The discussion notes ( PDF / TEXT ) for breakfast on Saturday, September 11, 2010 are now online — ”The Object of Your Worship”. Sometimes I’ve heard Christians complain they don’t care for a certain style of worship. But WAIT! Who are we worshiping — you or GOD?? Study verses: Matthew 4:7-11.

This pretty pink aloe plant, in our yard in Davie, Florida, is another low maintanance plant that seems to always be in bloom.[1. This plant was originally mentioned in my former blOg at davie.TV, in June 2005, when I was still the Mayor of Davie, FL. As you can see from the photos in this post, taken on July 17, 2010, our clump of aloe plants is still going strong.] All images here are fairly high resolution. Feel free to click on the photos for a closer look!

The Aloe plant is as useful as it is beautiful. The cactus like leaves have a gooey sap that’s good when applied to minor burns. Commercially it’s used in lots of stuff.

At right is another view of the pink aloe in our yard, zoomed out a bit.

Here is a photo of the whole plant. As with most aloe varieties, the flowers rise up from a stem in the center.

Finally, at right is a photo looking down at another plant of the same variety, before the flowers sprouted in the center.

FOOTNOTES:

There are, apparently, many varieties of Crepe Myrtle[1. The spelling seems to be equally correct, if either “Crepe Myrtle” or “Crape Myrtle” is used], under the scientific names, Lagerstroemia speciosa or Lagerstroemia indica. Our tree, in Davie, Florida, is about 10 or 15 years old and stands no more than 15 feet tall. We bought it in a pot at Flamingo Gardens. Some sources describe a taller variety (40 feet) as the Queen Crepe Myrtle. Our tree blew over in Hurricane Wilma (2005). We tipped it back up, and braced it with a two-by-four for a couple of years. I’m expecting it to be history when we have our next big storm. But until then, it has beautiful pink blooms, pictured here.

According to Tropical Trees (Dorthy and Bob Hargreaves, Ross-Hargreaves, publishers, 1965):

Speciosa comes from the Latin meaning “pleasing to the eye.” This beautiful deciduous tree, native of India, in certainly pleasing to the eye. It is valued for its tough red timber, medicinal use, and ornamental beauty. Many in South Florida, Jamaica, and other Caribbean Islands, Puerto Rico, Trinidad, South America and Mexico.