Australian Succulents

Attila Kapitany

Calandrinia in Cultivation

Featuring~ Calandrinia PORTULACACEAE

Common name - Parakeelya
Australian calandrinias are not closely related to the calandrinias found in other parts of the world and therefore will shortly be reclassified as a separate and new genus.

A more detailed article with pictures on Calandrinia in Habitat will be coming shortly in a PDF format.

WATCH for it, as it will feature some really interesting and unusual plants.

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All these sample pictures above were taken in a Melbourne garden in a very exposed area of poor soil with a granitic sand coating. Seeds were sprinkled and watered in. We have another 2303 images in our photo library, just on Calandrinias cultivated in this garden, including undescribed species and some spectacular scenes that we are holding for a possible new publication. Please contact for further images or information.

Distribution

Endemic to Australia. (All the Australian species are unique to Australia and have no close relatives in other countries).

Cultivation

Seed gathered from hundreds of different populations, Australia wide, then trialed both in pots under various conditions and in open garden plantings have revealed a great deal over the years. And while further experimentation is still ongoing, it would not be too early to suggest Australian Calandrinia deserve much greater appreciation and utilization in garden design, not only in the home garden but in larger landscape projects, where calandrinias can be put to best use.
Rather than giving you pages and pages more of text on this, I thought it would be more exciting, enjoyable and pertinent to show some good garden examples, to whet you appetite to maybe try some calandrinias yourself!
All the pictures included with this article show mostly calandrinias and other native succulent plants that are also noted for seasonal floral displays. All the pictures were taken in a large open garden setting in suburban Melbourne, Victoria. These are just a random selection to show the diversity and the success of these plantings, with four different Calandrinia species shown above and four different Portulaca species pictured below. More Calandrinias shown in cultivation including garden use in the large 'Cultivation and Trials' section of the website.

Extra points of interest

While there are over thirty clearly described Australian species, there are still many undescribed species and new ones still being discovered.
Very recently a new bright yellow flowering species has been added to the above list.
I also have quite a few pictures and seed of Calandrinia species that do not match any of the already described species. And with financial support I may one day explore these further.
Finally...do you have a Calandrinia story or picture you would like to share?
Please contact us.

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All the pictures below were also taken in the same Melbourne garden as mentioned previously above. These are close-ups showing details which can be lost in a big picture scene. (A few visitors to the website have questioned whether any of these pictures are really in the garden or in habitat).

Also, while the above article is primarily about Calandrinia and their suitability in the garden, there are a range of other native succulents that grow well with and complement Calandrinia. The examples pictured below are mostly Portulaca species. Lists and details of other genera that were used in this garden can also be provided on request.

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