From the Ends of the Earth, to the Beginning of Time!

Sea Rose

(Orphium frutescens)

Orphium frutescens

Endemic to coastal South Africa, Orphium frutescens is a fairly rare plant in cultivation with an interesting natural history. Besides being stunningly beautiful, with the pinkest of the pink colored rose-like flowers on elephantine like swollen stems, it has an unusual relationship with a certain species of African carpenter bee. The flowers only release pollen when they sense the vibration of the buzzing bee! You can read the fascinating story in this BBC article. Orphium frutescens, also called the Sea Rose, is the only species in the genus and is a member of the Gentian family. Forming an attractive, small, evergreen shrub about 2½ feet tall, the lush foliage is thick and narrow, giving the plant the appearance of an upright, leafy Rosemary bush. On older plants, the stems become swollen and segmented appealing to caudicform fans the world over. Intense, bubble-gum pink cupped blooms cover the plant throughout the summer lasting for months. We offer this unusual plant in Quart containers while supplies last.

Pocupine Tomato

Solanum pyracanthos, also known as the Porcupine Tomato, is an evergreen shrub native to tropical Madagascar and the islands of the western Indian Ocean. It is a member of the genus Solanum, a diverse and cosmopolitan family of plants with over 1,500 members including the tomato, potato and nightshades. S. pyracanthos is perhaps most distinguished by a profusion of strong, straight fluorescent orange thorns which occupy the stems and leaves of the plant, giving it a foreboding appearance. The prickles are consistent throughout the plant, developing clearly from furry trichomes which coat the plant's leaves and stems. The pinnately lobed leaves are 6 – 21 cm long and the plant blooms year round with clusters of small star shaped violet inflorescence followed by marble sized greenish-yellow fruit. The fruit is inedible.

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