Print

Plants

Category: The village and exotic garden

 

The cactus

The collection of cactus of the garden allows to get to know the diversity of the world of the cactus.

Echinocactus grusonii is probably one of the most known because of its globular shape scattered of spines which has the nickname of "mother-in-law cushion". The other cactus very familiar to the visitors is the Opuntia and in particular Opuntia Ficus usually called "prickly pear". Under the name of "nopal", the pre-Coloumbian gathered many Opuntias with pricly pear in the garden : O. mycrodasys, O. bergeriana... They took the pulp of the peickly pear without thorns and mixed it with honey to make some creams for the skin. 

You can admire also other kinds of plants such as the Neobuxmaunia Polylopha and the Trichocereus Pasacana with their large white flower and may others.

Cephalocereus Senilis, "head of old man" interets the visitors because of its top furnished a thick white fleece. If the night flowering of this last is exceptional under our climates, that of Cleistocactus Trausii is copious from May to September. The pilosity of all these specimens limit evaporation and protect the cactus against the hard winter in their country of origin.

Some cactus are characterized by the beauty of their thorns. Ferocactus Pilosus has some impressives thorns of a beautiful red coral. The Mexicans eat this flowers as a dessert fried with the frying pan with sugar. The translucent prickle of the Opuntia Tunicata reflect the Mediterranean light.

 

Euphorbia

The garden has several species and in particular the very elegant Euphorbia Coerulescens.

 

Agavacées

The agaves appear among the most elegant plants of the garden. Let us quote in particular Agave Americana Picta and Agave Americana Marginata with the yellow bands and also the very beautiful Agave Reginae Victoriae decorated with white boders or Agave Sisal which whom mexicans make carpets. In the garden grow also many beautiful species of Agave Salmania Var Ferox with large leaves and with prominent thorns and especially Agave Americana Mediopicta with a reversed coloring.

 

Liliacées

Among the liliacées of the garden, the aloes have a place of choice. You can see the Aloe Arborescens more commonly called aloe "horn of ram", the Aloe Succtrina, the Aloe Ciliaris and the Aloe Ferox. If today, Aloe Vera is commonly used in the cosmetics, the Egyptians already used it to make perfumes used for the shrouds of the mummies.

The Yuccas bring a salutary shade for the visitors druing the summer. Among those, Yucca Elephantipes owes his name to his knotty and thick trunk which evokes the leg of an elephant.

 

Other specimens of the garden

Between two stones or safe from a palm tree grow a multitude of other succulents. More discreet, they bring according to the seasons, each one their colour to the garden. Carpobrotus edulis illuminates in spring the floors of its violet flowers. Lastly if the campanuled flowers of Echeviera elegans or of the Aeonium canariense intrigue the tourists, the mysterious balck rosette of Aeonium arboreum are offered to the meditation of passers by.