Cleome Isomeris, aka Bladderpod, is mostly found in Baja California. By 'found', we mean whole fields and hillsides bathed in a vibrant yellow, as the Bladderpod spreads as far as the eye can see. They grow up to 6.5ft (2 meters) and they are gorgeous.
To the disappointment of small children everywhere, the 'bladder' part refers only to the shape of its seed-pod. Inside each of them, there are dozens of tightly packed seeds, just waiting to pop out.
Burro is the Mexican word for a donkey, hence the common name for Sedum Morganianum (though this is surely a missed opportunity to name it 'Knatty Dreadlock Plant'). It takes a second look to realise that those tendrils aren't woven. It's just a visual fallacy caused by the shape of the blue-green leaves. In season, there is also a red flower at the end.
The tendrils grow to nearly 2ft (60cm) and are often exported for use as foliage houseplants. It can be found throughout Southern Mexico.
It looks like it's all leaves and the occasional magnificent flower, but those green parts are actually branches. This is Epiphyllum anguliger, also known as the fishbone cactus. It flowers at night, and then only for a handful of nights each year.
In the wild, it is only found in the rainforests of Chiapas, at a high altitude. However, people do successfully cultivate it as a rare houseplant.
Doesn't it look good enough to eat? This is Sedum Rubrotinctum, better known by its nicknames, the Jelly Bean Plant or Pork and Beans. Despite those tasty sounding names, it's better not to attempt to eat this plant. The 'jelly beans' are actually poisonous. Either ingesting or touching them might cause irritation.
It grows easily throughout Mexico and is one of the popular gardening exports. It will grow in any soil, except mud or swamp; however, it can't cope with frost. The leaves change color, from green to red, during the course of the year. Its flowers are bright yellow.
In 2005, a botanist, from St Louis, Missouri, in the USA, was on holiday in Mexico. He climbed up into the mountains east of Acapulco and found a strange, parasitic plant growing all over a tree. George Yatskievych, with a botanist's instinct, cut off a segment, then pressed and dried a whole specimum. Once he returned home, he attempted to find out what it was called. The world's experts didn't have a clue.
Wayt Thomas, from New York's Botanical Garden, did have a sneaking suspicion that it matched another specimum. That had been found in 1985 and hadn't been seen before nor since. They compared their plants and they matched. It's still being studied, but it appears to be an extremely rare, undocumented plant. It currently wears the moniker, 'Little Hermit of Mexico'. They are working on the Latin name.
It can be found in the Guerrero mountains, though you may be looking for days before you spot one.
Ok, that's cheating just a little, as you're only seeing the top of Pachycereus Schottii, aka Senita Cactus, Whisker Cactus and Old Man Cactus. As it grows up to 21ft (6.4 meters) in height, and congregates in clumps around 15ft (4.6 meters) wide, you're unlikely to actually see the summit of the mature plants. It's very pretty though.
Here is the rest of it, growing around the base of a dead Ironwood Tree, in the Pinacate Biosphere Reserve, Sonora.
It is in bloom right now, with pale pink flowers showing from April until August. However, they only appear at night. Another feature of this cactus is that, as it ages, the spines at the top become quite large, in comparison to those at the bottom. These top heavy spines hang down, giving the impression of a long, flowing, white beard. Hence its nicknames of whisker cactus and old man cactus.
It can be found throughout Northern Mexico, including on the Baja California.
This is Justicia Brandegeana, also known as the shrimp plant, because its flowers, well, look like a shrimp.
The flowers are white, but they grow from red bracts, which give it the illusion of a pink color. The bracts keep on extending for most of the year, until they reach around a foot (30cm) in length. Then the weight snaps it off and it falls to the ground.
This plant is a favorite of hummingbirds and butterflies. It can be found all over Mexico.
Is anyone else getting the impression of a load of cacti, who just saw the camera come out and rushed forward to pose? That one at the front definitely has a, 'Hey Mum!', aspect to it. Or maybe it's just me on one two many tequilas.
Despite the cuddly name, it's better not to hug a Teddy Bear Cholla. They are covered in spikes and so it might hurt. Not least because they have a habit of detaching ends of their stems to embed themselves into bare flesh; hence you should wear long trousers while walking anywhere near them. (Stong language warning for the below video.)
The spikes are about an inch long, densely covering a plant that is between 3 to 7 feet (1 to 2 m) tall. The jumping segments are around 10 inches (25 cm) long.
Teddy Bear Cholla can be found in the Sonora Desert.
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