Unidentified Zamioculcas-Like Object--What Have I Got Here?

I have long been a fan of Zamioculcas zamiifolia, aka the ZZ plant. I've written about my large plant before.  I've had it since 2001, and it is still going strong.

My old favorite Zamioculcas zamiifolia. It has responded to being repotted by
 producing 12 new leaf stalks.

Then, last summer I purchased a new plant, at either Home Depot or Lowe's. (I don't remember which.)  It looks very much like a miniature ZZ. However, upon doing some web-searching, I have been unable to identify this plant. This surprises me, because neither of the above places are known as a source of horticultural oddities.

Unidentified Zamioculcas-like Object, hereafter known as UZLO.

Close up of UZLO, showing new growth very much like
 that of the species ZZ.

UZLO with ruler, to show size.

Zamioculas zamiifolia with ruler, and my husband's arm,
 to show size.  Thanks, Bob!

Searching for dwarf or miniature Zamioculcas, one gets hits for "Zamicro," which has thinner stalks and less succulent leaflets, but isn't smaller in growth habit.  The leaflets are just as large as those of the usual ZZ, and it seems to have the potential to grow just as tall, so I've concluded that my plant isn't one of those.  UZLO is petite, and the leaves are proportional. I considered that maybe I just have a juvenile ZZ, but I have seen pictures of new plants started from standard Zamioculcas leaflets, and the new growth, which has leaflets smaller than those of their parent plants at first, still seems generally larger than those of UZLO. I could be wrong about that, though.

So, I'm putting it out there, in hopes that someone knows what I have. If not, I rather like the name UZLO.

A Blooming Mystery

We're not big on efficiency here among the leaves. As I've mentioned before, I have a tendency to misplace plant tags. I don't keep formal records of my plants, or of plant-related information or tasks, though I've made half-hearted attempts at spreadsheets in the past. I do have an excellent memory for the most part, but there are times when it fails me.

Unidentified succulent plant

Apparently this time it has failed me spectacularly. I don't remember where I purchased this plant, or how long I've had it. It doesn't particularly bother me that I don't have an ID for it now; it does bother me that I don't remember if I ever had an ID for it.

I'm inclined to think that it is an Echeveria or a Graptoveria. The leaves suggest the latter to me, however the flowers are very Echeveria-like.

Three views of the flowers. In form, they look exactly like the flowers of all the other Echeveria varieties I grow, and the color is similar as well.

If anyone knows what this is, I'd be happy and grateful to hear from you. In the meantime, I think I'll have another go at making a spreadsheet to keep track of things.

Surprise Flowers

I seem to be featuring cacti an awful lot lately, and today is no exception. That is because I was pleasantly surprised to have two more of mine flower in the past couple of days.

When we last left my Astrophytum asterias, in this post last fall, I noted that it had two immature flower buds. I honestly expected them to either develop then, or to shrivel up and die over the winter. Instead, they hung on, and yesterday, about two weeks after I restarted watering, I noticed this:

Astrophytum asterias, possibly my favorite cactus species, with a bud ready to open.

Then this morning, I awoke to this:

The bloom is a pale yellow, with red in the center

Here is my other bloomer. I have no idea what kind of cactus this is. It just caught my eye a couple of years ago because of its dense, fuzzy-looking spines. They aren't quite as soft as they look, but they aren't painfully dangerous, either. Edited to Add 04/15/10: I saw this cactus today at a nursery, and it had a label. So it now has a name: Parodia rudibueneckeri.

Parodia rudibueneckeri in bud a few days ago

With open blooms yesterday

The spines are so dense that the flowers are a bit crowded-in at the crown, and don't seem to be able to open fully. They are a lovely sunny yellow.

I Can't Seem to Stop: More New C & S

On Saturday, my husband and I went to Home Depot to pick up some topsoil to level an area in our back yard. Of course, I had to wander into the houseplant section. And of course, I couldn't resist the impulse to buy new plants. So for the fourth time this month, I found myself purchasing small pots of cacti and succulents.

Clockwise from the top left: Haworthia NoId, crested Echeveria (perhaps E. runyonii) NoId Mammillaria, some cactus or other that is not a Mammillaria, and a Haworthia attenuata variety. These are in 1.5 inch pots.

I was drawn to the Mammillaria largely because it was the only plant with real flower buds in a sea of glu-fers (Garden Web C&S forum slang for cacti with glued-on strawflowers, a heinous marketing ploy among certain suppliers.) This Mammillaria returned my admiration and became quite attached to me. Literally. This thing has really horrible hooked spines that stuck in my skin while I was setting up this photograph, and refused to let go. The whole plant was dangling from my fingertips, and hurt like hell. I had to call my husband for assistance.

Up close and personal with the hooked spines.

The other NoId cactus. I think those might be beginnings of flower buds at the crown, which I why I bought this one.

Not to be outdone, Bob picked up the non-Mammillaria cactus and found himself with a spine embedded in his finger. And to think, I don't buy Opuntiads because I'm afraid that the animals might hurt themselves. If tonight was any indication, I think the biggest danger would be to the Homo sapiens in the household.

In Praise of Succulents: Echeveria Edition 1; Pinks and Blues

I love Echeverias, but for a long time they were the bane of my existence, succulent-wise. They would do nicely outdoors in the summer, then etiolate horribly during the winter, turning into pale, stretched, misshapen messes.

Then I discovered that they will do pretty well under fluorescent lights, especially if kept as close as possible to the tubes, and in a cool room. These three beauties have been going along happily in my basement all winter. If anything, their cool shades of pink-blue-lavender seem enhanced by the slight chill.

Three Echeveria varieties. Unfortunately, I don't have IDs for any of them. The one at the top might be Echeveria 'Afterglow,' but I am far from certain.

Close-up of the possible Echeveria 'Afterglow'

I can't seem to get a close-up that does this one justice. The edges of the leaves are pinker in person. I love this plant--it is like a bouquet in a bowl.

I've posted a photograph of this plant before--

--it is far less purple in the summer.

I have other Echeveria species, including a couple that are getting ready to bloom, and a few that I actually know the names of. (Imagine that!) I will be writing about them in the near future.

More Aloes

As a follow-up to my last post, I thought I'd share a few more pictures of my Aloes. One thing I noticed, and am mildly embarrassed about, is that I don't have positive IDs for quite a few of my plants, beyond being sure that they are Aloes. This works out okay in caring for them, but seems, well, somewhat lacking if I am going to write about them.

Aloe variegata

Possibly Aloe 'Dapple Green'

Aloe brevifolia

Maybe Aloe bellatula, maybe not

Aloe striata. This isn't a plant with offsets, but rather three individuals potted together.

Small Aloe juvenna, grown from offsets of my larger plant (not pictured)

NoId Aloe, with very sharp teeth

This one looks like it could be Aloe 'Doran Black' but I am uncertain.


Aloe greenii x linneata. I had another of these, and it was a bit different looking, with larger spots. That one developed unsightly black depressions on the leaves, so I tossed it.

I think this is Aloe saponaria. I think that because I know I bought an A. saponaria a few years ago, and I know that I didn't get rid of it. Since I don't have anything else that could possibly be A. saponaria, by process of elimination, this must be it. I post this as a cautionary tale: Don't lose those tags boys and girls!

You Oughta be in Pictures--Succulent Edition

I suppose it is a bit trite at this point to say how much rosette succulents look like flowers. So I won't say it. I'll just share a few favorite pictures of some of mine, which I took outdoors late this summer: (All photos open much larger when clicked.)

Echeveria pulidonis



Aeonium 'Zwartkop'



NOID Echeveria



Echeveria agavoides cultivar

Kalanchoe luciae



Echeveria nodulosa



Another NOID Echeveria



Aloe brevifolia, colored up from the sun. More of a star shape, perhaps



Echeveria 'Lilacina', I think



Echeveria 'Black Prince'

This last plant isn't one of mine. I took the picture that follows at the Chicago Botanic Gardens in August. It wasn't in their Cactus & Succulent Greenhouse, but rather in the Sensory Garden outdoors, where they display plants with interesting textures, colors, and aromas. They had it labeled as Kalanchoe 'Warty.' When I saw it I thought, "No way. That's an Echeveria with carunculations." I did some searching at the time, and the only reference to Kalanchoe 'Warty' I could find on the web was a photograph in someone's personal online photo album, also taken at CBG. I'm thinking that it is an E. gibbiflora hybrid. Anyway, it is a very interesting plant that I had to share:

NOID Echeveria, labeled as a Kalanchoe at the Chicago Botanic Gardens

I'd welcome any input on any of the NOIDs in this post.

Edit 5/15/10: Comments for this entry have been turned off, as it seems to have become a magnet for spam.

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