Plant of the Day
Thursday 14 March 2024
In early spring the Magnolia × soulangeana (saucer magnolia, Chinese magnolia) flowers before the leaves emerge. As long as there is little wind or frost these trees will provide a glamorous display.
Jill Raggett
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there is an orange spot ladybird just. hanging out on my massage gun? which is. like. literally ive never seen a brown ladybird in my LIFE before but also
are you fucking lost, ma'am
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kinda makes me sad to see so many young deciduous trees people plant just arent pruned properly
so here you go!
link | link
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Officially my most favourite poem ever
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Vincent van Gogh, Large Plane Trees - Wikiart
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Scientific Name: Sapindus saponaria var. drummondii or Sapindus drummondii
Common Name(s): Western soapberry
Family: Sapindaceae (soapberry)
Life Cycle: Perennial
Leaf Retention: Deciduous
Habit: Tree, shrub
USDA L48 Native Status: Native
Location: Allen, Texas
Season(s): Winter
It’s called soapberry because you can make soap from it!
Soapberries are also offered commercially “soap nuts,” though the ones I’ve seen for sale are Sapindus mukorossi, which is a species native to Asia.
Speaking of species, the genus Sapindus comprises about 12 species. I’m guessing the exact number isn’t settled because, as in the case here, whether this plant is a subspecies or its own species depends on whom you ask. The USDA Plants Database shows that S. saponaria is native to the southern U.S., from the Atlantic coast to Arizona, whereas var. drummondii only exists west of the Mississippi River. This difference is apparently enough for iNaturalist and its taxon authority POWO to elevate it to the full species level.
The fruits are about ½″ (12 mm) in diameter and form in the summer; they are pale green and opaque when young before maturing to a translucent amber in the fall.
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Plant of the Day
Friday 8 December 2023
This autumn I saw the cones on Pseudolarix amabilis (golden larch, false larch, golden pine) for the first time. This is a slow-growing, deciduous tree with whorls of light green, linear leaves, which turn bright golden-yellow in autumn.
Jill Raggett
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“Aurum”, lutruwita/Tasmania, 2019
Fagus, Tanglefoot, Deciduous Beech (Nothofagus gunnii, (Hook.f.) Oerst) is a tree of many names, but an identifying feature that supersedes them all – it’s Australia’s only cold-weather deciduous species.
Endemic to Tasmania’s alpine country, they are found in just a few small pockets of the island. Every year, tourists come from the world over to experience “the change,” turning from heritage green to flaming oranges for around a week.
Photo © Benjamin Alldridge
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