Pachypodium saundersii
Scientific Name: Pachypodium saundersii N.E. Br.
Synonym: Pachypodium lealii ssp. saundersii

P. saundersii makes a great potted specimen with natural 'bonsai' like growth. The long branches can be cut back to maintain a more compact form. When grown in full sun, summer watering should be ample, and rapid growth will take place in larger pots. Mature specimens can be under-potted for affect. Pachypodium saundersii is probably the easiest and fastest South African Pachypodium to grow. Many botanists consider it a subspecies of P lealii. Since it behaves somewhat differently in cultivation

Frost Tolerance: Semi tender in Phoenix, protect it on coldest nights, or keep it in container

Sun Exposure: Light shade to full sun.

Origin: South Africa

Growth Habits: Small, very slow growing caudiciform tree, typically 2 to 4 feet tall or less for any specimen of reasonable age

Watering Needs: Regular water in summer when the plant has leaves, in winter, keep dry, with only occasional water

Propagation: Seeds. In this family the fruits (called follicles) are produced in pairs. Each fruit may contain several dozen seeds, most of which will germinate if sown during the peak of summer.

Blooming Habits: P. saundersii has white flowers in the fall at the end of the summer growing season. They seem to need a cooler winter dormancy to bloom properly. They generally bloom at a younger age than other Pachypodiums, typically around 4-5 years old.

Aloe cv. Doran Black

Sun exposure: Sun to Partial Shade, Light Shade

Flower color: red-orange or yellow

Bloom time: multiple times a year

Frost tolerance: Protect from frosts and freezes.


This is becoming a very commonly sold Aloe at home garden centers and is popular because of its nearly white coloration with green to black spots. It has thick leaves and a rugged texture. Forms small clumps with coral flowers.

Rosettes grow to be around 8" to 11" in diameter and cluster freely. New pups (offsets) can be seperated into different containers or kept together to form cluster.

Visit the Cactus Farm & House

On last Sunday (March 29th), I joined the trip to visit the Cactus Farm and house. The first place is Deaw cactus farm which is very famous in Thailand. The owner, Mr. Deaw, has collected a lot of the hi-end rare cactus in his farm. So he has both local and Asian customers. Besides, he has the closed greenhouses, his plants are also very green and beautiful. However, visitors like us couldn't not stay in his greenhouses for long as the inside temperature was about 45-50 C or 113-122 Fahrenheit. In this chance, we had time to talk and discuss about the technique to plant the charming cactus like him.

Then we went to the house of cactus collector, Pae. All members in his family love cacti so planting the cacti is the family activity. The most favorite cacti of his father and himself is Ariocarpus. Pae's mother is retired and her favorite is Harworthia and succulent. So we can see the different plants in the same house. Luckily, Pae has the open greenhouse, so we could feel more comfortable.

As the area here is limited, you can see more pictures of this trip on the right side of my blog.

Pseudolithos migiurtinu

In last year, I got 3 Pseudolithos migiurtinu from my friend.  I was told that they can be rotten easily.  I kept them under another plant so they got the shade light.  Besides, I watered them about 2-3 times/week.  (I live in the tropical country so it's summer now) They wre fine until yesterday.  One of them was rotten.  So poor!  I also find the information about Pseudolithos migiurtinu and hope that everyone will not make the mistake same as me.

Sun Exposure: Sun to Partial Shade, Light Shade

Bloom Color: Maroon (Purple-Brown)

Watering : 2 to 3 times a week during the hot summer, under very strong light (not full sun) and once a week during sunny winter days.. 

Pseudolithos migiurtinus is named from the Greek 'pseudo', false 

and 'lithos', stone, for the appearance of the stems.  The genus has a restricted distribution of  Somalia, Oman and Yemen.  These plants constitute some of the most succulent species among the stapeliads.  They are difficult in cultivation and are often grown on grafts with the stock usually beingCeropegia linearis.  

Pseudolithos migiurtinus is one of the rarest of the succulent milkweeds (Asclepiadaceae).   These plants, like most of the succulent milkweeds (stapeliads) are generally fly pollinated and conveniently smell like rotten meat or some type of manure.  This species is usually single stemmed, so propagating them by cuttings is not a winning situation.  

Flowers other than roses gifted on Valentines Day

The Valentine’s day is coming and the most common flower that everyone think of is Rose. However, there are other flowers that can be gifted on Valentine's Day. There is a reason why each of these flowers is given on Valentine's Day.

The giver is expected to have associated with each flower a particular meaning and the recipient is supposed to have got that meaning.

These meanings are not accepted by everyone. Yet there seems to be a consensus on this matter, which enables people to communicate using flowers.

The meaning associated with tulip is “love and passion”. This is, in some ways, similar to red rose, which means love, respect, and courage.

Yellow tulip, on the other hand, conveys the sense “hopeless love”.

Hibiscus indicates delicate beauty and heather suggests admiration and beauty.

If rose meant mere love, ivy means a more specific type of love, namely wedded love.

Lotus flower means “separated love” and lily of the valley means “let us make up” or “return of happiness”.

Mammillaria luethyi

Description: M. luethyi is a very tiny plant, but by far one of the most spectacular members of its genus, distinctive when not in flower because of the 'spination' (if it can be called that!) at the tips of the tubercles, and even more magnificent in flower.
Growth Habits: Solitary or clustering.
Stem: 1.5 cm in diameter.
Spines: Short, soft and white, not prickly.
Origin: Mexico (Northern Coahuila: limestone slabs in Chihuahuan Desert)
Flowers: Large, rich magenta with a white throat.
Lighting: The luethyi needs full sun!!! Poorer luminosity levels produce a green anaesthetic plant with open, far and wide spaced areoles
Watering Needs: Water sparingly, needs good drainage
Cultivation: The plant is often seen grafted, as most of the available stock has so far been propagated this way. Grafted plants grow fast and are very floriferous.
But it is relatively easy to cultivate plants on their own roots and no special care required.
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Cuttings root very well but plants on their own roots are quite slow.

Mammillaria pectinifera

Mammillaria pectinifera (Syn: Solisia pectinata)

The species is classified as endangered because of habitat destruction, grazing of livestock, mining rock for construction, and dumping of rubbish. Actually the illegal extraction and trade of the plant doesn't seem to be a real threat, because artificial propagation is not a problem today, and many nurseries produce the species.

Origin : Mexico

Frost Tolerance: 20°F (-7°C)

Minimum Avg. Temperature: 50°F (10°C)

Sun Exposure: Light shade

Watering Needs: Rot prone, use shallow pot

Propagation: Seeds, or graft

Habitat: Grows in the Tehuacan Valley Matorral, Mexico, a desert/xeric tropical shrub basin, under bushes and other vegetation, on deep alkaline soils with relatively high surface stoniness and high water retention capacity.

The climate is semi-dry, hot, with summer rains and slight temperature oscillations.

Cultivation: Slow growing, this plant is very rot prone and temperamental when cultivated on its own roots, but it is easy to grow if grafted. Mammillaria pectinifera has a fairly large tap root, and should be kept in a deep pot with a very draining mineral substrate.

Watering during the active growing season (spring and summer), this will encourage steady growth. But be careful with watering, which all thick rooted species require (rot sensitive). Keep dry during the winter rest.

Fertilize every 2 weeks with diluted high potassium fertilizer when the plant is in bud. Light shade or full sun exposures.

Propagation: Direct sow after last frost. (seldom produces offsets)

Source: catus-art.biz, www.lithops.net