Having trouble sorting this one out!

[Dixie Chicken]

I purchased this plant in April 2014, labelled Matucana polzii. It didn't quite look right, but I decided to wait until it flowered to try to nail down the ID. Well, it has spent the winter in the greenhouse and has honored me with a beautiful bloom. Unfortunately, the bloom hasn't helped with the identification. The bloom was a beautiful orange/red with the most interesting purple tint to the petal edges. The petals are pointed, which seems to be a M. polzii departure, and the stamens appear to be solidly colored. The flower had a noticeable tilt, which didn't seem to change with the plants orientation to the sun. From the pictures of M. polzii, it appears that the plant LOVES to forms clumps, which mine has shown absolutely no interest in doing. I've included pictures of when I first added it to the collection and the current condition of the plant. Hopefully someone has some ideas....!

As always, many thanks in advance.

Carol

April 2014


April 2014


November 2014


November 2014


February 2015


February 2015

[greenknight]

Interesting - kind of like Matucana madisoniorum, but with more spines. A hybrid, maybe?

[7george]

Interesting - kind of like Matucana madisoniorum, but with more spines. A hybrid, maybe?

I was thinking about Matucana aureiflora but this red and long flower is not typical to it. Might be a different variety or a hybrid.
Where did you get this plant from?

[Dixie Chicken]

Matucana aureiflora was my first choice, until the red flower! I purchased the plant from Home Depot, in an otherwise totally untraceable 3.5" plastic pot. Very frustrating to anyone trying to actually know what they've purchased! Why would they do that? Anyway, hoping not a hybrid, as that rabbit hole is totally unsatisfying!

[DaveW]

Probably Matucana ritteri or celendinensis Carol, or something in the same section of the genus?

http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matucana_ritteri" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://www.llifle.com/Encyclopedia/CACT ... endinensis" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://www.adblps-graines-cactus.com/ga ... OGMxOTNkMA" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

A lot of new Matucana's now being discovered if you read the free to download Cactus Explorer Journal. If I understood Graham Charles correctly he says the densely spiny ones like Matucana comacephala, haynei etc are more cold tolerant, where the more open bodied less spiny ones like Matucana madisoniorum (the zygomorphic flowered group that used to be called Submatucana's, or the regular flowered ones like aureiflora that were once called Incaica) need warmer conditions in winter.

[Minime8484]

I'd say it was definitely Matucana ritteri.

Nice catch! Last summer the HD's in our area had a batch of M. madisoniorum, but I've never seen your plant available around here - but, I would have snatched it up if I did!
Gorgeous plant! I simply love finding gems in the midst of all the regular stuff at HDs!

[vlani]

Agree with ritteri. They do look a lot like aurieflora without flowers.

[Dixie Chicken]

Thank you for the quick answers. I believe M. ritteri it is! It's funny how once you've been given the answer, it sort of appears like it should have been obvious from the start. I really do learn something new everyday. Minime8484, thanks, I my local HD is pretty unspecial when it comes to cactus offerings, but occasionally I think their vendor slips up and gives us good choices by accident! I just wish they'd be labelled... of course that does take some of the adventure out of finding something really good!

Thanks again!

Carol

[DaveW]

Most of the Matucana's are available in seed lists if you search for them, either under Matucana, Submatucana or Incaica. As always commercial considerations come into play as to what plants dealers will raise, therefore ready made plants may not always be available in your area.

I am lucky in that I go to a cactus weekend where some of those who have discovered the new Matucana's often have them available, such as the recently described non zygomorphic regular flowered ones in the links below that are allied to Matucana's oreodoxa and aureiflora, which once had their own genus Incaica, but now along with Submatucana are sunk into Matucana:-

http://www.cactuspro.com/photos/Cactace ... flora.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://www.cactuspro.com/photos/Cactace ... /5463.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Dixie Chicken]

You are lucky to have such an opportunity! Cactus growing in my neck of the necks is not exactly mainstream!

Carol

[DaveW]

Most dealers in your country will send by post though. Belonging to a local cactus club our speakers each month often bring spare plants for sale as well.

Try searching your countries online dealers on Cactus Mall:-

http://www.cactus-mall.com/nurseryusa.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

For seeds:-

http://www.cactus-mall.com/seeds.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Matucana's usually have quite spectacular flowers and are nice plants to grow. As said earlier the more sparsely spined forms often known as Submatucana's are low altitude warm climate plants and more cold sensitive, whereas the finer more densely spined plants are from higher altitudes and more cold tolerant. Not sure all the names in this link are correct though.:-

http://wombach.no-ip.org/WebAlbum/Matucana/thumb.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

A list of Matucana species (except for more recent published species)

http://www.theplantlist.org/browse/A/Ca ... /Matucana/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;