflora hohokamiana; the other species I need to restart at some point again. The largest pod currently is longer than my hand
Proboscidea parviflora hohokamiana by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
Found this growing in my garden, got an ID only a few days ago
Hibiscus trionum by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
And had several of these come up again this year as well. I think they may have crossed with the Mammoth Russians as well, as there are a few plants that look intermediate
Evening Sun Sunflower by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
Oh, and just because...
Great Plains Spadefoot Toad by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr

 

[SubRosa]

Have a bit of rain lately? Around here once the breeding season is over Spadefoots only surface to keep from drowning!

 

[Cthulhu138]

That's not a Great Plains Spadefoot or any other Scaphiopus species. It's likely a Woodhouse's Toad (Anaxyrus woodhousii).

 

[hcarlton]

Strange, because they all have the spade on their feet that usually delineates the spadefoots from true toads. And around here, these toads stay above ground wherever it stays moist, like the nursery where I find these guys.

 

[Cthulhu138]

Most North American toads in the genus Anaxyrus have a distinct spade on their rear heel. They spend hot summer days in shallow depressions that they dig using the spades on their hind feet. This spade is just greatly exaggerated in Scaphiopus (Spea) species since they often spend the majority of the year in deep underground burrows. It's not the existence of but, rather the morphology and function of the spade in Spadefoot Toads that differentiate them from other genera.

Anaxyrus woodhousii
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woodhouse's_toad
https://www.google.com/search?q=ana...AcQ_AUoAmoVChMI2O6758uVxwIVyR0-Ch0b3wCY&dpr=1

Spade detail:
http://www.californiaherps.com/frogs/images/bwwoodhspadewa04.jpg


Spea (Scaphiopus) bombifrons
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plains_spadefoot_toad
https://www.google.com/search?q=spe...AYQ_AUoAWoVChMI9_v7hM2VxwIVyVU-Ch3n0wCV&dpr=1

Spade detail:
http://www.joelsartore.com/stock/ANI071-00326/

 

[hcarlton]

Well, can't say I haven't been wrong before....ID changed.

 

[marcus_r]

This guy came to me as a cutting, and the person I got it from has had it in the family since 1915, so it's at least a century old.

Wow! That's quite something.

It's probably Hoya carnosa, incidentally.

EDIT: Sorry—didn't realize that I was looking at the first page of a much longer thread, and that you had figured out the ID of the Hoya already!

 

[hcarlton]

Eh, we've all done that on occasion.