University Greenhouse, Part I

There were so many beautiful plants to photograph at the greenhouse that it will take several days to cover them all, since no one wants a 60-photo post. So I'll be posting these for a while (or when there's nothing else to report). Not all of the plants had tags on them, but I did what I could, and for identified plants I tried to find information about their common names and other characteristics.

We started out in a room populated largely by succulents. The first to catch my eye was  this Haworthia reinwardtii xanthorrhoeaceae. These plants are native to Africa, and they're very attractive. Their dots provide a unique texture. And the Haworthia's neighbor there is the infallible woodsorrel.

This shot provides a closer look at the white bumps.

This is a desert rose. They're funny little trees that put out gorgeous, hot-pink blooms in the summer. I have one at home, though it's smaller than this one. I will post a picture of mine in bloom this weekend. I got the plant for its interesting trunk shape, but the flowers steal the show (or the season, rather).

This plant was not tagged, but it looks like a desert rose, only it means business.

The greenhouse had a nice collection of Coleus. I prefer the purple-leaved varieties (or the variegated ones with really dark purple sections), but these were blooming, and seeing flowers when there's snow on the ground is always refreshing.

I don't know what kind of cactus is, but it looks like it's having a good time hanging out with that desert rose.

Next is a gigantic cactus with...leaves at the top? You don't see that much. The picture of it is very blue. This was unintentional.

Here's a slightly better picture of the top of this plant.

This next plant is a member of the Euphorbia family, though it doesn't look like any spurge I know.

These flowers come to you courtesy of the school's Jatropha japonica specimen. This plant's fruits are sometimes called "physic nuts," but they are poisonous when consumed in large quantities. The flowers sent me away with a healthy dose of cheer, though.

Enjoying plants is appropriate all year round, but getting out to see the greenhouse this time of year is especially nice because of how warm greenhouses are. My friend Jing and I had to remove our coats immediately upon entering. So, have you been to any greenhouses or gardens lately? Do you recognize any of the unidentified plants in this post? If so, I'd love to hear from you.

Next post: the best kind of salvage there is.