Thursday, July 12, 2012

Beautiful Flower - Argyroderma

Argyroderma is a genus consisting of over 50 species of succulents in the iceplant family from South Africa.

These distinctive plants are among those known as "living stones", because their highly succulent, usually stemless, blue-green leaves occur at ground level and can resemble small stones. They form small clumps of a few or many paired, usually cylindrical to egg-shaped leaves that are cleft in the center. Each stem bears just 2 leaves per season but may produce offsets over the years. In some species the old leaves persist and form a short column on which new leaves develop. Solitary daisy-like flowers, usually white, yellow, or purple, appear in the cleft.

Like most succulents, they prefer to be kept dry in winter and are also damaged by repeated frosts. Their preferred mode of cultivation is a bright and sunny position with gritty free-draining soil. They may be propagated from seed, or careful division of established clumps.







Beautiful Flower - Argemone (prickly poppies)

Argemone is a genus of flowering plants in the family Papaveraceae. It contains 30 to 32 species, commonly known as prickly poppies, that are native to the Americas and Hawaii. The generic name originated as αργεμωνη in Greek and was applied by Dioscorides to a poppy-like plant used to treat cataracts.






Saturday, July 7, 2012

Beautiful Flower - Arctotis

Arctotis is a genus of about 40-50 species of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae, native to southern Africa, from South Africa north to Angola. Some of the plants are alternatively placed in the genus Venidium. Many are called by the common name "African daisy", or "Gousblom" in Afrikaans. Some species have been developed as popular horticultural items because of their attractive yellow, orange, red, or white flowers. Gardeners cultivate some species as half-hardy annuals.








Beautiful Flower - Arctotheca

Arctotheca is a small genus of flowering plants in the aster family. They are annuals or perennials native to southern Africa. At least two species are widely naturalized elsewhere, including Australia.