Espostoa melanostele

Latin name:	Espostoa melanostele
Common name:	Old man of Peru
Plant group:	Cacti
Plant family:	Trichocereae
Climate:	Subtropical mountain climate
Minimal temperature:	5°C (41°F)
Optimal temperature:	24-26°C (75-78°F)
Recommended place:	sunny or penumbral
Soil:	cactus soil
Height:	100 cm (39 in.)
Flower color:	white
Repotting:	every 36 months (3 years)
Rarity:	no
Pests:	Woolly schield louse (Pseudococcidae)
Diseases:	Basal rot (Sclerotium cacticola) Fire Blight  (Erwinia) Bacterial wilt (Pseudomonas) Bacterial diseases () Fungal wilt (Verticillium) Yellow fungus (Fusarium oxysporum)
Origin country:	Peru

How to Grow Adenium Obesum

Adenium Obesum's grow both indoors and outdoors and is also known as a desert rose.
Adenium is also known as a desert rose. And although it doesn't really grow in the desert and it's not a rose it's still a beautiful plant that you can grow indoors or outdoors. Now to grow it there's a few simple rules that you should follow. Now it's a succulent. So it likes really dry areas but yet wants some water at the same time. So it wants lots of water then really wants to dry out. So it does the best around the eaves or somewhere in a big raised bed or a rock garden where it doesn't do well in a really wet boggy area and you'll lose it right away. So to start it from seed it's really easy. And so to start an Adenium by seed there's a few steps that you should follow. So the materials that you need when you start plants from seed, some plant seeds, container, and I always like to have gravel to put on the very bottom of the pot and the top of the pot. And then some potting soil to put into the main part of the plant. So the first thing you want to do is to put some gravel into a container. So you want to make sure that the gravel comes up at least two or three inches. And for Adenium they really want good drainage. So I've actually mixed some potting soil and some dirt. So next you want to take your seeds. Just put them towards the center of your container and kind of spread them out a little bit. And then just cover them about 1 inch, just barely cover them with some soil. When you're watering your pots you don't want to use high force. You want to use a misting or just a barely, barely put some cloth on top of your pot and water through that. And that way the seeds wont just fall right out. And you can enjoy your plants for many years.

Butia capitata

Common Names: jelly palm, pindo palm
Family: Arecacea/Palmae (palm Family)


Description
This beautiful feather palm has long pinnate leaves that arch and recurve towards the ground from atop a thick stout trunk. The trunk can grow to 20 feet, but normally reaches 12-15 ft (3.7-4.6 m) with a diameter of 1-1.5 ft (0.3-0.5 m). Typically, the old leaf stalks persist for years, although specimens with clean trunks are not uncommon. Leaves range from light green to bluish gray and grow 5 to 10 feet long. The leaf stems range from about 2-4 ft (0.6-1.2 m) in length and have spines along both edges. The palm produces bright orange fruit (often called pindo datesin the Deep South). These palms vary in form from one individual to the next. Specimens raised in dry and/or infertile soils tend to be smaller in stature with smaller leaves. Light also affects the plant's form while those grown in full sun are more compact.

The apparent variability in specimens of B. capitata is also due to the fact that there are several other species in this genus that are very similar in appearance. Palm enthusiasts in this country grow B. yatay which resembles B. capitata but grows taller and has a thicker trunk. Other species include B. eriospatha and B. paraguayensis (which some experts assert is a subspecies of B. yatay). All of these hybridize readily and it is suspected that many of the plants offered as B. capitatamay be hybrids. Butia can also be crossed with Syagrus romanzoffiana (the queen palm) to produce the very handsome mule palm.

Culture
Light: Full sun to moderate shade (the fronds grow longer in shady situations, giving the palm a more graceful aspect than those grown in full sun).
Moisture: Prefers sandy, well drained soil but is adaptable and very drought tolerant. Regular watering and feeding will produce a faster growing, more attractive palm.
Propagation: Seeds. Young palms are often found under palms that have been allowed to produce fruit. It is not unusual to see offspring growing in the old leafboots of a mature tree.

Usage
Use it as a lawn accent or in groupings. This palm is good for urban plantings and can also be grown at the beach behind dunes or other protection. Will adapt to container culture.

Features
This is a beautiful cold hardy palm that is very easy to grow. It is also drought tolerant, inexpensive and readily available at nurseries and discount stores. Like many palms, the pindo produces an elaborate flowering structure called an inflorescence - the orange fruit forms on these structures after the female flowers have been pollinated. In the deep south, a jelly is made from these fruits. They have a terrific taste that starts out like apple and tranforms to tart tropical flavors as it tantalizes the tongue. Too bad the fruit has a large seed and stringy fibrous flesh or I would eat them by the handful!