This week’s photo challenge asks that we share an image of something unexpected. Well, mine is a bit of a “twofer!”
Saturday I went to Jaycee Beach and was totally surprised by a colony of Aloe aborescens that 2 weeks ago gave NO hint of an imminent bloom. Take a look at them now:
Very unexpected!
A. aborescens, native to southern Africa, is one of the most widely cultivated aloes in the world. As a prized fall-to-winter bloomer, it is found growing from mountains on high to sea level below:
Each inflorescence is usually unbranched, but sometimes two (or more) arise from a single rosette.
As I investigated the colony further, I ran across a completely unexpected mutant raceme!
At first I thought my eyes deceived me and maybe I’d missed a branched peduncle (stalk)…but no! The next photo clearly shows a single stalk:
I have no idea if a split raceme is rare….but it was certainly unexpected! 😯
Until next time…
🙂 😯 🙂
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17 thoughts on “Weekly Photo Challenge: Unexpected”
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small house/BIG GARDEN 
Interesting photos.
Thank you!
Seen the slit here quite often… love this aloe… we say when it flowers on the coast it’s a sign the sardine run is about to begin.. the plants have been flowering every year for the last 8 but the sardines don’t seem to be playing the game… or they’ve been fished out…
No sh*t!!! Guess seperated racemes aren’t as unexpected as I thought! Dp you have any idea what circumstance makes it happen?
I have no idea… but I have seen them like that quite often … will take photos next time, I didn’t think it was that unusual…
Beautiful are the photos!
These look very exotic, like something from a desert (being from the UK I’m more used to roses and daffodils and the like!).
Great shots! I’ve got one of these in the garden here; don’t thin it’s too fond of all the wind and rain we’ve been having!
I remember these (or at least a variant of them) being everywhere around Monterrey….
Oh no! Fukushima radiation/contamination ??
An unexpected beautiful surprise. That is an amazing bloom. Happy Thanksgiving. Wishing you and your family all life’s wonderful blessing .
That’s interesting. I’ve never seen an aloe bloom.