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Cute Pure-white Stelllate flowers
Posted: Wed Jul 04, 2007 4:42 pm
by MWP admin
1) is this species an ornamental?
2) What is its name?
There plant consisted of numerous strap-shaped, long and narrow (1cm) leaves with long, trailing flowering stems that produced lax flowers as shown in the picture below. I think I have seen this lily-like plant as an ornamental in some family (or neighbour) pot!
Stephen
Posted: Sat Jul 21, 2007 8:17 pm
by MWP admin
RB I was sure this was bread and butter for you. This is that plant which now I know that it is an ornamental. It has long narrow, V-shaped light green leaves, often with white edges. Though I do not expertise in ornamental staff, I would say that it belongs to Asphodelaceae.
BTW... Today at Aspegrens garden I met an ornamental Asphodelus species which made spikes up to 3 or 4 metres high and fruit the size of a golf-ball or slightle smaller. Damn I forgot the spp name
maybe altissimus ?
Posted: Fri Aug 03, 2007 10:43 am
by IL-PINE
I have a flowering cultivated plant having very similar flowers. I have no idea what it is but we call it Rampila in Maltese.
No idea if they are related or not.
Posted: Sun Aug 05, 2007 10:56 pm
by RB
Posted: Mon Aug 06, 2007 10:45 pm
by IL-PINE
wow, thanks!
Posted: Sun Aug 12, 2007 6:10 pm
by MWP admin
Back to the internet after 10 days in Estonia - the place to be for nature and various flowers. Also for free natural Mud spa. Incredible place. When I'll be back to Malta I shall post some intersting stuff.
Thanks guys for the ID (= Chlorophytum comosum)... so it was an Agavaceae !
Posted: Sun Aug 12, 2007 6:51 pm
by HC Weber
Chlorophytum comosum (Thunb.) Jacques
048c, 048d
English: Spiderplant, Spider-ivy, Airplane Plant, Ribbonplant, Hen-and-chickens
Main Synonyms: Chlorophytum capense auct.
Family: Agavaceae (Agave family) - formerly Anthericaceae or Liliaceae
Country of origin: S Africa.
Found in: Flowerbeds of public gardens (e.g. San Anton Gardens) or hanging baskets, window boxes, windowsills, containers, and other very different private places.
Flowering time: All year round (depends on the situation).
Occurrence in the Maltese Islands: Frequent.
Description: An evergreen grasslike and rosette-forming perennial, growing quickly up to 40 cm in height, but grown in a hanging basket the plant may become 0.5-1 m long. Its linear leaves are approximately 40 cm long and 2 cm wide. The small white 3-merous flowers are arranged in sparsely branched racemes, they are followed by the leathery fruit, a 3-angled capsule, containing 3 black seeds which are about 2 mm long. Plantlets, the so-called Baby Spider Plants, develop viviparous as tufts of leaves at the ends of the branched arching peduncles. They become soon aerial, brownish worm-like thickened roots, later (grown in soil or water) white succulent tuberous roots, which serve as water storage organs.
Remarks: The Spider Plant is very easy to propagate by removing the plantlets at the ends of the gracefully arching peduncles. The plant will survive in shady places but does best in full sunlight. It is one of the best suited plants for hanging baskets but makes also an excellent groundcover.
It is said that the plants absorb toxins from the air.
In contrast to the wild Chlorophytum comosum, which has dark glossy green leaves, there are several variegated cultivars. The most popular ones are “Mandaianum” with a whitish-yellow stripe at the center of the leaf. The leaves of the cultivar “Variegatum” are green in the center and have white stripes on the margins, and the leaf of “Vittatum” is recurved and has a white central stripe. Other cultivars are known as “Bonnie”, “Picturatum” or “Ocean”, some of them do not develop plantlets.