ATalinum Calycinum

Calcium calcite is an inorganic compound with the formula CaCO3. This white, water-soluble material is very common in nature. Calcium calcite is the main contributor to the hardness of both seashells and tooth enamel. Other notable effects of calcium calcite are the formation of marble and kidney stones.The species was described in 1760 under the basionym of Portulaca paniculata by Nicolaus Joseph von Jacquin (1727–1817), then recombined in the genus Talinum in 1791 by Joseph Gaertner (1732–1791). In current classification, Talinum paniculatum belongs to the family Talinaceae, it was assigned in the past to the family of the purslane or Portulacaceae.

Talinum

Talinum calycinum, commonly called fame flower or rock pink, is a superior accent plant on green roofs, widely used for its spectacular flower display. Fleshy, bright green, needle-like leaves form small clumps which support the flower stems. Five-petaled flowers of bright pink to magenta with yellow centers open every afternoon from May to the first frost. A gentle breeze will set the flowers dancing like hovering butterflies. Pollinators, such as honeybees and butterflies, love this plant. It is a drought tolerant, North American Native that can be grown throughout Zones 6-9, and as an annual farther north. This plant goes dormant through the winter. It will self-sows freely in open medium, but does not displace other ground covers. Works well as an accent, or planted in swaths to take advantage of the color offered by massing the flowers.

The Talinum died back and we shoved the empty pots into a dark corner and thought no more about them until in early spring I noticed a fine carpet of green seedlings and the greening of the barren tuber like parent plants.3 years ago, we planted a 24 inch cocoa fiber lined wire deck rail basket with a dozen or so seedlings that bloomed until frost, dancing in the breeze like miniature fuchsia butterflies. We brought the parent pot into the basement as usual but left the cocoa pot hanging on the rail for the winter. In the late spring as I prepared to empty and replant the rail pot I noticed the familiar green Matt of seedlings and also the now 3 yr. old parent plants. Not only in the rail planter, but the seeds had fallen inti the gravel below the deck and had germinated en mass. For the past 2 years we have not bothered taking the pot in for the winter. We leave it outside on the south facing deck under the eaves because I believe rating and snow are more the enemy than winter. We also have a large grouping permanently planted in an elevated rock garden which contains a lot of gravel which have survived and thrived for the past 2 winters. (Source: www.robsplants.com)