Cryptanthus acaulis
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Cryptanthus acaulis
Cryptanthus acaulis var. ruber
Identification by Geoffrey Lawn, Cryptanthus Society's International Director.
In Geoff's words ... "I guess it's 'new' to newcomers, but you undoubtedly have C. acaulis var. ruber, one of the first, hardiest and most prolific Crypts in Aussie collections. Strangely, there's no photo on fcbs.org/. possibly because this species variety is seldom found in U.S.A. collections where hybrids tend to dominate. Botanically 'acaulis' means little or no stem, which applied to original field-collected specimens such as 'Cafe au Lait' and 'Timothy Plowman' but later stoloniferous clones were found, such as 'Cabo Frio Cabbage' and 'Whirligig'. The 'ruber' refers to the reddish leaves in bright light."
From Brazil, named by Hort ex Beer in Bromel. 76. 1856.
| Ian Hook, Sydney 08/04. |
Ian Hook, Sydney 10/06. |
Updated 08/10/06
