Fitzroya

Fitzroya is a genus in the cypress family Cupressaceae with a single species, Fitzroya cupressoides native to the Andes mountains of southern Chile and adjoining Argentina, where it is an important member of the Valdivian temperate rain forests. The scientific name of the genus honours Robert FitzRoy; common names include Lahuan, Alerce, and Patagonian Cypress.

It is a very large evergreen tree, the largest tree species in South America, growing to 40-60 m tall and up to 5 m trunk diameter. The leaves are in decussate whorls of three, 3-6 mm long (to 8 mm long on seedlings) and 2 mm broad, marked with two white stomatal lines. The cones are globose, 6-8 mm diameter, opening flat to 12 mm across, with nine scales in three whorls of three. Only the central whorl of scales is fertile, bearing 2-3 seeds on each scale; the lower and upper whorls are small and sterile. The seeds are 2-3 mm long, flat, with a wing along each side. The seeds are mature 6-8 months after pollination.

In 1993 a specimen from Chile was dated as 3622 years old. This gives it the third-greatest fully verified age recorded for any living tree, after the Great Basin Bristlecone Pine and the as yet unnamed 9,550 year old spruce tree discovered in Sweden in 2008. Much larger specimens existed in the past before the species was heavily logged in the 19th and 20th centuries; Charles Darwin reported finding a specimen 12.6 m in diameter, which, if accurately measured, would have made it the stoutest tree ever measured anywhere in the world.

Onosma

Onosma is a genus of plants that grow biennially or perennially. The group consists of about 80 species that grow in the Mediterranean and West Asia. All of the species grow in dry or moist and sunny habitats. The various species are popualar... more >>>

Malope

Malope is a genus of three species in the mallow botanical family (Malvaceae). Of the three species, Malope trifida is often used as a ornamental plant


Species
Malope trifida (Annual Malope, Maloppi,... more >>>

Gagea

Gagea is a large genus of spring flowers in the Liliaceae found in Europe and western Asia. It is named after the English naturalist Sir Thomas Gage. They were originally described as species of Ornithogalum, which, together with the usual... more >>>

Jasmine

Jasmine or Jessamine (Jasminum) (from Persian yasmin, i.e. "gift from God") is a genus of shrubs and vines in the olive family (Oleaceae),with about 200 species, native to tropical and warm temperate regions of the Old World. The... more >>>

Gentiana

Gentiana is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the Gentian family (Gentianaceae), tribe Gentianeae and monophyletic subtribe Gentianinae. This a large genus, with about 400 species.

This is a cosmopolitan genus, occurring... more >>>