Cola de Gallo

May 09, 2018 5:15
Cola de Gallo
Growing Native with Petey Mesquitey
Cola de Gallo

May 09 2018 | 5:15

/

Show Notes

Anisacanthus thurberi or desert honeysuckle is in the Acanthus family, Acanthaceae. I do like the common name cola de gallo, because it captures the “wild crazy looking lips” of the flowers, which are really the long curly petals of the flower. Yes, the flowers are cool!  There are ten genera in the Acanthus family found around you and me in the borderlands and they too have very cool flowers. Oh, and I should mention there are other southwestern Anisacanthus spp. that can be found in native plant nurseries. Collect the whole set!

Okay, one last thing because I’m still trying to figure out the meaning of the genus name and while cruising a dichotomous key for the family –very sad- I saw the phrase “stamens in unequal pairs.”  Whoa, is that it?…unequal stamens and not thorns? Oh dear, I really need a life.

Hey, the photos are mine. That’s the flower of “Pinky” above and the other photos are of our borderlands desert honeysuckle, Anisacanthus thurberi. You need one in your landscape.

Other Episodes

Episode 0

April 16, 2023 00:04:24
Episode Cover

Clashing Biotic Communities

It’s pretty hard to go wrong no matter which way you head into the borderlands of southeastern Arizona. On the day that we turned...

Listen

Episode

September 06, 2017 4:48
Episode Cover

The Season of Seasons

Hmm, I sure talk about a lot of things in this show, but fall does this to me and it is the season of...

Listen

Episode 0

April 10, 2022 00:04:16
Episode Cover

Ol' Jack Keroac

Some personal history in poem and song. The photos are mine…well, I dug them out of the archives.                                            That’s the very beginning of the...

Listen