Guess what this is
Guess what this is
Tillandsia usnoides (Spanish Moss) ?
No, but that was a good guess as we sure have a lot of that moss on our Live Oaks around here.
That's my guess too.
Ardesia, I've always wanted to know how hardy the spanish moss is to cold/frost. Think it'd make it here?
My other thought on this is a bud for an everlasting. Interesting pic. Looks like a sea fan.
Cycas revoluta, but not new leaves... looks like the coverings of a female cone, to me.
Hety, Jeri and Palm Bob win. It's a close up of the female "flower" on a sago. I love the beautiful patterns and the fuzzy texture.
It is in a friend's garden and she always cuts all her fronds off each year and this year the plant flowered and her fronds have not come back yet. It is going to look pretty funny until next year. This thing is a good 12 inches in diameter.
That is so cool looking!
Wowser! Thanks for sharing something rarely seen.
You're welcome. I just thought it was so neat.
Wow, what an interesting plant. I love it! Just another reason I want a sago. LOL
Totally cool! Thanks for the picture.
:) Donna
This plant is over 40 years old. I have many sagos but none old enough to make such an impressive flower (or any flower at all yet).
I have two Sagos that I planted this summer. How long do they have to grow before they get those crazy looking flowers on them? If I have to wait 40 years like Ardesia, I'll be dead by then.
Gail
Boy! I've definitely never had to wait for any time at all for sagos to put on either the male or female "flowers". Of course, I never even thought of cutting all the fronds off, either. The beauty of the sago is the leaves,(fronds) not the "flower" and the only reason I ever cut off any of the fronds is to give room at the bottom of the plant where they touch the ground and get kind of messy looking. They grow really huge here and I see some people training theirs into a tree form which I don't particularly like since the reason for a sago over a real palm is that it is and stays low growing. One year a sago will get a male "flower" and the next year it will get the female.......now I'm beginning to doubt we are talking about the same thing.............
Ann
The sagos that are female will produce only female pups. The male sagos will only produce male pups.
Jeri
True... and a plant can only produce either male or female cones in it's lifetime.. never both. At least, not unless they can change their sex (I know some plants can do that, but I don't think cycads are one of those).
Changed 'flowers' to cones.. you are right.. no flowers in this family
This message was edited Oct 23, 2006 8:24 PM
Ardesia~
As that thingy opens up, let us see more.
Robert.
Ok what I thought was a "flower" isn't a flower, I guess. And I'm not talking pups, either. In the center of a sago a long "thingy " will develope, ripen and then is cut off or it falls off. At another time, the fronds will come up from the center as new growth. Guess I never observed a "flower". I get so confused....
Ann
Ardesia, are you saying that your neighbor cuts ALL the fronds off each year and only leaves the main plant? The flower is beautiful. Last year I cut off all the pups off and now I have twice as many attached to the plant. I will be cutting them off again soon. I just stick them in the ground at the back of my property. Have several growing and don't know what else to do with them.
I cut all the fronds off each year just before Palm Sunday and use them for Sunday services. They leaf back out in no time.
Jeri