Wednesday, November 18, 2009

LA Arboretum: Desert

Madagascar Spiny Forest


Pachypodium (thank you JJ Glade)

This area of the Arboretum features some of the strange plants from this area of Madagascar.  Please pardon my lack of knowledge of the names. If anyone does know, please let me know so that I can post them.

The region of Madagascar where the spiny deserts are receives little rain and has no shade. Some of these plants have an other-worldly look, as they have evolved over centuries to be able to survive the harsh conditions of this desert. Many of the plants are endemic to Madagascar and have strange and amazing shapes in their efforts to live in this region. The plant above has a swollen trunk to preserve water.



This was one of the few flowering plants in this section.



A type of Euphorbia (thank you JJ Glade)

This is one of the stranger plants in the collection. This specimen is large and arches over the path. The spines are hidden in the plump leaves on the stems. The leaves and the trunk store water for the plant.





 

Here are some other plants that caught the eye of my camera.

 
a type of Crown of Thorns








Pachypodium

Cactus Garden

The Arboretum has some beautiful specimens of cacti and succulents.




 

 
The fruit of the cactus

Just behind this cactus garden was the red fairy duster (thank you Noelle for the name of this plant), where I found the bees.





There are some wonderful succulents close by, some blooming, some just glowing with color.


A type of Aloe in bloom



Another type of Aloe in bloom



Euphorbia tirucalli "Sticks on Fire" (Thank you, Noelle

One of my favorites of the day with its bright orange and red succulent branches.

15 comments:

Anonymous said...

Mary Delle,
They are all so pretty-I especially love the first plant. It looks as though it also has legs sticking out. To think it's trunk holds water that's pretty neat.
vickie

IlonaGarden said...

Quite strange! Interesting, though and if I got a chance to be more familiar maybe I would not find their beauty so alien. Nice photos.

Noelle Johnson said...

Hello MaryDelle,

I have to visit the Arboretum again. Such unusual, yet beautiful plants. The last plant is a Euphorbia tirucalli "Sticks on Fire"

Great pictures. I look forward to seeing what types the other plants are....

J.J. Cedar Glader said...

The tall palmish ones with the succulent trunks are pachypodiums,
the one with the spines in the leaves is some sort of euphorbia, as is the reddish one at the end, a type of pencil plant,euphorbia.

How wonderful to be able to visit a place like this, great photos!

Jo said...

So interesting. It's amazing how they have adapted so that they are able to survive.

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Mary my goodness these are such wonderful pictures !
That top one was so striking !
We had a chance to visit a blotanical garden in east coast Spain .. not far from Barcelona .. and we were amazed with the plants there .. your pictures remind me of them so thank you ! this has been fun : )

Chloe m said...

These cactus are bizarre! Thanks for showing them on your blog. Sometimes I am just amazed at the variety of plants on this earth.
Rosey

Jane Doe said...

What a change from the deciduous and evergreen trees that I am so familiar with. While the trees and plants are alien to me, each one is a beauty to behold. Wonderful post, Mary.

Bay Area Tendrils said...

Wonderful images of a fab garden!
My L.A. trip was too brief, as is usually the case.
So much to see when I visit. Although I missed the Arboretum, you've provided a marvelous virtual tour of one of my favorite sections!! thanks so much,
Alice

janie said...

Can I go too, the next time you go? I would love to see those im person! Thanks for sharing.

Wendy said...

those trees look postively fake! I love those names like "sticks on fire"

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Hi again Mary .. I wish I could remember the name of that place (it is in the travel album some where I'm sure) it was beautiful but the saddest thing I saw that totally disgusted me was that some one had carved graffiti into one of the large cactus .. people still astound me ? still ?
I guess you just can't guard the plants from IDIOTS !

Amy said...

There are some really unusual plants. It makes the world a more interesting place! Thanks for the tour.

Anonymous said...

These are some very strange and interesting plants - very creative shapes and colours! Some of the look so unreal...

James David said...

Thanks for sharing, Enjoyed the tour.