Help identifying plants...

[mde]

Hi-
I'm trying to compile the names of all the plants in my collection. I'm realizing I have a few I don't know the names of, and I couldn't find in my plant books. Here is one of them. It is very small, and is succullent like. I can forget to water it for weeks and it always looks like this. Any hints on the species name of it?
Thanks.
-me

[mde]

Here is the second one. Any ideas? (probably not considering I'm talking to an orchid forum audience!)

[Orchidzrule]

Matt,

I've *seen* the first, but can't tell you off the top of my head what it might be. I have a fairly good houseplant ID guide, though, so I'll get back to you on this. The second one looks like an orchid cactus.

Actually, in response to your comment about orchid forum audience, don't rule out help. There are lots of people in here who *are* interested in a wide range of other plants.

Cheers,

Rob

[mde]

Thanks Rob for checking on that. I just got an answer on the second one. It is a tropical forest cactus (you're correct, an "orchid cactus") called Rhipsalis cruciforme (among about 2 dozen other names that taxonomists are arguing over.) It is from regions of South Amer. includ. Brazil and Paraguay. I found this on a cool ecology website called ecology.org who has information on dozens of unusual plant species, among other cool things like medical information, photographs, etc. At any rate, one more to go and I think I'll have all the plants in my collection identified (or at least very close!)

Matt

[Orchidzrule]

Hi again, Matt,


Well, my book doesn't have an exact match for your plant. The closest was Aloe variegata. I do not think your plant is Aloe variegata, but I'm *reasonably* confident it is an Aloe.

You might try googling Aloe, or even Aloe variegata, using their image search. Someone on a semi-non-plant forum (actually a hummingbird gardening forum) said, a few years ago, that the google image search was the best he knew of for finding plant pictures.

Cheers,

Rob

[mde]

I've tried that, but there are like thousands of image hits for Aloe, and I got tired of scrolling! Thanks for steering me in that direction....motivates me to look again.


Matt

[Orchidzrule]

Hi once again!

I used to have a couple of orchid cactus plants. They have stunning flowers. If you're familiar with Zygocactus (i.e. Christmas cactus) they are similar to them, but are more spectacular. Unfortunately, they didn't get bright enough light under my fluorescent lights and made very spindly growths. I eventually took a couple of cuttings from them and gave them to a friend. He put them in his south window and they started growing & blooming like mad. One was red and the other pink. Mine eventually got so spindly I just threw them on the compost pile. So, the key for them is really bright light.

Anyway, good luck on getting the other plant identified.

Rob

[kewpie]

hey, matt.

the plant in the 2nd pic is an epiphyllum (aka, as rob called it, orchid cactus).

ive given mine a ton of light (southern window plus hps), but ive only managed to bloom it once. it could be because i barely ever water it, since all of my houseplants have taken a back seat to my orchids.

i like growing it for its how it looks. the little thing that i got as a cutting at the farmers market is now a beast. each of the many growths is at least 3-4 feet long. its sits in a macrame plant hanger that i made and reminds me of sideshow bobs hair in the way the growths cascade over the pot.