Boxing Day at Kew (inside)

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When it was too cold to stay outside looking at plants, we went in the Princess of Wales Conservatory to warm up. There were several aloes flowering

I soon spotted this variegated bromeliad

And an aeonium in full flower

Some of the water lilies were in bloom too

Nearby is the alpine house. This is not heated, but keeps the rain off small plants that appreciate cold, dry conditions. This is arisarum vulgare, also known as Friar’s Cowl

And androcymbium gramineum from the Mediterranean

Massonias, from South Africa, are very distinctive

Finally, we visited the Palm House. Here, there was a cycad with cones. These are ancient plants from the time of the dinosaurs. There are male and female plants, with pollination by the wind

And a fantail palm was flowering. This takes a lot of energy out of the plant, and if it flowers again next winter, it will probably expire

Looking at plants takes a lot of energy too – time to go home and have some more food I think

• 29 Dec, 2013
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