Jewels of Opar...Mystery Solved

She has a name!  She is a Talinum 'Jewels of Opar'...isn't that a pretty name!  Thanks to Karen at Life is What You Make It for the common sense suggestion of going to a local nursery to ask and to Amy at Go Away I'm Gardening for giving me the name and confirming that the guy I talked to at Rainbow Gardens is a genius! 

I've read a little bit about it today, and it used to be classified it the Portulacacaea family.  I can confirm with their consensus that it is a drought lover!  This has been a horribly trying summer with I think 53 days of triple digit heat with no rain to speak of, and this one has looked fabulous all summer.  My bougainvilleas and hibiscus didn't ever come close to looking as happy and content as this one.  I also read here on Dave's Garden that it can be a bit invasive by a few unappreciative people.  Evidently with all it's lovely wands of blooms and then seed pods, the seeds get scattered and end up all over the place.  This is the first year that mine's been so big since I had her in a tiny pot before, so I haven't experienced this.  Considering my fondness of the various Kalanchoes that do this very thing, I doubt it will bother me much.  That will just be more plantlets for me to pluck up and share with friends.  I warn them when I give them plants like this so there should be no hard feelings if they take over! 

Regardless, I adore mine!!