This Sailor is Drunk!

Quisqualis indica at Missouri Botanical Garden

 Commonly called Drunken Sailor vine, Quisqualis indica is a fast growing vine with wonderfully scented flowers. I first encountered this gorgeous vine at the Missouri Botanical Garden in 2007. I saw no identification and so have always wondered what it was. The next time I saw it was in 2011 at Phipps Conservatory in Pennsylvania. I again wondered what it was, and even though it looked different, I thought maybe they were related because of the color of the flowers and the vining habit.

Quisqualis indica at the Missouri Botanical Garden

Quisqualis flowers with the sun shining through -Missouri Botanical Garden

 I'm pretty sure the difference is that one is a single form and the other is a double form. The common names include rangoon creeper and drunken sailor vine. It starts out looking like a shrub and eventually starts vining. This characteristic puzzled early plant hunters. It's botanical name Quisqualis means "What is this?" which harkens back to the puzzlement of taxonomists about this shrub/vine.

Quisqualis hanging in the Phipps Conservatory

 The flowers are so gorgeous (I think) because the plant seems to have three colors of flowers on the same plant. The flowers start out as white, fading to pink and then a dark pink, almost red. Because it has older and newer flowers on the same plant, it seems it has multi- colored flowers. 
This plant is a rampant vine and is usually only seen in conservatories where it has plenty of room to roam about. I don't think this huge vine would work as a houseplant but I might try it in my sunroom if I can find one. Why not?

Hairy Old Man

My hairy old man!

 I can't imagine anyone would say a good picture comes to mind when the phrase  "hairy old man" is mentioned, but if you are talking about plants, it is a different story. I have an old man cactus, Cephalocereus senilis, and as I was watering the other day, I decided to find out more about this unique,"hairy old man" plant.
I bought it at the Missouri Botanical Garden in 2007 at the gift store there. It was a tiny little plant and it has resided in my dining room West window now for 6 years. It hasn't grown by leaps and bounds, but I didn't expect it to.  The reason for its name is obvious, but why is it hairy? What is the hair? I'm one of those people that ponders such things. Don't ask me why. I always want to know more about plants and how they work and why. So, I investigated. Here's what I found out.....
The name comes from the Greek word "Kepale" meaning head, the Latin word "cereus" meaning a wax taper (candle), and the Latin "senilis" meaning old or aged man. It is a tall, skinny, taper shaped plant with a white hairy top. I obviously can understand where it got its name. 
The "hairs" are really modified spines called radial spines. The central spines are the spines coming from the center of the areole. What is an areole? Areoles are what differentiate cactus from succulents. Aeroles are small brownish bumps that the spines originate from. Succulents such as Euphorbia milii, crown of thorns, have spines but no areoles. The "hair" or radial spines are specialized spines that are produced around the edge of the areole. Why is this plant growing hairy spines?

Photo from Wikipedia. Natural habitat of Cephalocereus in Central Mexico.

 The hair is used as protection from the sun in its native habitat in Guanajuato and Hidalgo, in Central and East Mexico. (See map for the location of Guanajuato. Hidalgo is to the right of  Guanajuato on the map.) 






It is also a secondary defense system against its enemies, the central spines it is hiding are the first.  The more sun your plant gets, the longer the hair grows, for more protection. The bad thing about having these hairy spines on the plant, is that you could overlook the fact that you have insects, such as mealybugs. They would be well hidden under the white hair. If the hair on your plant gets dirty, you can even wash it. Use a mild soap, such as Ivory dish soap and a soft brush, rinsing well. Check for bugs at this time. Its flowers may be red, yellow, or white but won't be seen until they are  10-20 years old and 20 feet tall. So, I'm thinking we won't ever see any in our homes.
In their native habitat, they are vulnerable to extinction. It is such a unique plant, it was harvested too much. Who wouldn't want this interesting plant? Now, its popularity has led to greenhouse growers producing it in large numbers. This will hopefully keep it from extinction in the wild. I love this plant and think it is so interesting that it grows its own sunscreen!

See the central spines sticking out among the "hair".

 In the picture above, you can see the spines and the areoles that they are growing out of.

Chihuly Under Glass

Phipps Conservatory

I love conservatories. Of course I do, they're full of tropical/house plants.  But, throw in some Dale Chihuly art, and the experience is even better. It adds a dimension to the plants that nothing else can. Absolutely beautiful. Following are some photos from conservatories around MI, OH, PA, and IL  I have visited, that have Chihuly.
     "Sites that include Chicago’s Garfield Park Conservatory (2001), the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew (2005), the New York Botanical Garden (2006), and Pittsburgh’s Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens (2007) enable the artist[Chihuly] to juxtapose monumental, organically shaped sculptural forms with beautiful landscaping, establishing a direct and immediate interaction between nature, art, and environmental light." ~Davira S. Taragin, Independent curator Formerly Director of Exhibitions, Racine Art Museum;
Curator, The Detroit Institute of Arts, Toledo Museum of Art.

These first pictures are from Phipps Conservatory in Pittsburgh, PA. I have to say, it is one of the nicest conservatories I've ever been to. Even my husband, who is surrounded by plants at home, and would rather not spend his free time in a conservatory, said he could have stayed another hour. That's big praise for Phipps. I definitely would put it on your list of places to go if you love tropical plants.

I love the way this Chihuly mirrors the barrel cactus below.

Phipps Conservatory

Phipps Conservatory

Phipps.

Missouri Botanical Garden

Chandelier in entrance lobby at Missouri Botanical Garden.

Chihuly art in the pond in the Climatron.

 A few years ago, I was lucky enough to visit the Missouri Botanical Garden. Wow! What a fabulous garden, inside and out. It is gas been open for 159 years. There is a plant, a Dioon from Mexico,  from the 1904 World's Fair, still growing in the conservatory. 

Chihuly art peeking through the plants at Franklin Park.

Franklin Park Conservatory in Columbus, OH

     In Columbus OH, is a beautiful 1895 Victorian glasshouse. The Franklin Park conservatory is fabulous, filled with Chihuly. The Chihuly exhibition opened in 2003, and when it closed in 2004, the Friends of the Conservatory purchased most of it. Consequently,  Franklin Park owns the most Chihuly of any botanical garden. The tall multicolor tower of glass peeks through the plants and draws you onward in the conservatory. The balls floating in the pond can be seen from different vantage points and are magical on the water. 

How beautiful with the koi.

Beautiful floating balls.

Two summers ago, Chihuly came to Grand Rapids, to the Frederick Meijer Gardens. The artwork was scattered throughout the garden, inside and out. All of it was unforgettable. The pieces hanging in the desert house, done in neon,  were, I think, meant to represent tumbleweeds.

Hanging in the desert house.

Chihuly at Frederick Meijer Gardens.

Beautiful arrangement in the conservatory.

Now, moving into the tropical conservatory, we find arrangements in vases, as well as artwork in the plants. There was also a beautiful piece of hanging artwork that looked like different size Christmas balls glued together. While these pieces are no longer there, a chandelier and the cafeteria lighting are permanent.

Bowls in conservatory.

Hanging artwork peeking through the foliage.

Ceiling art.

 My favorite was the bowls in the water with the Alocasia macrorrhiza. The color of the bowls exactly matched the color of the roots. Did Chihuly plan it that way? I think he knew exactly what he was doing. He is an extraordinary artist who does wonders with glass and nothing is done by chance. Love it!

Notice the color of the roots of the Alocasia.

Better picture of the bowls.

Gorgeous!

Cafeteria lights. Really? Wow!

More cafeteria lights.

Last, but not  least, is Garfield Park Conservatory in Chicago. They don't have a lot of Chihuly , but it is the most gorgeous conservatory, unlike any other. If you've never been there, you should make it a priority to go. Designed by Jens Jensen, walking through it is like being out in the woods. Ferns, waterfalls, and ponds; it is stunning. It's peaceful and tranquil......I'm wandering. I'll show pictures of that on a later post. Here are the Chihuly pieces in the pond there.

Again, I love conservatories, but a conservatory with Chihuly artwork added, is absolutely the best. Find a conservatory near you, with Chihuly or not, and visit. Be sure to take your camera!