Paul Shirley Succulents

Dorstenia gigas

pshirley — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 11:11:50 +0000

This plant comes from Socotra which is an island belonging to the Republic of Yemen. It is one of a number of unusual caudiciform succulents that occur there. It can reach a height of 2 metres and looks very imposing. In the greenhouse, it should be kept warm and it will not lose all its leaves. You require two plants to produce seed. Normally, Dorstenias produce seed freely without having to be cross-pollinated, but Dorstenia gigas is one of the exceptions. Propagation by cuttings is very difficult, but there is a nursery in Holland that propagates this plant by means of tissue-culture.
They grow reasonably quickly in cultivation, especially if kept warm and given reasonable amounts of water. It will start to flower when it is about a metre tall which can take several years. It can be grown in a variety of soils, but do bear in mind that the colder the greenhouse, the more grit will have to be added to the compost to avoid rotting.

Dorstenia gigas leaves

Dorstenia gigas young plant

Tagged: Dorstenia, Socotra, Yemen

Dischidia nummularia

pshirley — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 21:33:34 +0000

There are two variations of Dischidia nummularia; one a plain green one, the other with variegated leaves. The green form flowers a lot easier with small white flowers. Dischidias are very closely related to Hoyas, so much so, that a number of species cannot be told apart until they flower. Dischidia nummularia variegata is a good example; it was a few year before it flowered and I could work out what it was. And for one or two species of Dischidia, even when they flower, the experts cannot determine – or do not agree – whether they belong to the dischidias or to the hoyas.
Dischidia nummularia comes from South-East Asia and is an epiphyte, growing on the tree trunks. Because the flowers are small and often appear well above head height, they are difficult to spot. It likes plenty of light to grow well and if you are lucky you will get flowers, but it may take a while. It is an untidy grower and likes plenty of space. The plants can be grown in either a compost mixture or on a piece of bark or similar medium. Generally speaking, dischidias prefer a higher temperature than hoyas, but these two grow quite well in the same temperatures as hoyas. Both are very easy to propagate by cuttings and will, in summer, root in about six weeks.

Dischidia nummularia variegata GPS 10249

Dischidia nummularia GPS 10245

Tagged: Dischidia, South-East Asia

Ceropegia linearis

pshirley — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 15:58:00 +0000

This is a very easy species to grow, just as easy as Ceropegia woodii. It is a trailing variety which will sometimes climb; it will grow very long, but do not be tempted to cut it back or you will lose the flowers. The flowers will appears when the plant has reached a length of about 1.50 metre. The flowers are about 2cm long and do not stand out. The leaves are long and thin, hence the name linearis. If you grow a stem horizontally, for instance on a potting table, the nodes will send out roots if they touch the soil. This is an easy way of propagating the plant, which is useful as linearis seed is rarely produced.

It is a tuberous-rooted species and the tubers will form from cuttings, as is true of all tuberous-rooted ceropegias. It will grow in most soils and requires only a little bit of heat (5-10°C) in the winter. In the summer, it prefers to be grown in a shady place, but temperatures can be quite high without any problem.

Ceropegia linearis

Tagged: Ceropegia, South-Africa

Epiphyllium American Girl

pshirley — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 13:16:40 +0000

This is one of the new American hybrids and unlike the older hybrids, it requires more warmth in the winter, so is better suited for the living room. Do bear in mind, though, that they will grow quite large. It is not as free-flowering as many other Epiphylliums, but they are well worth waiting for. As with all Epiphyliums, they are easy to propagate and the cut leaves can be left lying around for weeks before potting them up without drying out. It is even possible that they produce roots before you pot them up. Flowers can be produced after 3 or 4 years and can vary slightly in colour.

Epiphyllium American Girl

Tagged: America, Epiphyllium

Rhipsalis wercklei

pshirley — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 14:17:40 +0000

This species was found by Carl Wercklé in Costa Rica. It also occurs in Columbia, Western Venezuela, Ecuador and Northern Peru. It can be found in altitudes up to 2100 mtrs. It is one of the forms, or is closely related to R. micrantha, all depending on which botanist you believe. The plant can reach a lenghth of about 1.5 metre. The flowers are small and white with a green base.
The plant is very easy to grow and propagate. It will take various conditions, from quite cool to quite warm (10-25°C) and it grows fairly quickly, giving a sizeable plant in a couple of years. They are best grown in hanging pots to give the leaves enough room to develop.

Lit.: Berger, A., Rhipsalis Wercklei Berger n. sp. in Monatsschrift für
Kakteenkunde, vol. 16 (1906), p. 64—65

Rhipsalis wercklei

Tagged: Rhipsalis, South-America

Ceropegia succulenta

pshirley — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 10:33:36 +0000

This species originates from Kenya and is very similar to C. robynsiana and C. evelynae, but is easier to grow and will tolerate lower temperatures and humidity. It grows in its natural habitat on sheltered river banks and in wooded valleys. One of the places it can be found is the Meri river near Mount Kenya and another is the Teita Hills near Voi. Voi, by the way, is where a number of species of Ceropegia can be found, such as C. solomensis and various nilotica types.
The plant will get very large, producing growth up to 3 meters in length. Only when it has reached a certain length will it flower. This is a common feature in a number of rampant species and it is therefore advisable not to cut back the shoots or no flowers will appear. The colour of the flower tips can vary slightly, from pale yellowy green through to red and the stems can reach a diameter of 2.5 to 3 cm at the base. Unlike most other ceropegias, this species will flower on the peduncles from the previous year.

Ceropegia succulenta

Tagged: Ceropegia, Kenya

Mirabilis jalapa

pshirley — Sat, 26 Nov 2011 10:46:21 +0000

The genus Mirabilis is found in North and South America. The genus contains about seventy species, not all of which have tubers. Some are annuals, others perennials. Mirabilis jalapa comes from tropical America. It is a very easy plant to grow, not requiring specific temperatures, but NO frost. It will grow in most soils and is an ideal plants for collectors.
There are three main colours of flower: red, yellow and white. You cannot judge from the tuber what colour the flower is going to be, but once it shoots, the red one shows far darker leaves (see picture below). The white and yellow ones have pure green leaves and you need to wait for the flowers to see what colour they are. The flowers are fragrant and open in late afternoon. Allegedly they stay open all night, but I never lost any sleep trying to prove that, so cannot guarantee it.
The tubers normally grow underground, but you can raise them above the ground so you can see them. In the summer, the plant can be grown outside, but make sure to bring it back inside before it gets too cold.

Mirabilis jalapa

Mirabilis jalapa tuber

Tagged: America, Mirabilis

Ceropegia rupicola x aristolochioides

pshirley — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 10:30:53 +0000

Ceropegia rupicola comes from Yemen; Ceropegia aristolochioides comes from an area between Senegal and East-Africa, in other words, from the tropical area just south of the Sahara. Normally these two species do not come into contact with each other, but in collections this is quite possible and this is what happened. The result is the cross of which you see the flower in the picture below.
The flower and stem are similar in structure to that of C. aristolochioides, but it is much larger. Barring the difference in size, the plant could easily be mistaken for an aristolochioides, but for the fact that the seeds were definitely collected from a rupicola plant. One of the reasons that there are not more hybrids from these two species, unlike for instance C. sandersonii and C. stapeliiformis which produce many hybrids, is because rupicola is difficult to keep in cultivation and you need to have a large plant before it flowers.
The C. rupicola x aristolochioides prefers conditions more like those in the natural habitat of C. aristolochioides, that is: hot and moist, rather than the dry heat in which C. rupicola grows. It can take drier conditions, but then it will not grow so very fast. In cultivation, it can also take cooler conditions, down to 15°C, but it does a lot better when it is kept warmer.

Ceropegia rupicola x aristolochioides

Tagged: Ceropegia, East-Africa, Yemen

Ceropegia ampliata

pshirley — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 09:44:53 +0000

Ceropegia ampliata is one of the easiest South African species to grow in a greenhouse. It has thick fleshy roots, succulent stems and tiny leaves. The large flowers always appear in the autumn. In the winter it should be kept dry and it can take temperatures down to 8°C. If grown in good conditions, it can grow a number of metres in a year.
It is very easy to propagate from cuttings as they root very well. It does not readily produce seed in cultivation, so you will not often see seed on offer. Hybrids from this species are not available, unlike those from Ceropegia sandersonii and Ceropegia stapeliiformis which are quite common. The pollination mechanism in Ceropegias is so complicated and small that it is virtually impossible to do by hand; you must leave this delicate work to insects. It does not matter much what species of insect attempts to pollinate the flowers, it is the size of the insect that is important.

Ceropegia ampliata

Tagged: Ceropegia, South-Africa

Impatiens sodenii

pshirley — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 09:21:49 +0000

Impatiens sodenii is a very easy plant to grow. In the summer, it can be gown outside, in shadow or in full sun. In the full sun, the leaves turn a reddish colour which makes the plant more attractive. It flowers well with white flowers for the ‘ordinary’ sodenii, also known as ssp. sodenii, and pink for the ssp. oliveri. There is a third variety, ‘Magenta Flash’, with a much larger splash of bright red in the center of the flower. The plants grown in shade can reach a height of 3 metres, but those grown in the sun stay a lot smaller, up to about 1 metre. This species is found in Kenia and Tanzania, growing in exposed rocky outcrops where it stays a lot smaller, also depending on the amout of rain it gets.
It is easily grown from seed or cuttings, preferably in the spring to get a good start. It is not fussy as regards the soil requirement, but does like regular feeding. As with most Impatiens, it does not like frost, so make sure to bring it back inside before the winter.

Impatiens sodenii ssp. oliveri

Impatiens sodenii ssp. sodenii

Impatiens sodenii Magenta Flash

Tagged: Impatiens, Kenya, Tanzania