This strange-looking thing turned out to be succulent.

As soon as summer comes, succulent babies are in dire straits. How can we help them survive the summer? Join the author of this article, succulent person @ attack succulent person to bring you the online lecture-succulent summer guide!

At the beginning of the year, I received a set of stamps brought back by a friend from Hong Kong on the theme of Australian succulent plants. This set of stamps, issued on June 20, 2017, is designed by Janet Boschen and consists of a set of 4 stamps with a total face value of A $4. The stamp style is realistic and the photo material is from Australian succulent plant expert Attila Kapitany.

Product: "succulent plants in Australia"

Attila Kapitany (left), Michele Kapitany. The couple are both well-known Australian succulent plant experts and have been studying Australian succulent plants for more than 35 years. The main work is Australian succulent plants.

"what, there are succulent plants in Australia?" I guess many people will think that in fact Australia is not only a succulent country but also a seriously undervalued "succulent country". Here succulent plants are rich in species, curious in shape and fresh in color. In any way, it is not lost to the familiar hot spots such as South Africa and Mexico. This is a good opportunity to talk about the succulent plants in Australia.

Well, if you are not a professional, I am afraid you may not be able to guess correctly even if you are given 10 chances. Forget it, don't guess, you'd better follow the succulent gentleman and recognize your face.

NO.1

4-1

Face value: 1 $

Calandrinia creethae

Portulacaceae Portulacaceae

Calandrinia (Linnaeus)

Chinese translation: Diwaxing matchmaker flower (temporary translation)

This set of stamps selects four kinds of Made in Australia, just like the succulent plants of alien creatures, showing the characteristics of flowers and plants with concise and intuitive design techniques. You can't guess them before the introduction, Jingtianke? Euphorbiaceae? Compositae?

"are you lying to me that you are so good-looking that you are related to Portulaca oleracea?" I dare not. Tall trees like carambola Averrhoa carambola and Oxalis corymbosa, a low and luxuriant grass in the lawn, are members of the sorrel family.

For the time being, there is no official Chinese name for this succulent plant. The genus name Calandrinia is taken in memory of the Swiss scholar Jean-Louis Calandrini. Domestic scholars have translated it as "matchmaker flower", which comes from the English name "red maid" of this kind of plant. Combined with their wax-like leaves, in order to facilitate the introduction, I named them "matchmaker flowers of dripping wax".

The colors are bright. Picture: Jean and Fred / Flickr

Nothing attracts more attention than the round fleshy leaves of the matchmaker. In the eyes of foodie, the waterdrop-shaped shape, bright red, and attractive luster are simply jelly beans accidentally sprinkled on the floor by the creator, and the meat is so delicious that one can't help but want to taste it. No wonder the English name of the matchmaker flower is "Jelly Beans".

The matchmaker flower is an annual herb. Their main stem is very short, the first layer of leaves will grow in a circle around the ground, and then a number of twigs protrude from the center of the ring and spread everywhere, and the branchlets will grow and cover as wide as one meter. The whole plant is like an alien fortress, constantly sending troops to attack the city and expand the territory, which is amazing.

The leaves who are opening up the territory. Photo Source: northqueenslandplants.com

But most of the time, their leaves are ordinary grass green. The stamps choose their bright red appearance, which will only appear when the temperature difference between day and night is large and the sunshine is sufficient. At this time, due to the destruction and decomposition of chlorophyll, anthocyanins and carotenoids and other anthocyanins have the upper hand. So the color of the leaves will slowly transition from grass green to cream yellow and orange until they are dyed bright red.

Slide left and right to see the process from green to red. Picture: Australia Succulents

If there is not enough light for a long time, the originally round, chubby leaves will release themselves, like being dragged into an octopus monster with teeth and claws, and become unrecognizable to her own mother, such as this.

A sudden ego. Picture:

Their flowers are small and delicate, petals as thin as cicada wings, pink as cherry blossoms, whenever in full bloom, dotted with pink dotted in the desert, very beautiful.

The blooming red maiden flower. Source: Jean and Fred / Flickr

The matchmaker flower is distributed in the central desert of Western Australia, which is dry and rainy all the year round. In order to adapt to the extreme environment, their leaves are highly fleshy and store a lot of water. In addition, most of the plants of the genus Linnaeus have radish-like underground roots, which can not only provide water, but also firmly take root in the sandy soil to avoid being uprooted by strong winds.

The underground root of Calandrinia crispisepala. Source: Attila Kapitany / Austrlia Geography

These tenacious plants absorb water desperately in dry land, strive to reproduce, and nourish other life: emu chicks peck at their leaves and roots to get precious water from them to survive the first six weeks of their most vulnerable lives. Not only animals, but also the aborigines of Western Australia will harvest and grow them as a source of food.

NO.2

4-2

Face value: 1 $

Portulaca cyclophylla

Portulacaceae Portulacaceae

Purslane Portulaca

Tortoise shell purslane (temporary translation)

It's another strange purslane. The plant is creeping and trailing, the leaves are round or cordate, leathery and thick, succulent. Their veins are obvious, forming irregular cracked and sunken textures, and the leaf surface is slightly arched, like little turtles hiding in the gravel. For the convenience of introduction, I will call it Portulaca oleracea.

The leaf surface of Portulaca oleracea is usually grass green to dark green, but it is close to dark brown when it comes out, which is similar to the color of sandy soil from the place of origin, and is well integrated with the surrounding environment to play the effect of camouflage and avoid being eaten by other animals. If it were not for their large and bright yellow flowers, it would be difficult to recognize them at a glance in the vast desert.

Conspicuous rhubarb. Picture: Attila Kapitany / Australia Putulaca

The back of their leaves is fleshy, densely covered with fine reticular texture, and the mesophyll tissue shows translucent garnet red, reflecting an oily luster in the sun.

Pomegranate red fleshy leaves. Picture: Attila Kapitany / Australia Putulaca

The flower diameter of Portulaca oleracea can reach 35mm, which is "huge" compared to the leaves the size of the little finger. The petals and stamens are bright yellow, bringing vitality to the dark red sandy loam.

Picture: Attila Kapitany / Australia Putulaca

There are many succulent plants that can be called "masters of camouflage" in nature. because of their posture, shape, color, etc., and their surroundings (gravel), it is difficult to tell the truth from the false. we call this kind of plant "stone mimicry plant". Most of these plants are found in Africa and Mexico, such as the familiar stone flowers, twelve rolls, tortoise shell peonies, etc., but they are quite rare in Australia. Most of the time, this ability of "stone mimicry" can only be seen in Portulaca oleracea.

Picture: Attila Kapitany / Australia Putulaca

NO.3

4-1

Face value: 1 $

Tecticornia verrucosa

Amaranth Amaranthaceae

Salicornioideae of Salicornia subfamily

Suaeda salsa Tecticornia

Chinese translation: sausage ao Haipeng (temporary translation)

If even this kind of plant can't subvert your common sense, then they will be so curious for nothing. This succulent plant, which seems to be juicy with a single bite, can grow into a small shrub about 60 centimeters high. Their leaves are degraded, and the "sausages" that look slippery and tender and creamy mint green in the stamps are their highly fleshy stems, which can not only replace the leaves for photosynthesis, but also store a large amount of water at the same time. Adapt to the extremely dry environment of its origin.

The lotus root-colored "pine cones" at the top of the "sausage" are actually their spikes, formed by a number of hard bracts that are mutually opposite and tightly clasped. Over time, it will continue to grow on both sides. The white whiskers dotted on the bracts are their unusually mini flowers, only about 1mm. This succulent plant produces millet-like seeds, which are still used by local natives and ground into flour to make bread.

Picture: Australian Succulent Plants

And the same parts as "Birthday Bun with Bean Paste Filling" on the "pine cones" are their growing points. During the flowering period, "Birthday Bun with Bean Paste Filling" will yearn for a small segment of stem nodes, and then divide new inflorescences on both sides. Inflorescences are nearly perpendicular to the stem and cross opposite to the lower adjacent inflorescences. There will be a new growing point in the middle of the inflorescence, thus constantly growing upwards stem nodes and lateral inflorescences; non-flowering, "Birthday Bun with Bean Paste Filling" part will continue to grow new stem nodes, sometimes lateral branches, and gradually grow into a small shrub.

As they mature, the fleshy stems near the ground will slowly shrink, leaving only dry wood-like xylem, when the whole plant will become a very good-looking pink purple.

The state of sausage Euphorbia altissima in different growth periods. Picture: Australian Succulent Plants

The sausage is distributed in the saline-alkali areas of Western Australia and the Northern Territory, where it is dry and rainy all the year round, and few plants can survive. It is only after a brief flood every year that the plant will sprout and grow quickly.

A fast-growing sausage like an alien creature. Photo Source: Australian Succulent Plants

At present, more than 30 species of the genus Salicornia have been found, most of which are unique to Australia, only Tecticornia indica is widely distributed in the tropical coastal areas around the Indian Ocean. You may have often seen a kind of freak named Halosarcia bulbosa, which looks like a steamed bread kebab at a barbecue stall, which is actually a succulent plant of the genus Euphorbia. In 2007, Halosarcia and three other genera (Pachycornia, Sclerostegia, Tegicornia) were incorporated into the Tecticornia genus.

NO.4

4-4

Face value: 1 $

Gunniopsis quadrifida

Aizoaceae of Prunaceae

Gunniopsis of Apricot

Stuart's pig face (temporary translation)

Compared with the previous appearance of the "fantastic trio", the last one looks much more mundane. This is a perennial low shrub that is much branched and often grows into a large clump. The greatest feature of this kind of apricot is its stick-shaped fleshy leaves and star-like white flowers.

Their fleshy leaves are mutually opposite, ice crystal-like vesicular cells are visible to the naked eye, and contain salty cell sap. Why is this so? This is because they grow in inland salt lakes and saline zones in central and western Australia, and in order to adapt to the harsh environment, they close their stomata during the hot day, maximize transpiration and reduce water loss in the body. at the same time, the absorbed salt is excreted into the bubble cells.

Picture: Australian Succulent Plants

Unlike other succulent apricots that produce showy flowers, Stewart's pig face can only produce simple white flowers, which have no petals and calyx, only a perianth of four lanceolate lobes and anthers pink or white. This succulent plant is also one of the natural ingredients of Australian aborigines. It can be eaten raw or cooked. It is simply Australia's "wheatgrass".

Photo Source: ExplorOz

Picture: Australian Succulent Plants

In Australia, there are nearly 400 species of plants that can be called "succulent". Of course, this is not a botanical concept. Whether it is succulent or not is a consensus reached by the horticultural community. For centuries, because they are not the mainstream category in horticulture, coupled with their unorthodox appearance and scattered distribution, Australian succulent plants have been ignored by the horticultural community, even by professional botanists or experts. Attention to such plants is not high.

The four kinds of succulent plants honored to appear on the stamps this time are only four young generals in the Australian succulent army. More strange and interesting species need to be further discovered and studied. It is hoped that stamps of this theme can be released into a collection in the future. Let people all over the world pay attention to and understand these Australian succulent plants comparable to extraterrestrials.

Australia's strange succulent army. Picture: Australian Succulent Plants

See here, is not super! Class! Want to raise succulent plants? Don't worry, these rare succulent varieties are not easy to raise, so you'd better raise the common succulent ones first. It's the hardest summer for succulent plants. How are you doing with succulent plants?

If there is no comparison, there will be no harm. Let's first take a look at the succulent succulent family that the author of this article has attacked:

It can be said that the powder is tender and tender, soft and cute!

Think about the sick and miserable succulent babies in their families, are they very jealous? Why is it that other people's succulent families can be so beautiful, while their own succulent families are still struggling on the brink of life and death? Have you ever thought that there may be something wrong with your maintenance measures?

Unlike spring and autumn, summer determines the life and death of succulent babies, and how to get them through safely is a problem. How to make them soft and cute is a big problem!

It takes time to delve into your own solutions, so you might as well listen to the experience of succulent people. At 19:30 this evening, Calendar Niang invited succulent people @ attacking succulent plants to explain to you a number of practical suggestions to help succulent plants spend the summer, as well as a long question and answer time to solve the problems encountered in the process of raising succulent plants.

To save the succulent baby, start by listening to the lecture and scan the code to sign up!

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