Ooh, that’s my kind of plant – sharp! Who wants nice, soft, docile little leaves you can walk on – I want ones that can defend themselves. And look gorgeous while doing it.
Chris, thanks for the ID. I assumed an agave but am not familiar with this species.
It’s a rosette succulent.The flower would be a thick stalk emerging from the center. That broad red parallelopiped in the upper left looks as though it may be a flower stalk from a neighboring rosette.
acrasissays
I like botanical Wednesday, but I’d be even happier if the Latin binomial were given as a matter of course. Not because there’s any problem with posting beautiful plants on Pharyngula, but because I’ve noticed that science journalism (like that in the New York Times) is beginning to omit them. The whole reason Linnaeus devised the binomial system was so there would be no ambiguity when you talked about a plant. If you say “Cornelian cherry”, somebody not familiar with the plant might think you were talking about the genus Prunus, when in fact you are talking about a type of dogwood (genus Cornus). I’m a botanist, so of course this is horribly important to me, but I also think it’s important in science education.
Chris Clarke says
Nice. Agave geminiflora, I’m guessing.
Rev. BigDumbChimp says
love this
hotshoe says
Ooh, that’s my kind of plant – sharp! Who wants nice, soft, docile little leaves you can walk on – I want ones that can defend themselves. And look gorgeous while doing it.
Chris, thanks for the ID. I assumed an agave but am not familiar with this species.
Antiochus Epiphanes says
Chris: thanks for the ID.
Azkyroth, Former Growing Toaster Oven says
…what’s that stuff in the lower left corner?
(Do not taunt Rule 34? O.o)
JohnnieCanuck says
Azkyroth, my guess.
Guano.
Markita Lynda—damn climate change! says
What a neat, um, thing, I mean flower. Are the curly bits anthers?
Chris Clarke says
Those curly bits are marginal fibers that grow off the leaves.
Chris Clarke says
It’s a rosette succulent.The flower would be a thick stalk emerging from the center. That broad red parallelopiped in the upper left looks as though it may be a flower stalk from a neighboring rosette.
acrasis says
I like botanical Wednesday, but I’d be even happier if the Latin binomial were given as a matter of course. Not because there’s any problem with posting beautiful plants on Pharyngula, but because I’ve noticed that science journalism (like that in the New York Times) is beginning to omit them. The whole reason Linnaeus devised the binomial system was so there would be no ambiguity when you talked about a plant. If you say “Cornelian cherry”, somebody not familiar with the plant might think you were talking about the genus Prunus, when in fact you are talking about a type of dogwood (genus Cornus). I’m a botanist, so of course this is horribly important to me, but I also think it’s important in science education.