By Sherrill Leist and Lisa Marun.
At each monthly meeting, members bring in plants, cuttings, or flowers and put them in blue bottles on our display tables. What a great way to see which plants grow well in our area! EVERYONE is invited to participate. All plants are welcome. Write descriptions similar to those below and place them with your plant(s).
We choose one of these plants to feature in our newsletter every month. Join the fun and bring something to the next meeting! We thank those people who have brought in plants to show to other members.
Plant of the Month: Peperomia graveolens ‘Ruby Glow’, PERPEROMIA RUBY GLOW (Piperaceae) Peru and Ecuador
In keeping with our succulent theme for the October meeting, Sue Fouquette brought a popular houseplant, Peperomia graveolens ‘Ruby Glow’, a compact mini-shrub with small red stems and fleshy v-shaped leaves with windows to let in light and enable photosynthesis. On the red stems (reaching up to ten inches tall), very small yellowish flowers grow. You may not want to sniff the flowers as the name graveolens (meaning "bad smell") is apt. Grow this colorful little plant in bright light—but not full sun—and take care not to overwater it. (Sue Fouquette, El Cajon) – S.L.
In addition to the plant described above, we thank members who brought the following:
Ken Blackford: Senecio anteuphorbium, SWIZZLE STICKS (Asteraceae) Morocco to Arabian Peninsula
Jason Chen: Cuphea micropetala, CANDY CORN PLANT, MEXICAN GIANT CIGAR PLANT (Lythraceae) Mexico; Ixora coccinea 'Nora Grant', NORA GRANT IXORA (Rubiaceae) Southeast Asia; Magnolia champaca (formerly Michelia champaca) 'Alba' (Magnoliaceae) CHAMPAK, WHITE JADE FLOWER, Southeast Asia; Solanum pyracanthum (S. pyracanthos), PORCUPINE TOMATO (Solanaceae) Madagascar
Sheldon Lisker: Lycoris aurea, GOLDEN SPIDER LILY (Amaryllidaceae) China, Northern Burma
Cheryl Pryatel: Ligularia tussilaginea ''Gigantea' (Farfugium japonicum 'Gigantea'), GIANT LEOPARD PLANT (Asteraceae) Japan
Susi Torre-Bueno: Brachychiton acerifolius, ILLAWARRA FLAME TREE (Malvaceae) Eastern Australia; Cyrtanthus spp., FIRE LILY (Amaryllidaceae) South Africa