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Friday, October 26, 2012

Lobivia einsteinii MN171a

This nice form of Lobivia einsteinii was discovered, and sold  (as Rebutia) by Mats Winberg of succseed.com
Yellow flowered forms of this species were in the original discovery, also as of recently several red or orange flowered forms were entered into cultivation. This gentle salmon-flowered plant is the only form with this flower color I know as of today.


Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Trichicereus atacamensis ssp pasacana

This large Trichocereus plant grows in Stanford Arizona Garden. It is common species forming cactus forest in its habitat, but rarely seen in cultivation. It must be grown outside or in the large greenhouse to accommodate plant's size.


Friday, September 21, 2012

Echinocactus grusonii

Yet another shot of the popular 'golden barrel'. This is the detail shot of  a large specimen growing on the grounds of Stanford Arizona Garden in Palo Alto CA. Note the seeds littering the yellowish felt in the lower right side of the picture.


Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Ariocarpus fissuratus

Ariocarpus is a fall-flowering genus. All species are relatively slow growing cacti, but easy in culture and reliable bloomers. They can start flowering as early as two to five years from seed, depending on the species.


Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Matucana aurantiaca 'pallarensis'

Matucana pallarensis is a form of wide spread M.aurantiaca, a large growing Matucana. This plant I have is about 6in/15cm in diameter and has started becoming short-cylindrical. It blooms sporadically year around, responding to cooler spells in the summer and warmer days in winter.


Sunday, September 16, 2012

Oroya borchersii

Oroya borchersii is a high mountain plant from Peru where it grows at altitudes above 4000m. Oroyas are straightforward in culture, but do not like high temperatures much. Cooler springs would result in more reliable flowering.
This plant developed buds in early fall, responding to the end of summer cool down.




Thursday, September 13, 2012

Sulcorebutia steinbachii

Sulcorebutia steinbachii is a variable species, both in spines and flower color. Many Sulcorebutia names are actually treated as forms of that species. Relatively small flowers pink or red or yellow - are easily produced.


Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Ferocactus emoryi ssp. rectispinus

Ferocactus rectispinus is known for its fierce spines, longest of all Ferocacti - up to 25cm/10in long. The plant in picture has a size of a soccer ball.


Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Cleistocactus winteri

Cleistocactus winteri AKA Hildewintera aureispina is a common hanging basket plant, favored for it's golden stems. Nice orange flowers is a great bonus. Wide open flower was the reason this species was not recognized as CLeistocactus, but in all it is a very close relative and should be included into this genus
The plant in picture grows in Stanford Arizona Garden, planted in the ground.


Saturday, September 1, 2012

Eriosyce subgibbosa

Eriosyce subgibbosa JA126 is in bloom again. The seedlings getting bigger, larger pot is long overdue.


Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Lobivia haematantha rebutoides

Another Lobivia rebutoides form, simple plant with nice large flowers. Nice and easy plants, they prefer high temperatures in 90F /30-35C range and full sun. With too much heat flowers wilt earlier. All Lobivias are mountain plants and prefer mild summer temperatures.


Saturday, August 18, 2012

Matucana paucicostata

Matucana paucicostata is the smaller Matucana, slowing down it's growth with age. It has a habit of blooming in bursts. Several times per season it opens a small bouquet of bright-red flowers.


Friday, August 17, 2012

Sulcorebutia glomeriseta

Sulcorebutia glomeriseta when not in bloom can easily be mistaken for Rebutia, something of fiebrigii or spinosissima clans. The very Weingartia-like flowers show that this is indeed Sulcorebutia, or following the current thinking Weingartia. S. glomeriseta is probably a merely form of S.menesesii, but a very distinct looking plant and well worth it's place in collection.


Thursday, August 16, 2012

Weingartia neocumingii trollii

Weingartia trollii is a red-orange flowering form of the variable W.neocumingii. It is not so common as regular yellow-flowering form, and as you see flowers often have mixed yellow and red coloration.
It is a nice and freely blooming plant.



Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Matucana aureiflora hybrid

This Matucana plant I have grown from commercial seeds labeled as Matucana sp. The first time blooms show that this plant, that looks a lot like normal Matucana aureiflora, is indeed a likely hybrid. The flowers are sure nice but color and shape are unseen in M. aureiflora.
With commercial seeds it is hard to be sure, but hopefully this hybrid is of natural origin, or possibly but unlikely the plant is a new form or even species that was not described yet.


Monday, August 13, 2012

Lobivia cinnabarina

Lobivia cinnabarina is a larger relative of more well known L. tiegeliana. Not only larger plant, it also has larger flowers. Pretty much all the known forms of this species have red or sometimes pink flowers. 




Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Rebutia hoffmannii

Rebutia hoffmannii is a small clustering plant, with strongly tuberculate stem that makes it easy to recognize. Dense spines are usually brownish, adding more color to the plant. Flowers ate small for the genus.


Monday, July 9, 2012

Reburia pseudodeminuta 'robustispina'

Reburia robustispina displays why this genus is so popular among collectors.

This form of R. pseudodeminuta has more stout spines, not so well developed in my plant. The reason for that is that in my greenhouse it is too hot for this mountain plant, and to prevent sunburns I have to keep it under partial shade. It will do much better if grown outside in my climate.


Saturday, July 7, 2012

Lobivia haematantha 'amblayensis'

Orange-flowering L.amblayensis is one of the most spectacular Lobivias when in bloom. The other time it is a modest looking plant that would go unnoticed in collection. Flowers  are about 9cm/3.5 inches across, and stay open for only two days.


Wednesday, July 4, 2012

Echinocereus palmeri

Echinocereus palmeri is one of the smaller Echinocerei. It develops thick taproot, and somewhat touchy in culture. It also capable of carrying flower buds over a winter - somewhat rare quality among Cactaceae.


Sunday, July 1, 2012

Sulcorebutia langeri

S. langeri is one of the easier to recognize yellow-flowering Sulco, well-known bot not yet very common species. It's compact clumps look neat even without blooms, and flowers produced freely, as with other Sulcos.




Friday, June 29, 2012

Echinocereus subinermus

One cactus flowers feature that rarely used by the photographer is their translucency. The back light turns them into lanterns, an interesting sight.


Thursday, June 28, 2012

Parodia rauschii

This is a larger growing 'true' Parodia, with larger flowers. This plant is about 15cm/6 inches across now, and probably will grow larger. Brown-yellow spines with white flock as a background make it very colorful.


Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Rebutia nana

Rebutia fabrisii 'nana' MN135 is very small-headed clustering dwarf form, freely flowering. A nice addition to Rebutia collection.


Sunday, June 24, 2012

Parodia scopa

This pretty yellow-spinned form of P.scopa becomes more common. The plant is clumping freely, and promises to stay decorative when becomes large. Flowers are relatively small, as with all P.scopa forms.


Friday, June 22, 2012

Rebutia heliosa

Another orange flower, from Rebutia heliosa. This is a very compact plant, densely covered with tiny spines. The plants are smooth on touch.
Flowers are produced easily, and possibly largest in the genus.


Thursday, June 21, 2012

Rebutia muscula

Rebutia muscula is a small like all Rebutias clumping plant, and if grown under sufficient light is covered with dense short white spines. Orange flowers are easily produced around late spring and summer months.


Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Lobivia caineana

Lobivia caineana has a simple Echinopsis-like stem, and nice pink flowers that make it welcome in many collections. This species is easily grown from seed, and flowers while small, as early as 3 years old.


Tephrocactus geometricus


Tephrocactus geometricus becomes more and more popular in collections, as seeds from Loro Huasi area plants becoming more available and growers figure the 'trickery' of raising these plants from seed.
Seed growing is actually fairly straightforward. To achieve high germination large seed needs to be tempered around micropylar area, and seedlings should not be exposed to high humidity of closed container.



Sunday, June 17, 2012

Lobivia winteriana

Lobivia wrightiana spp. winteriana is in bloom today. Nice plant, starts flowering when small and as it gets larger it regularly presents shows like that.


Saturday, June 16, 2012

Echinocereus adustus schwartzii

Echinocereus schwartzii clearly differs from E.adustus not only by central spines, that E.adustus also ofen has, but by weaker and thinner radial spines. Also the flower petals are not rounded  but pointy. 
It is another 'classic' Echincereus, well worth having in collection. 




Friday, June 15, 2012

Opuntia phaeacantha

As always large impressive flower of Opuntia. This plant is developing slowly from a single pad that I brought from Las Vegas area.


Thursday, June 14, 2012

Sulcorebutia flavissima

Here is a close up of this Sulco flower. S. flavissima in culture develops a large clump, with tight yellow spines hiding the stem. Flowers are relatively large.


Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Notocactus vencluianus

Notocactus (Parodia) ottonis vencluianus has the brightest blooms of all Notocacti. It's shiny red-orange flowers almost hurt your eyes.
It is easy and ready flowering plant, and deserves to be seen more in collections.


Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Airampoa (Tunilla) sp.

Finally, Tunilla with yellow blooms. This is a fragile plant with small segments, and needs to become a small bush-let to be able to produce flowers.This is a vegetatively propagated plant, bought from Mesa Garden nursery as 'Opuntia ovata'


Monday, June 11, 2012

Sulcorebutia pasopayana

Yet another Sulcorebutia and it's lowely flowers. Pink and yellow are the most common colors, but there are forms that are blooming plain red.


Sunday, June 10, 2012

Mammillaria insularis

Mammillaria insularis in full bloom again. By some reason this species is much more reliable bloomer than it counterpart across the California bay - M. boolii. At least that is the case in my greenhouse.


Saturday, June 9, 2012

Lobivia crassicaulis

Lobivia (Trichocereus) crassicaulis is a large growing plant, forming low wide clumps. Bright red flowers produced reliably in the summer.
The taxonomy of the species is a bit confusing, unless you call both Lobivia and Trichocereus - Echinopsis. The plant has Lobivia-like flowers, but grows too large to be welcomed into that genus of relatively small plants.


Friday, June 8, 2012

Ferocactus glaucescens

Ferocactus glaucescens is one of a handful Ferocacti that grow large but start blooming relatively small. Once both of my plants reached flowering size, I was able to cross-pollinate them to make them set fruit. As many if not majority of cacti, Ferocacti self-sterile an require poling from another (genetically different) plant to produce seed.


Thursday, June 7, 2012

Echinocereus scopulorum

Echinocereus scopulorum, flowering again. This is a nice compact plant with very fresh looking flowers. The flower tube is very spiny, similar to it's relative E.bristolii.


Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Parodia magnifica

Parodia magnifica with time forms large multi-headed plants. As with all Eriocacti (older generic name of this species) the flowers also get larger as the plant grows in size.


Sunday, June 3, 2012

Turbinicarpus knuthianus

This is a still small seedling, grown under part shade and showing weak spines. It is eager to produce buds for about a year now, but needed to grow a bit to be finally able to fully develop them.
Turbinicarpus (Gymnocactus) knuthianusis is an old classic, still not common in collections. It is easily grown from seed, or sometimes available from the specialized nurseries.


Thursday, May 31, 2012

Lobivia einsteinii v gonjianii

This form of L.einsteinii looks a lot like R. pygmaea, even with flowers. You have to look at the flower tube to see the true plant identity. Flower tubes of this plant have a lot more 'hair' than any Rebutia flower.

R. einsteinii is a nice species, not too common i collections. Lots of new forms was discovered in recent years, including the red flowering form of this usually yellow or orange flowering species.


Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Mammillaria saboae ssp.roczekii

Mamm. roczekii is a larger of M.saboae group. All jf M. saboae are very desired plants in collection, as miniature species with large showy flowers. This pictured plant is a 2 year old seedling, with it's disproportional large first flower.
This species is a bit difficult to germinate, but otherwise straightforward in culture.


Monday, May 28, 2012

Echinocereus scheeri

Echinocereus scheeri is well-known and easy to grow, but by some reason an unpopular cactus. This species was discovered in 1840-s by Potts brothers who were sending plants to Kew gardens on regular basis.
This is a variable species, forming low-growing spiny clumps.

The flower in picture is in the process of opening up, to become filly-open in several hours.



Thursday, May 24, 2012

Echinocereus bristolii

Echinocereus bristolii is a compact species very similar in appearance to E. reichenbachii, but with much larger flowers and somewhat larger stems.


Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Mammillaria albiflora

This large Mammillaria albiflora plant gets completely burred under it's white flowers every spring. Mammillaria albiflora is usually a small plant, but this one is grafted on Trichocereus and shows this uncharacteristic but spectacular habit. 


Monday, May 21, 2012

Mammillaria magnifica

Mammillaria magnifica is a large, taller growing Mammillaria species with long hooked centrals. It branches from the base, slowly developing into impressive clumps. Pink to red flowers show in late spring and usually form a belt around the stem.


Sunday, May 20, 2012

Mammillaria hutchisoniana

Mammillaria hutchisoniana is Baja California peninsula species. It is one of the larger-flowered Mammillarias, with characteristic for this group long stigma lobes.


Saturday, May 19, 2012

Echinocereus viereckii ssp. morricalii

Echinocereus viereckii ssp. morricalii is one of a few spineless (almost) Echinocerei, with remarkable large and easy produced flowers. This is easy species, suitable for beginner grower.


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