Ponytail Palm (Beaucarnea recurvate). Click to enlarge the photo, and make more visible the\u00a0caudex at the base of the plant.<\/p>\n I have not seen the common name, Beautiful Serpent, online, but that\u2019s what I call this plant.<\/p>\n Both photos of Agapetes serpens are from Strange Wonderful Things: Rare and Exotic Plants<\/a>\u00a0which is a fine website\u00a0for gardeners to visit.<\/p>\n I found this rather rare (or at least uncommon) plant in a local garden center, then found online cultivation advice that emphasized bright but cool conditions, with protection from the afternoon sun. This seemed appropriate for a plant from the Himalayas, so I put in a container of about 1.5-gallon size, filled with good potting soil, placed the pot in a bright shade location, and watered it regularly.<\/p>\n The plant grew well enough, but has produced few stems and blossoms, compared to photos I have seen online. It didn’t seem happy.<\/p>\n With a bit more research, I learned for the first time that this plant is a caudiciform. The caudex is below soil level, so this was a surprise. Then with further research, I learned that it is also epiphytic! This is a game-changer.<\/p>\n Not all caudiciform plants are epiphytic, but they use available moisture very efficiently, so irrigation should at least be limited.<\/p>\n My cultivation plan for this plant now involves keeping it in the same bright shade location, and discontinuing irrigation. Reportedly, it prefers humid conditions, so I might mist it occasionally.<\/p>\n The first takeaway from my experience with this plant is to find more than one source of information on unusual plants that you bring to your garden. The Internet holds an amazing wealth of information of value to gardeners, and we should draw upon it routinely.<\/p>\n An important first step in researching a plant is to learn its botanical name. A search based on a common name often will lead to good information, but the botanical name is more accurate and preferable.<\/p>\n Try one or more caudiciform plants among the succulents in your garden. A rich source of information on these plants is the website bihrmann.com<\/a>. Hint: when you browse to the home page, click on the image immediately after \u201c.com.\u201d<\/p>\n Incidentally, you might enjoy exploring this website, which has many images of flora and fauna, in several categories. The author, identified\u00a0only as Bihrmann, has\u00a0travelled extensively, taken an enormous number of photographs and lived a rich life. Some of the pages are in Danish.<\/p>\n ***<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" With our persistent drought, and the possibility that it signals a long-term change in our climate, gardeners are becoming interested in succulent plants. They warrant a closer look. All plants store moisture in various parts of their anatomy. Succulent plants … Continue reading ![\"Ponytail](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ongardening.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/Ponytail-Palm.jpg?resize=300%2C300\")
<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Screen](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ongardening.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/Screen-Shot-2015-08-02-at-8.30.44-PM.png?resize=300%2C234\")
My other caudiciform plant is a Beautiful Serpent (Agapetes serpens), which is from the Himalayan mountain range north of India. It is in the Ericaceae (Heath) family. The plant\u2019s specific name refers to the snaky growth of its stems, but its blossoms are more distinctive, in my view.<\/p>\n![\"Screen](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ongardening.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/Screen-Shot-2015-08-02-at-8.31.19-PM.png?resize=300%2C182\")
<\/a>My plant is A. \u2018Ludgvan Cross\u2019, which is a cross of A. serpens and A. rugosa, both from the Himalayas. This hybrid has distinctive chevron markings on the blossoms.<\/p>\n