Happy new year. This is going to be a series for most of the coming month ahead if not leading into February. I picked up this book at a boot-sale last year and have just gotten round to reading it. It's an old flora with some commentary on what the various species are grown by Mary Capel, the first Duchess Of Beaufort.
As a cactus fan, we'll only cover that which depicts succulents and I'll give a commentary on what I think the plants are as the people writing are unfamiliar with what they are. I note that there is a write up in an old Bradleya by Gordon Rowley, if I can find it for download or sale I'll see if we agree. (He was BCSS president so he'll be much more right than I ever will). Anyway this is the entry for plate 7 as seen above.
Plate 7 Ficoides and Statice.
Ficoides is the name given in the index to no fewer than seventeen plants painted by Kychicus, mostly small daisy-like flowers with succulent leaves shown at the base of a group. The word "Ficoides" means literally 'like a fig' but there is no resemblance to the fig leaf or family in the plants painted nor is there a plant called by that name in horticulture now. Kychicus, however, also records that they were from South Africa. Now there is in that country a plant called vygie in Afrikaans which means "little fig" and refers to the edible fruits of the mesembryanthemum which is also called Hottentot fig and fig marigold. Both the fruits and the leaves of this plant have a slight narcotic content and act as a stimulant. In East Africa the crushed fruit is used in the making of bread and the ash as a source of washing powder.
It is indeed a very large family of curious plants both recumbent and tall but each having a daisy-like flower and yet not of the daisy or Compositae family. The family Aizoaceae is called after the iceplant whose fleshy leaves have innumerable translucent dots which shine like dew drops in the shade but in the sun appear as brilliant crystals, and whose leaves seem always cold to the touch.
Mesembria means 'midday' and anthemon is a flower, thus the name describes the flower's habit of only opening in full sun. Dorotheanthus* and Livingstone daisy are other modern names for the plant painted by Kychicus. They grow in this country from seeds or cuttings taken from the thick leaf and if placed in a sunny position provide flowers useful for bedding designs in vivid colours including crimson, purple, orange, blue and yellow. The illustration shows their versatility. The centre plant is a tall white mesembryanthemum with slim yet succulent leaves; on the right are two with yellow flowers, one a tall plant with a rough stem almost like a trunk of a tree and the other a recumbent variety with a larger flower. On the left are two not in flower but with an interesting and different leaves.
So a rather nice potted history on the genus Aizoaceae. She's wrong on a few points here and doesn't drill down species shown. There are no blue flowered mesembs, but all other colours mentioned are correct as are the uses. Sceletium and Psilocaulon used to be used for a mild narcotic and as ash in lye making and are now treated as part of the much expanded Mesembryanthem genus.
*Dorotheanthus is now treated as part of Cleretum another annual species.
Finally you can grow them from cuttings and indeed seeds which I have done in the past. though the more stemless varieties are better off grown from seed. Finally I'll give you my definition of what I think these species represent.
Across from the top left is:
A statice or sea lavender.
An unknown shrubby mesemb, which I thought was a species of daisy but now I'm looking at it properly, seems to be a white flowered Lampranthus. It's not Ruschia as its not pink. Though it could conceivably be a Delosperma.
Some unknown Asteraceae species. Due to its composite flower I'm going to guess a fleabane or likewise. I know it by sight but not by name.
From the bottom row.
Orbea Variegata. A well known Asclep, with it starfish flowers and bad smell. Some of you may know it as a Stapelia.
Glottiphyllum. Although they couldn't place this in the book. Its obvious to me with its huge fleshy leaves and big yellow flowers that this is a Glottiphyllum. Helps that last quarter's journal had a guide to the species, but this doesn't help narrow it down, as they are notoriously hard to tell apart.
