(Chainfruit Cholla, Jumping Cholla)

An upright branching cactus with warty, spined stems, the chainfruit cholla often displays drooping, segmented stem clusters of green fruits. This succulent cactus tolerates mild subfreezing temperatures and excessive drought and heat in summer. Its native to central Arizona southward into the Mexican state of Sonora. If you brush up against this cactus, the segmented fruits left on the stems pop or "jump" off.

Rather than display any leaves, this cactus photosynthesizes light in its bumpy stems....

(Candelabrum Cactus, Cane Cholla, Cardenche , Tree Cholla)

Large, beautifully colored flowers make this tree-like, cold-hardy cactus an excellent candidate for arid gardens. Tree or cane cholla is noted for having the most northerly range of any other Cylindropuntia. It is found at middle to high elevations in Utah, New Mexico, Colorado, West Texas and Kansas, and also extends southward into Mexico.

Tree cholla is composed of short, gray-green stems, either cylindrical or slightly club-shaped. Each areole contains 5 to 30 wickedly barbed...

(Cymbidium Orchid, Finlayson's Cymbidium)

On the island of Borneo, islanders grow the spring-blooming Finlayson's cymbidium orchid near their homes to ward off evil spirits. But the non-superstitious simply enjoy this plant's long, branched flower stalks lined with scores of warm, golden brown blossoms. This tropical epiphytic or a lithophytic orchid is native to the rainforests across peninsular Southeast Asia, from Vietnam to Indonesia and the Philippines.

This large evergreen orchid grows from a clump of short, cone-shaped pseudobulbs...

(Bermuda Grass)

Bermuda grass is a fine textured plant native to southern Asia, most likely India. However it is naturalized throughout the warm, humid, subtropical and tropical areas of the world. The small, lance-shaped leaves are usually dark green to gray green and emerge from a loose sheath folded maturing to a flat form. Bermuda grass spreads by scaly rhizomes (underground stems) and flattened stolons (above ground lateral stems). Both the rhizomes and stolons are heavily branched, root at the nodes and produce...

(Bermuda Grass)

Bermuda grass is a fine textured plant native to southern Asia. However it is naturalized throughout the warm, humid, subtropical and tropical areas of the world. The small, lance-shaped leaves are usually dark green to gray green and emerge from a loose sheath folded maturing to a flat form. Bermuda grass spreads by scaly rhizomes (underground stems) and flattened stolons (above ground lateral stems). Both the rhizomes and stolons are heavily branched, root at the nodes and produce dense stands...

(Papyrus, Wild Spike Cyperus)

A lovely dwarf version of papyrus, ‘Wild Spike’ offers unique tropical looks indoors or out. This hybrid papyrus straddles the line between a moisture-loving grass and a tropical foliage plant. It is composed of many dark green, leafless stems topped in a spoke-like whorl of long pendulous bracts similar to ribs of an umbrella. With ‘Wild Spike’ these are narrower giving it a fine-textured appearance. Small pale yellow to brown flowers are held just above the bracts in summer. These are not particularly...

(Alternate Papyrus, Umbrella Papyrus, Umbrella Plant)

The bold look of umbrella plant make it a favorite garden plant for moist containers and subtropical pondside gardens. This upright, evergreen, grass-like perennial is native to Madagascar. It spreads steadily by underground rhizomes to form substantial clumps over time, in fact in some areas it has escaped from garden cultivation and is considered invasive.

The chief selling point of this papyrus is its unique, striking foliage. It bears tall, dark green leafless stems topped with a spoke-like...

The bold look of umbrella plant make it a favorite garden plant for moist containers and subtropical pondside gardens. This upright, evergreen, grass-like perennial is native to Madagascar. It spreads steadily by underground rhizomes to form substantial clumps over time, in fact in some areas it has escaped from garden cultivation and is considered invasive.

The chief selling point of this papyrus is its unique, striking foliage. It bears tall, dark green leafless stems topped with a spoke-like...

The bold look of umbrella plant make it a favorite garden plant for moist containers and subtropical pondside gardens. This upright, evergreen, grass-like perennial is native to Madagascar. It spreads steadily by underground rhizomes to form substantial clumps over time, in fact in some areas it has escaped from garden cultivation and is considered invasive.

The chief selling point of this papyrus is its unique, striking foliage. It bears tall, dark green leafless stems topped with a spoke-like...

(Nut Sedge, Yellow Nut Sedge)

Gardeners who have run across this noxious perennial or annual weed know just how obnoxious it is. Nut sedge spreads aggressively if allowed to take hold because it's tough as nails and spreads via fast-growing rhizomes (underground roots and stems). To make matters worse, it also produces tuberous nutlets that remain behind when the weed is pulled and grow into whole new plants. This pervasive weed can be found in North Temperate and subtropical regions across the globe, so most will meet up with...