Contest 45: Discussion and Related Photos

[CoronaCactus]

Please discuss and post anything related to Contest 45: North American Cacti -Sonoran Desert Species-

[Peterthecactusguy]

Nice. I will have to look through my pics and see what I gots! I can get habitat shots.. although that doesn't mean I will win hahahaha
good luck all!

[Ralf]

It won't be easy to find the right pic of a plant out of the Sonoran Desert.

[hob]

well that excludes most of us who don't know what species grow there
can we have one on the cacti of Jujuy county Argentina ?

[Andy_CT]

What's the Sonoran Yeah, I'll just sit this one out.

[daiv]

I think you guys would be surprised at how many plants you have that grow there.

Many Echinocereus species are from there such as E. engelmannii, E. triglochidatus, E. coccineus and more, famous Opuntias such as O. santa-rita, O. engelmannii, O. basilaris, O. macrocentra and so on.

Then you have Stenocereus thurberi, Pachycereus schottii, Pachycereus pringlei, Carnegiea gigantea to name a few big uns.

Lots of Mamms too! M. grahamii, M. tetrancistra, M. heyderi and more.

Tons of Chollas, lots of Ferocactus, Some Peniocereus, Sclerocatus, etc.!

If in doubt, just ask!

[hob]

I think you guys would be surprised at how many plants you have that grow there.
If in doubt, just ask!

a list would be handy, with about 800 plants to care for i can point an ageing finger at a lot and say which continent most are from .............but which desert

[Andy_CT]

I think you guys would be surprised at how many plants you have that grow there.

I'm fairly certain the only plant I have that might qualify is a Ferocactus hystrix but its not photo worthy yet.

[peterb]

Slight quibble and certainly not universally agreed on: Echinocereus triglochidiatus is not a Sonoran desert plant, in the strict sense of either the species or the desert. Forms of coccineus, possibly, although they truly occur much higher in latitude or at higher elevations in sky islands.

If one includes much of the Baja California peninsula and the entirety of the Sonoran Desert in Mexico, there are indeed a huge number of species and varieties. Darryl, is everything in Baja except the Vizcaino, the California coastal chaparral and the Cape Region included?

Checking to see whether a plant is Sonoran or not is a quick matter. Find the general location and check out Google Maps. Then look at this generally accepted map of the Sonoran (click twice for large size):

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=htt ... CBsQ9QEwAA

peterb

PS- notice that many other desert and other regions are included in the map. Notice also that this definition of the Sonoran includes the Colorado Desert in southeastern California and extreme southwester AZ, a definition that is controversial.

[hob]

Slight quibble and certainly not universally agreed on: Echinocereus triglochidiatus is not a Sonoran desert plant, in the strict sense of either the species or the desert. Forms of coccineus, possibly, although they truly occur much higher in latitude or at higher elevations in sky islands.

If one includes much of the Baja California peninsula and the entirety of the Sonoran Desert in Mexico, there are indeed a huge number of species and varieties. Darryl, is everything in Baja except the Vizcaino, the California coastal chaparral and the Cape Region included?


peterb

Notice also that this definition of the Sonoran includes the Colorado Desert in southeastern California and extreme southwester AZ, a definition that is controversial.

Peter, you don't sound too sure and you are the local expert where does that leave the rest of us

Checking to see whether a plant is Sonoran or not is a quick matter.

i figure i can say about 500 of mine are south American ....the other 300

[hob]

how about this



or this

[iann]

Here's a list. I think it is perhaps a bit generous about calling some of them Sonoran Desert cacti, but it might give you some ideas.

How about this as an also-ran?


Or this? Some very choice Mammillarias in that area.

[peterb]

E. rigidissimus, definitely. And the concept of me being "the local expert" on the Sonoran is hilarious.

peterb

[CoronaCactus]

Didn't mean to make things difficult. With so many plants that grow there, I figured most of the members would have atleast one Sonoran plant. I do like to offer some educational value to the contests, so this is a chance for you all to learn more about the Sonoran desert and the plants that grow there. I learn from these as well

I didn't realize the inclusion of the Colorado and Arizona deserts within the Sonoran was controversial, so for simplicity of this contest I'll leave them included. And for more simplicity, I'll include all of Baja California. Hope that helps.

[peterb]

haha, c'mon y'all! Three entries??? It's really not that hard to figure out what's Sonoran. If you grow cacti at all, you probably have at least one! Do I have to create 20 accounts and enter over and over again? haha.

peterb