Category: Edinburgh BotanicsPage 31 of 50

A giant out of season daffy

Paramongaia weberbaueri is a tender bulb native to Peru. The genus is in the family Amaryllidaceae as are Daffodils. Growing to one metre plus; the long linear foliage…

Translucent yellow foliage

Large green Hosta’s are often regarded as the cabbages of the ornamental garden; this specimen is more elegant Hosta lancifolia ‘Aurea’ is a delicate coloured cultivar. The leaves…

Olympic double

The Olympic torch passes through Edinburgh this week. Our own Olympic double has been showing promise thriving in the south border for many a year. Forming a thicket…

Ask a botanist

Adiantum aeluticum, the “Western Maidenhair” is found in a wide distribution range through Western North America. Growing in crevices on steep slopes where shade is available. It is…

June 2012: At midsummer, the scent of ripe pineapple

Scents evoke memories of days gone by. Competing with the heavy lingering fragrance of Philadelphus at this time of year is Cytisus battandieri, an outstanding shrub with loose…

Late to leaf; worth the wait

Struggling to flower in our climate, it is heartening to find a scattering of soft lilac coloured buds held tightly to the older wood of Cercis griffithii. It…

Cocoa Tree

  Family: Malvaceae Description Cocoa is an evergreen tropical tree, usually 5 to 8m tall. The flowers are small, yellowish white to pale pink and grow directly from…

Floral spring flush

Deutzia purpurascens a deciduous twiggy shrub of light structure which nonetheless manages to develop into an impenetrable tangle of growth. A native to Western China, found on steep…

Rainbow arc

Leucothoe fontanesiana ‘Rainbow’, this cultivar of the Ericaceous family is growing in the sheltered and shaded sunken north facing courtyard of the front glasshouse range. Lush shiny foliage…

A fine introduction

The truss of blooms on Rhododendron sinofalconeri is worthy of show merit. The colour and form are first class. Give this 16 year old plant time to mature…

Equisetum myriochaetum

Latin Name: Equisetum myriochaetum Cham. & Schltr. Common Name: Giant horsetail Distribution: Central Mexico to Peru Habitat: Prefers fertile wet soil and is found in tropical and subtropical…

Cupressus cashmeriana

Latin Name: Cupressus cashmeriana Royle ex Carrière Common Name: Bhutan Cypress, Kashmir Cypress Distribution: West central Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh Habitat: Monsoon forest of Eastern Himalayer and south…

Myrtillocactus geometrizans

Latin Name: Myrtillocactus geometrizans (C.Mart.) Console Common Name: Bilberry Cactus, Whortleberry Cactus or Blue Candle Cactus Distribution: Central & Southern Mexico Habitat: Stony and sandy soils in deciduous…

Gnetum montanum

Latin Name: Gnetum montanum Markgr. Common Name: Gam nui, Sot nui Distribution: Bhutan, China, India, Laos, Myanmar, Sikkim, Thailand, Vietnam Habitat: Subtropical broadleaf forests Description: Evergreen, climber; branches…

Euphorbia virosa

Latin Name: Euphorbia virosa Willd. Common Name: Gifboom, Poisoned Tree Distribution: South Africa to Southern Angola. Habitat: Stony and sandy soils. Occupying arid areas Description: A succulent spiny…

Encephalartos natalensis

Latin Name: Encephalartos natalensis R.A.Dyer & I. Verd. Common Name: Natal giant cycad Distribution: Endemic to South Africa (Eastern Cape & KwaZulu-Natal) Habitat: On cliffs in open forests…

May blob

Caltha palustris, a lush growing plant with a wide distribution covering the temperate northern hemisphere. It has the most unfortunate common name; “May blob”, referring to the golden…

May 2012: Cypripedium

Cypripediums have a reputation for being very difficult to grow and even more difficult to acquire. Plants in the wild have become rare due to changes in land…

All a tangle

This is a Clematis like no other; a leafless tangle of green reed like stems. The scandent growth mounds over itself reaching 1.5metres in height. A native to…

A Georgian gem

Aipyanthus pulchra was growing in association with Daphne, Pulsatilla, Scabiosa in grassland when collected on Mt Kazbegi in Georgia at 2298 metres. Found throughout the Caucasus and western…