crassula, mesemb or who knows what?

If you have a succulent plant and need help identifying it, this is the place to post it.
Mike
Posts: 2386
Joined: Sat Jul 23, 2005 7:23 am

crassula, mesemb or who knows what?

Post by Mike »

Seller of seller said crassula, but no flower yet. Except for red edge, looks like Ruschia maxima on the web. Any ideas.????

Image
iann
Posts: 17184
Joined: Mon Jul 24, 2006 11:10 pm
Location: England

Post by iann »

I'd say mesemb. Schwantesia maybe.
--ian
Tony
Posts: 10770
Joined: Mon Sep 26, 2005 2:56 am
Location: Chino, Ca, USA (zone 10)
Contact:

Post by Tony »

whatever it is,its cool 8)
Forget the dog...Beware of the plants!!!

Tony
iann
Posts: 17184
Joined: Mon Jul 24, 2006 11:10 pm
Location: England

Post by iann »

You might be right about it being Ruschia, Mike. I don't know much about them but your plant does look quite shrubby. But then some people grow Schwantesia like that!
--ian
Mike
Posts: 2386
Joined: Sat Jul 23, 2005 7:23 am

Post by Mike »

Well, I posted it on the yahoo mesemb group, and only one respones from the moderator, Didge Rowe, who said, after disparaging our guesses,

"It is probably
an Erepsia, very possibly the rather unique E.pillansii. Propeller
flowers will provide a very definite answer. Erepsia need cool,
moister conditions than many mesembs.
One would have thought that after 8 years of operation and over 650
members, others in this group would be able to make an attempt at
identification." Didge.
iann
Posts: 17184
Joined: Mon Jul 24, 2006 11:10 pm
Location: England

Post by iann »

Could be Erepsia. I don't have any but the flowers would be very distinctive.
--ian
Buck Hemenway
Posts: 2798
Joined: Mon Aug 15, 2005 4:39 pm
Location: Riverside, Ca USA
Contact:

Post by Buck Hemenway »

How about lampranthus? Does that ring any bells?
Buck Hemenway
Mike
Posts: 2386
Joined: Sat Jul 23, 2005 7:23 am

Post by Mike »

I don't have any lampranthus, so hard for me to say. Lots of pics in the Mesemb book I have, but I think they all have flowers obscuring the plant. Mike
iann
Posts: 17184
Joined: Mon Jul 24, 2006 11:10 pm
Location: England

Post by iann »

That's not a Lampranthus. If Didge says it is Erepsia, it probably is. But it can be near impossible to nail down a shrubby mesemb 100% without seeing a seed capsule, certainly without seeing a flower.
--ian
Tony
Posts: 10770
Joined: Mon Sep 26, 2005 2:56 am
Location: Chino, Ca, USA (zone 10)
Contact:

Post by Tony »

Well, now I need to know what it is too! :D
Last edited by Tony on Mon Feb 23, 2009 6:21 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Forget the dog...Beware of the plants!!!

Tony
Tony
Posts: 10770
Joined: Mon Sep 26, 2005 2:56 am
Location: Chino, Ca, USA (zone 10)
Contact:

Post by Tony »

It does look like Erepsia lacera but I dont see any teeth on the keel or leaf margins.
And Im not finding any other species on the web.
Anyone have a book on these?
Forget the dog...Beware of the plants!!!

Tony
Mike
Posts: 2386
Joined: Sat Jul 23, 2005 7:23 am

Post by Mike »

THere is a E pillansii pic in the Mesembs of the World book, looks correct, but small and hard to say for sure that is correct. The Mesemb forum had a pic of another that someone ID as pillansii - looked llike ours, Tony. I take it yours has not bloomed, the pic of the bloom on the Mesemb forum is quite lovely.

Apart from the Mesmeb book above, I was told the Springer books is the source for general Mesemb info. The book I have lists the names of species, but not a descripiton of each. It does describe all the genera, cultivation tips some otherinfo and a few pics of each.

Mike

Mike
Buck Hemenway
Posts: 2798
Joined: Mon Aug 15, 2005 4:39 pm
Location: Riverside, Ca USA
Contact:

Post by Buck Hemenway »

I have Ernst van Jaarsveld's Vygies which is a study on mesembs in South Africa. He has described 9 of the 27 Erepsia species with pictures of 7. All have general growing habit to match this plant although the leaves tend to be bright green. They grow generally in the heavier rainfall aras of the SA cape. We'll just need to wait for blooms.

By the way, those who did not attend this past weekend's Symposium at the Huntington missed two excellent talks by Ernst. In particiular he gave a very enthusiastic presentation on the building of Kirstenbosch BG in Capetown.
Buck Hemenway
Mike
Posts: 2386
Joined: Sat Jul 23, 2005 7:23 am

Post by Mike »

Well it is an Oscularia, species unknown, per Steven Hammer.
iann
Posts: 17184
Joined: Mon Jul 24, 2006 11:10 pm
Location: England

Post by iann »

Wow! Have I got the scale wrong? I imagine the leaves to be an inch or more long, but all the Oscularias I know have leaves about half that size. But the leaf shape and red edges are found on some Oscularias. The flower would be quite distinctive.
--ian
Post Reply