By Tommy Clarkson on the September 2019 Edition Family Pedilanthus tithymaloides ‘Variegatus’ Also known as Zig-Zag Plant, Christmas Candle,Redbird Cactus, Japanese Poinsettia, Slipper Spurge or Slipper Flower One seldom encounters plants with multiple names as diverse in their inferred representation/description! Those familiar with me are well aware of my great appreciation for the patient friendship and […]
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By Tommy Clarkson on the August 2019 Edition Beehive Ginger Zingiber spectabile Family Zingiberaceae Also known as Pinecone Ginger, Ginger Wort or Malaysian Ginger Yes, the Ginger with which we are all most familiar is that of the commercially available and edible one, Zingiber officinale. Then there is the more conventionally seen Red Ginger (Alpina purpurata). […]
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By Tommy Clarkson on the August 2019 Edition (Most who know me are aware that I write several regular columns for a variety of electronic and hard copy venues. This one is sort of a “Tommy’s Tips” by way of “Planting Roots” meets “Tommy’s Tummy”!) Upon seeing our wide array of different species of palms, no […]
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By Tommy Clarkson on the July 2019 Edition Ti Plant Cordyline Fruticosa Family Agavaceae Asparagabeae Also known as Cordyline, Hawaiian Ti Plant, Palm Lily or Tree of Kings Since writing about the more commonly seen, magenta colored and often simply called a Cordyline featured in Volume I of our “The Civilized Jungle” book series no few […]
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By Tommy Clarkson on the July 2019 Edition Hibiscus Family Malvaceae Also known as Rose Mallows (Regular readers of my weekly column, “Planting Roots in Mexico,” or those who’ve perused the first two volumes of our “The Civilized Jungle” series, are aware that, generally, I strive to write about specific species, not general genera somehow that […]
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By Tommy Clarkson on the June 2019 Edition Indian Rubber Plant Ficus elastic Family Moraceae Also known as Indian Rubber Tree, Rubber Fig, Rubber Bush, Asssam Tree or Snake Tree From a genus of no less than 800 species and a rather substantive group thought to be double that number by some botanists the strange growth […]
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By Tommy Clarkson the June 2019 Edition Aphelandra Squarrosa Aphelandra squarrosa Family Acanthaceae Also known as Saffron Spike (This beauty, most probably, originated in Brazil. But why/how I recall something else, most convolutedly related, is clearly yet another example of my particular thinking process of quirkiness! You see, before I completed US Army Officer Candidate School […]
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By Tommy Clarkson on the May 2019 Edition Red Latan Latania lontaroides Family Arecaceae Also known as Latanier (I feel in the smallest of childish, self-satisfied ways a bit vindicated from my sometimes emergent feelings of botanical inadequacy! You see, my specimen of Latania lontaroides is but a small though beautiful and healthy -youngster palm. […]
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By Tommy Clarkson on the May 2019 Edition Chile Petin Capsicum annuum Family Solanaceae Also known as Chile Piquin, Bird Pepper, Turkey Pepper or Cayenne Peppe Often asked of me is “OK Tommy, how hot are these to eat?” Endeavoring to keep it all in perspective on the Scoville scale […]
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By Tommy Clarkson the April 2019 Edition Amazon Lily Eucharis Amazonica Family Amaryllidaceae Also known as Eucharist Lily The Eucharis Amazonica comes from the South American Andes of Columbia and Peru –not, as the names implies, the Amazon. But the confounding, plant identification monster has, again, reared its ugly head with some botanists, stating there […]
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