Dear All, I would greatly appreciate help ID'ing the following plants: Number 1 - two photographs. Fleshy leaves, green upside, purple underside. Extremely fast growing. I started it in end May from a small single piece. A friend of mine in Puerto Rico has this thing carpeting her yard. Is it some sort of dracaena? The leaves are significantly meatier than dracaena marginata. Number 2 - one photograph. I suppose it's probably too early to tell what this is. My parents gave me bulbs, said that eventually this plant will shoot out a flower on a long stem. So far each bulb sprouted one leaf... Number 3 - one photograph. Some sort of epiphite. I've seen these in stores, but no ID there either. I hope it likes it wet (I've been misting it). Also, I am unclear on how to tell if it's still alive :) Number 4 - two photographs. This guy is from Southern Utah (presumably a succulent). It was originally pretty much pink, 5 cm tall. Here at home it is probably not getting enough light, so it became greener and leggy (18 cm), and the leaves are not opening all the way. The original pink leaves are now drying off. It has the most amazing texture, as if it's covered by sand, and it has heart-shaped leaves. I hope I can make it happier... (The little furry piece of grass is unrelated -- I just let it grow to see what happens. But if you know what this is, I'd sure be glad to know.) By the way, I have always been extremely impressed by the quick replies here in the ID section. Thanks a lot for your help!
the first one is a tradescantia. common name 'oyster plant'. can become invasive outside in areas where it doesn't freeze. grows very well as a houseplant - can lose the purple coloration if it doesn't get enough sun, so a very bright window is what it needs. well draining soil and water when soil is a bit dry. as you can see, it's easy to propogate. second i was going to say maybe pregnant onion...from your description of it being a bulb with some kind of flower, that wouldn't be it. no idea, then. third is a bromilead...yes, misting it is just what it likes! you can also pour a little water into the center 'cup' of the leaves...refill as needed. doesn't need soil, so use the moss and maybe a little orchid mix (the kind with bits of bark and perlite and charcoal bits) and you can keep it in an orchid pot (the type with the holes in the side for good air circulation) or in a basket - again, they are made so that there are lots of space for air to move around the roots. they like bright sun. the last one, i don't know. was going to say plectranthus, by the looks of it now. i don't think any of the varieties have pink leaves though. so, i'm probably wrong on it.
I agree with wild-rose-43, #2 looks like an Amaryllis = Hippeastrum...but with only one leaf could be lots of different plants. Good Luck and Enjoy BrianO
Plant 3 is a Tillandsia, an epiphyte bromeliad. I tie them with stockings (tights) to trees that don't lose their bark. Nice flowers too.. My wife does get funny looks at the shops asking for stockings for her husband lol ; ) Ed
Dear All, Thanks a lot. It's Amaryllis all right, my parents confirmed (after looking at pictures on the Internet) that the blooms look right. What about number 4? Somebody? Anybody? Southern Utah? Succulent? Pinkish, with leaves looking like they are covered by sand? (What would be the botanical term for this, anyway?) I am attaching another photo, this time of the plant in the wild. The whole thing is no more than 10 cm tall. Sorry for the lack of focus here. Thanks a lot! (I am currently trying to figure out how to keep the poor Amaryllis alive, considering that I apparently planted it at a wrong time of the year...)
Term I would use is "farinaceous"..covered with flour...but I don't use it every day, so thank you for letting me bring it out of the cupboard. Ciao BrianO
