Confused newbie, please help!

If you have a cactus plant and need help identifying it, this is the place to post it.
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Fifithepainter
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Joined: Fri May 24, 2013 7:35 pm
Location: England

Confused newbie, please help!

Post by Fifithepainter »

Hello,

I have been left having sole custody of the plants while my boyfriend has gone volunteering for a year, moved into a new flat with more sun and one of the cacti (I think it's a cacti) has grown a weird new stalk, which it has never had before, I think the first thing to do is find out what sort of plant it is...can anyone please help me?

The plant is about 10 cm across it's normal leaf span, and the stalk is about 40 cm long

I should also probably mention there is another little cactus/succulent plant in the pot with it which can be seen in the top picture, but is a different plant.
Attachments
Sorry for the out of focus - but it shows it in its entirety.
Sorry for the out of focus - but it shows it in its entirety.
Cactus.jpg (168.49 KiB) Viewed 606 times
Interesting stalk thing with pods?
Interesting stalk thing with pods?
cactus2.jpg (143.15 KiB) Viewed 606 times
Main 'body' of the plant
Main 'body' of the plant
cactus3.jpg (149.87 KiB) Viewed 606 times
Last edited by Fifithepainter on Fri May 24, 2013 8:12 pm, edited 1 time in total.
iann
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Re: Confused newbie, please help!

Post by iann »

Flowers. Good sign :)
--ian
Fifithepainter
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Re: Confused newbie, please help!

Post by Fifithepainter »

Thanks! I did wonder if they were buds that might turn into flowers, but then some have just shrivelled up.
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hendryterok
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Re: Confused newbie, please help!

Post by hendryterok »

Gasteria bicolor(?) Not sure

Hendry
DaveW
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Re: Confused newbie, please help!

Post by DaveW »

"I did wonder if they were buds that might turn into flowers, but then some have just shrivelled up."

Not into Other Succulents, but that may be as far as the flowers ever open, they only need to exert the stigma and anthers to get pollinated, not open any further. If it's a Gasteria it gets it's name because the flowers are shaped like little human stomach's.

"The words gastro- and gastric (meaning related to the stomach) are both derived from the Greek word gaster."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gasteria" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
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CactusFanDan
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Re: Confused newbie, please help!

Post by CactusFanDan »

I don't grow Gasterias, but it is a Gasteria. :wink: Not a cactus, but it is a succulent.
-Dan
Happy growing!

There is always one more glochid. Somewhere.
My C&S blog
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greenknight
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Re: Confused newbie, please help!

Post by greenknight »

Definitely a Gasteria, hard to say what species - leaves look a bit wide for bicolor, but I'm not sure either. They tolerate shade, but need better light to bloom, which you gave it. Blooming very nicely.
Spence :mrgreen:
Fifithepainter
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Re: Confused newbie, please help!

Post by Fifithepainter »

Wow, thank you so much everyone! Really appreciate the help, and thanks for letting me know it is a succulent not a cactus!
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greenknight
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Re: Confused newbie, please help!

Post by greenknight »

Did some more searching and found a site with more details about the different species. They say Gasteria bicolor is quite variable, and one of the examples shown resembles your plant very closely. Very likely that is the correct ID.
Spence :mrgreen:
Fifithepainter
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Joined: Fri May 24, 2013 7:35 pm
Location: England

Re: Confused newbie, please help!

Post by Fifithepainter »

Thanks greenknight! I googled it and it can't be anything else really can it? Feel daft for thinking it was a cactus, but so glad I posted and found out what it was (and that the crazy long stem is not it mutating and that it was meant to be there all along!)
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