Author Archives: Alastair Culham

About Alastair Culham

A professional botanist and biologist with an interest in promoting biological knowledge and awareness to all.

Some new blogs are under development – detailed species accounts

During the Autumn Term our MSc Plant Diversity students are each drafting a detailed blog on one species that is being grown in the tropical glasshouse.  These blogs will be much more detailed and longer trials ur typical blogs and … Continue reading

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Biological control – the common toad

Common toads (Bufo bufo) are frequent on our campus and one or two have a home in the tropical greenhouse.  They are fairly shy creatures that tend to hide under objects during the day and come out at night. The … Continue reading

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Cyathea medullaris – Mamaku or Black Tree Fern

This native of New Zealand and adjacent islands grows to  20 m tall with fronds up to 6m long.  It’s name seems to link to the very dark appearance of the trunk caused by dark brown/black scales cover it and … Continue reading

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Cyathea brownii – Norfolk Island Tree Fern

This is reputed to be the fastest growing tree fern and can reach a height of More than 20 metres in its native Norfolk Island. In the wild the species has lost much of its native habitat And only about … Continue reading

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Chlorophytum comosum ‘Variegatum’

This is the cultivar with a central green band and white edges.  Chlorophytum comosum ‘Variegatum’ has a greater tendency to go brown at the leaf tips than its sister cultivar ‘Vittatum‘ but otherwise seems just as robust.  For fuller information … Continue reading

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Chlorophytum comosum ‘Vittatum’

Chlorophytum comosum ‘Vittatum’ is the spider plant with a white stripe down the middle of the leaf.  It is known as a very tolerant houseplant due to the thick fleshy roots that make it resistant to drying out and it’s … Continue reading

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Arachis glabrata – Perennial Peanut

The perennial peanut is grown as a forage crop and an ornamental groundcover species originating in South America.  It is nitrogen fixing via rhizobial associations and tolerant of a wide range of soil and moisture conditions.

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Ananas comosus – Pineapple

The pineapple is a species of bromeliad (Bromeliaceae), a family naturally confined to the Americas.  It arrived in Britain as aprt of the Colombian exchange and became a highly prized fruit that was grown is special heated frames.  Nowadays it … Continue reading

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Zamia pumila – Coontie

This slow growing and diminutive cycad is native to the West Indes and Cuba.  Like other Zamiaceae it is highly toxic due to the Cycasin compound it contains.

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Lantana camara ‘Pink Caprice’

This is the second of our Lanatana camara cultivars and was also purchased as a small plant from a commercial supplier.  It shows similar vigour to the orange cultivar.

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