Alun SaltWith a world full of fascinating life-forms, it’s always easy to find a gift for a botanist. There’s so many plants to choose from, but what can you get for a friend without green fingers? What can you get for someone who doesn’t merely lack gardening skills, but is a hazard to plant-life. While browsing on the web I found what might be the perfect answer. Grand Illusions is selling Selaginella lepidophylla.
I’d never heard of this. It’s common name is The Rose of Jericho, but you might get a better idea of what it does under name Grand Illusions use: The Resurrection Plant. It’s found in the Sahara or Negev, where water is a problem. Instead of growing a hump or two like a camel, Selaginella lepidophylla has come up with a different trick, which you can find on YouTube.
So that’s my Christmas shopping sorted out. A lot of people will be getting (almost) dead plants.
Nigel Chaffey
Alex Assiry
botanyone
Another Christmas Present for Botanists: How about a plant of Wollemia nobilis, the Jurassic species first rediscovered near Sydney in 1994? Now that propagation methods have been established, it is widely available in the USD$50 / GBP£40 price range. Much more information, including regional stockists of potted specimens, in on the wollemi pine website: http://www.wollemipine.com/global.php One of the e-bay sellers in the UK includes much information in their listing: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Wollemi-Pine-Tree-Extremely-Rare-Gardening-Gift-/380087843313#vi-content