Good Friday Plant. Doringkroonvygie, Trichodiadema setuliferum, Hortus Botanicus, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
In The Gardeners' Chronicle of 1876, Nicholas Edward Brown (1849-1934) writes about a new succulent that has recently arrived at the Kew Gardens, London, from South Africa through the good graces of Harry Bolus (1834-1911). In June 1875 it had flowered beautifully, and Brown adds that Kew already possessed herbarium specimens that had been sent there earlier by Peter MacOwan (1830-1909), who was later to make a fine name for himself as South Africa's first plant pathologist. Mesembryanthemum setuliferum - as it was still called - had been collected in the heart of The Karoo at Bruintjieshoogte (1647 m. alt.).
In the early 1930s the Latin name was revised to Trichodiadema setuliferum: Hairy Crown. That name belies the African name 'Doringkroonvygie', "Crown of Thorns Flower" because those hairs are not actually 'thorns'. So perhaps it's wiser to use another common language designation: Stervygie, "Star Flower".
But the 'Diadema' in the scientific name - and that 'Doringkroon' - are used in the Gospels to refer to Jesus's Crown of Thorns before his Good Friday Crucifixion. So this plant is appropriate for this afternoon, also because it's not yet in Glorious Flower.
Good Friday Plant. Doringkroonvygie, Trichodiadema setuliferum, Hortus Botanicus, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
In The Gardeners' Chronicle of 1876, Nicholas Edward Brown (1849-1934) writes about a new succulent that has recently arrived at the Kew Gardens, London, from South Africa through the good graces of Harry Bolus (1834-1911). In June 1875 it had flowered beautifully, and Brown adds that Kew already possessed herbarium specimens that had been sent there earlier by Peter MacOwan (1830-1909), who was later to make a fine name for himself as South Africa's first plant pathologist. Mesembryanthemum setuliferum - as it was still called - had been collected in the heart of The Karoo at Bruintjieshoogte (1647 m. alt.).
In the early 1930s the Latin name was revised to Trichodiadema setuliferum: Hairy Crown. That name belies the African name 'Doringkroonvygie', "Crown of Thorns Flower" because those hairs are not actually 'thorns'. So perhaps it's wiser to use another common language designation: Stervygie, "Star Flower".
But the 'Diadema' in the scientific name - and that 'Doringkroon' - are used in the Gospels to refer to Jesus's Crown of Thorns before his Good Friday Crucifixion. So this plant is appropriate for this afternoon, also because it's not yet in Glorious Flower.