I got these three tropicals from a girl I was dating over the summer. Well, we're not dating anymore, but things have gotten serious between me & the plants. They were outside for most of the summer, but now it's chilly at night, and it's time to take the next step: moving in together. My concern is that I feel like I could better meet their needs if I knew more about them...like what they are. I call them Elvira, Nacho, and Cindy Sue, respectively, but that's just because I don't know what kind of plants they actually are. I would appreciate any help. Thanks!
The third one (Cindy Sue) looks like Dracaena fragrans 'Lemon Lime' (syn. Dracaena deremensis 'Lemon Lime'). Unusally yellow but I attribute that to the lighting.
By George, I think the two of you are right! Identifying plants when you know very little about them is such a pain. Any takers for good ole Nacho over there? He/she/it doesn't seem to be doing so well lately, as evidenced by the wilty, discolored leaves by the bottom. I don't know if that's stress from being brought indoors, exposure to chillier weather, or the fact that it weathered torrential downpours a few days in a row last week, or maybe a combination of all of those factors. I don't want to kill the damn thing, as goofy as it looks.
PS - I meant to say thanks to you two, but kinda forgot when I got all upheavaled with emotion over poor suffering Nacho over here. So thanks!
In reference to the yellow color on the leaves: The yellow isn't quite as vivid as it appears in the above picture, but is still more of a yellow than a lime green. I would say yellow-green to spring-green, if anyone remembers their Crayola 64 pack. After looking around a bit, the color also seems pretty consistent with that of Dracaena Reflexa... Song of India. Any thoughts?
poor nacho - can't have him left out in the cold, now can we?? nacho is some type of crassula, most probably. maybe a senecio. there are tons of crassula and a fairly large amount of senecio. sorry i can't be more specific. you've got correct id's for both of the girls, though!
Sorry Joclyn, you just don't know your Crassulaceae at all. The genus Crassula ALWAYS have the leaves in pairs and "Nacho" clearly has alternate leaves. Its not a Senecio (or Kleinia) either. "Nacho" is a Echeveria hybrid, most likely 'Spruce-Oliver'. Crassulaceae are sensitive to poor light and will drop leaves and produce etiolated growth. The plant need to at least be in a south facing window to do well. The Dracaena is definitely D. fragrans 'Lemon Lime' not D. reflexa 'Song of India'.
We must bring back that kinder, gentler discussion. Isn't that right, Joclyn? Remember, its always sunny in Philadelphia. :-)
i said 'probably' a crassula and 'maybe' a senecio. i did not even intimate that i was, with out doubt, correct. i know quite a bit about crassula and other species - doesn't mean i get it right every time. i'm still learning (a never-ending process) AND certainly have no problem admitting when i'm incorrect (unlike others). in this case i WAS incorrect. i'm just glad someone was able to correctly id nacho!
Thanks to everyone for their help. Since I now know that Nacho isn't actually a tropical, I'm going to plant him outside in the spring, assuming he survives the winter... which he should, 'cuz he's Rated Zone 4 Hardiness Tuff! Yea!
It isn't cold hardy either. Who says zone 4? That's completely wrong..... I mean...not correct. No Echeveria or any other Mexican Crassulaceae would be cold hardy in Michigan. You don't want "Nacho" to turn to mushy guacamole!!
oh, no! nacho IS a tropical!! i don't know where you got zone 4 for it for hardiness. most aren't cold hardy at all!! more like they do their best in zone 9, maybe 8. best take him inside for the winter!
Ah! That was a mistake on my part. There were so few search results for "Echeveria Spruce-Oliver," or just "Spruce-Oliver," that I got sidetracked by some pictures of Sedum Blue Spruce thinking that it was the same as Nacho....which I see now that it's not, before anyone decides to be hurt-y of my feelings! Ha ha. So inside it is for the ol' Nach. PS - Hey, great job guys... all of our discussion of Nacho has put this thread into the number 5 spot on Google for searches for "Echeveria Spruce-Oliver." Way to go! I'm sure Nacho would be proud, if he wasn't busy dropping all of his leaves and photosynthesizing, as it were.
