So pretty! My Giraffe (a generous gift from someone on this forum) ended up rotting last summer. I hadn't noticed that it had red blotch and by the time I did notice the problem, it was too late to save the bulb. I love that you have a full barrel of beauty! The same "bulb gifter" who sent Giraffe my way also very generously shared Papilio bulbs with me. I was over the moon this week when I saw a flower scape emerging on one of the Papilios. I have it mounted to a board like Houston Pat's. I was planning to repot it this year, since I'd become convinced I wasn't growing it properly. Now I think I'll keep it mounted.

"You are sadly misinformed, Gardengal." What an incredibly patronizing statement!! And so competely uncalled for! Giraffes are on the endangered species list due to loss of habitat and illegal poaching. Most responsible zoos and wild animal parks have moved well beyond the caged viewing of wild animals for public entertainment into conservation status where they provide naturalistic, open enclosures that mimic the animals' native environments, encourage breeeding programs and the trading of animals with other, like-minded zoos for both breeding purposes and to provide genetic diversity. In many cases, zoos, wild animal parks and sanctuaries are the last step before extinction!! That one zoo should take such a short sighted view and euthansize a perfectly healthy specimen of a documented endangered species is more likely attributable to financial concerns than anything else. There are established giraffe sanctuaries in Africa they could have sent the giraffe to live out his life in peace if no other zoo wanted him but it costs big $$ to ship an enormous and somewhat fragile animal half way around the world and perhaps they didn't want to or couldn't afford to dole out the funds to make that happen. But they certainly had options other than euthanasia!!

I got the original as a weed in the pot of another plant. I didn't want the other plant, just the Giraffe's Knees. Still got both plants, only one small clump of the "sold " plant, and Giraffe's Knees are all through some of my gardens. The other "sold" plant looks like a variety of Zamioculcas zamiifolia, (ZZ Plant). It's interesting that the Giraffe's Knees, Gonotopus boivinii, used to be Zamioculcas boivinii. We don't have Haloween here, but I won't tell them you said they're weird looking. Don't want to upset them ;).

That is too cute. Your friend has one lucky baby. Happy Holidays and travel safely.