University Greenhouse, Part IV: The Spikes Strike Back

In the last installment of University Greenhouse, we primarily explored succulents. For those of you who enjoy that sort of thing, you're in luck: today's post will cover more succulents and cacti (which are a type of succulent--that whole "a square is a rectangle" thing applies). But this time, the majority of the selections are spiny, thorny, and/or prickly.

We begin our journey with Aloe longistyla, which translates as "aloe with peculiarly long spikes." I contend that it lives up to its name. Also interesting is its bluish pigmentation. That seems unusual for its genus.

Ouch!

Our next selection is also an aloe, though it isn't Aloe shortistyla, as the picture would suggest. It's actually Aloe aristata. Perhaps this means "Aristotlean aloe" or "aristocratic aloe."

It does look sophisticated, doesn't it?

Now, sadly, we are done with the aloes. So here's...this thing. It was unlabeled, and, though it appears to be succulent, I haven't the foggiest idea of the family to which it belongs. It's certainly fascinating to look at, though!

These next two plants are the odd men out for this post: the first is campanula. Yes, it sounds like a vampire, but it looks and smells like a sunny spring day in Victorian England.

The other oddball today is a species of Amaryllis. This flower is a showstopper. This bloom was as big as my hand. Also, notice the onion flowers behind it.

Inside of the greenhouse's "desert room," there were these cute pupa containers. There was also a papier-mache beehive! I'm guessing these fauna additions aid pollination.

Here's a better shot of the striking pink flowers behind the pupas. Its structure is called a spike, so I guess this fits in with today's spiky theme.

Speaking of spikes, here are two cacti! The one that's just barely in the frame looks like an Opuntia, and the other is similar to a saguaro, but I don't think it is.

Next is a small cactus with springy yellow spikes that's going supernova. That's a camera issue, but it looks pretty neat!

The last spectacular spines of today belong to this flowery bush. It's pretty, but not exactly a cuddly plant. The spikes are about an inch long.

I also promised to show my planted chard seeds, so here they are! I used the rest of my bag of potting soil to fill the basket, so I'm using the bag as a drip tray/soil catcher.

I planted the seeds half an inch below the surface and gave them a good drink. After soaking in water for a day, some of the seeds felt really soft, which I believe is the intended outcome. We'll see!

Next post: tropical paradise-themed greenhouse pictures.