DESKTOP 2163 - APTENIA

Aptenia cordifolia is a species of succulent plant in the Aizoaceae (iceplant) family known by the common names heartleaf iceplant and baby sun rose. Perhaps the most common plant seen under this name is actually Aptenia 'Red Apple', a hybrid with red flowers and bright green leaves, whose parents are A. cordifolia and A. (Platythyra) haeckeliana. The true species of A. cordifolia has magenta purple flowers and more heart-shaped, mid-green, textured leaves.

Native to southern Africa, this species has become widely known as a hardy ornamental plant. This is a mat-forming perennial herb growing in flat clumps on the ground from a woody base. Stems reach up to about 60 centimeters long. The bright green leaves are generally heart-shaped and up to 3 centimeters long. They are covered in very fine bumps. 

Bright pink to purplish flowers appear in the leaf axils and are open during the day. The fruit is a capsule just over a centimetre long. The hybrid, Aptenia 'Red Apple', has, in some areas, escaped cultivation and now grows as an introduced species. Its far more vigorous growth and ability to root from small bits of stem makes it a poor choice for planting adjacent to wild lands as it can prove to be quite invasive and can become weedy.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

DESKTOP 1863 - SPRING PAIR

A happy coexistence between the blue Ipheion and the orange Lampranthus in our garden, now that Spring is springing.

Ipheion uniflorum (starflower, spring starflower) belongs to Allioideae, a subfamily of the family Amaryllidaceae. They are small bulbous perennials with narrow grass-like leaves and honey-scented star-shaped flowers in spring, usually in shades of white or pale blue. The genus occurs naturally in Argentina, Uruguay, and southern Brazil, although Ipheion uniflorum has naturalized elsewhere.

Lampranthus is a genus of succulent plants in the family Aizoaceae, indigenous to southern Africa. All species of this genus have unusually large, bright flowers, of a range of colours (sometimes even bi-coloured), that usually appear in spring to summer, and frequently cover the plants entirely. The species of this genus typically have long, smooth, elongated, succulent leaves. These can be triangular or cylindrical, and like all plants in its family, appear in opposite pairs on the shrubs' branches.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

DESKTOP 1528 - PIGFACE

Mesembryanthemum (meaning "midday flowering" in Greek) is a genus of flowering plants native to Southern Africa. Fig marigold or Icicle plant is a name for any of several South African taxa of Mesembryanthemum which are cultivated as ornamental plants for their showy pink or white flowers. "Pebble plant" or "Ice plant" are other but rather ambiguous common names, usually referring to other Aizoaceae.

The plant is characterised by long-lasting clusters of flower heads. Flowers of Mesembryanthemum protect their gametes from night-time dews or frosts but open in sunlight. There is an obvious evolutionary advantage to doing this; where sun, dew, frost, wind or predators are likely to damage exposed reproductive organs, closing may be advantageous during times when flowers are unlikely to attract pollinators.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

DESKTOP 454 - LIVINGSTONE DAISY

"Pigface" or "Livingstone Daisy" is also known as "Mesembryanthemum". A cultivated strain of this splendid annual plant with spreading habit, it gives plants covered with flowers in a wide range of brilliant shades of gold, salmon, pink, purple and carmine red.
 
Mesembryanthemum (means “midday flowering") is a ground-hugging, sun loving, spreading plants, perfect for rockeries, they can also be used between flagstones and in dry walls. Perfect for dry sunny locations where they will produce flowers in abundance and an ideal plant for hosepipe bans!
 
Mesembryanthemum is a member of the family Aizoaceae; many members of this family including the present genus are characterized by long lasting flower heads. The flowers protect their gametes from night-time dews or frosts but open in sunlight. There is obviously an evolutionary advantage of doing this; where dew, frost, wind or predators are likely to damage exposed reproductive organs, closing may be advantageous during times when flowers are unlikely to attract pollinators.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.