Natural Hybrid Cacti of Orogrande, New Mexico

[hegar]

Today a small group of local cactus club members did our annual tour to the Jarilla Mountains of Orogrande, New Mexico. This mountain range is neither one of the highest where I live, nor one of the largest. It measures only 8 square miles in size. However, due to the fact, that there are several Echinocereus species growing side by side, which could be flowering at around the same time, and also, because the "Claret Cup cactus" Echinocereus coccineus ssp. rosea is either female or male, the female plants oftentimes are pollinated by the adjacent "Texas Rainbow cactus" (Echinocereus dasyacanthus). As a result, there is a hybrid being produced. Some of these plants do have the phenotype of the claret cup parent, while others exhibit the characteristics of the Texas Rainbow. There are also plants, which show longer reddish spines and small flowers, which indicate, that one of the parents was actually the New Mexico Rainbow cactus (Echinocereus viridiflorus ssp. chloranthus). However, that cactus is not as common as the main parents, i.e. E. coccineus ssp. rosea and E. dasyacanthus.
This presentation will not be as extensive as the ones from previous years, because we did visit the site about one week too early and almost all the plants had not yet started to flower. Also, my camera was giving me fits, every once in a while I was told, that my batteries were low and needed to be exchanged, although I had placed a set of new batteries into the camera before leaving. So, some of the pictures I took were not recorded, because the camera shut down, before the image could be acquired.
The weather was pretty pleasant at first, sunny and with a blue sky. Later in the morning more clouds became present and also the wind speed increased. Overall though, it was still a day that many people in other parts of the world would like to have.
I am going to show first a few images of the scenery, followed by wild flowers, smaller plants in the shrub size to small tree range and then go to the yucca and cacti, which were all around us.
The hybrid cacti I shall add tomorrow, because it is getting late and I do need to go to work tomorrow.

Harald

Jarilla Mountains, Orogrande, NM.JPG (98.16 KiB) Viewed 8513 times

Jarilla Mountains, Orogrande, NM2.JPG (78.81 KiB) Viewed 8513 times

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[hegar]

Here is the next batch of images, which includes the Creosote bush, the Mesquite tree, Banana Yucca, various Opuntia spp , Coryphantha macromeris, and Echinocactus horizonthalonius.

Creosote Bush.JPG (132.22 KiB) Viewed 8511 times

Mesquite Tree1.JPG (93.17 KiB) Viewed 8511 times

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Yucca batata.JPG (126.13 KiB) Viewed 8511 times

O_camanchica.JPG (117.64 KiB) Viewed 8511 times

O_engelmannii.JPG (106.6 KiB) Viewed 8511 times

O_imbricata.JPG (119.14 KiB) Viewed 8511 times

O_leptocaulis1.JPG (126.31 KiB) Viewed 8511 times

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O_leptocaulis3.JPG (100.53 KiB) Viewed 8511 times

O_macrocentra.JPG (112.57 KiB) Viewed 8511 times

Opuntia sp.JPG (122.98 KiB) Viewed 8511 times

Coryph_macromeris1.JPG (123.74 KiB) Viewed 8511 times

Coryph_macromeris2.JPG (116.57 KiB) Viewed 8511 times

Coryph_macromeris3.JPG (103.18 KiB) Viewed 8511 times

Coryph_macromeris4.JPG (117.39 KiB) Viewed 8511 times

Echinocactus horizonthalonius1.JPG (122.54 KiB) Viewed 8511 times

Echinocactus horizonthalonius2.JPG (120.49 KiB) Viewed 8511 times

Echinocactus horizonthalonius3.JPG (101.77 KiB) Viewed 8511 times

[maurozzz]

awesome!!!!!

[ElieEstephane]

Great shots Harald. Thanks for sharing!

[hegar]

So, here is the second part of the cacti and other vegetation encountered during yesterday's field trip to Orogrande, New Mexico.
The first four images will show clumps of the cactus, whose fruit I believe to be the best tasting of all cacti. The common name of the plant is bee hive cactus or Strawberry Pitahaya. Its scientific name is Echinocereus stramineus. I have tasted some fruit of another cactus, which also has the name "Strawberry pitahaya" and the scientific name Echinocereus enneacanthus. That plant grows more quickly and flowers sooner. The fruit it produces does indeed smell and taste like strawberries. It is, however, smaller than that produced by E. stramineus.
The next images show both likely parents of the hybrids from Orogrande. The first picture with the Texas Rainbow cactus (E. dasyacanthus) in front and the Claret Cup cactus (E. coccineus ssp. rosei) in the back, and the second photo, where E. coccineus is in front and E. dasyacanthus in the back.
The next set of images then will show various cacti with the spine characteristics of the Texas Rainbow cactus (E. dasyacanthus). However, it is almost impossible to tell, which ones of these plants are hybrids and which ones are pure strains. The flower color would be the best way to tell which is which. The same goes for the final set of images, which does show cacti with spine characteristics and stem growth indicating the claret cup.
Because that plant does flower first, I do actually have a few images of it in bloom. Because I do not have a vehicle suited for driving into the area where these cacti grow and in addition do have a very bad sense of direction, I will not be able to go there this coming weekend, when at least most of the claret cup hybrid version cacti should be covered with blossoms.

Harald

E_stramineus1.JPG (126.28 KiB) Viewed 8472 times

E_stramineus2.JPG (130.02 KiB) Viewed 8472 times

E_stramineus3.JPG (120.58 KiB) Viewed 8472 times

E_stramineus4.JPG (121.56 KiB) Viewed 8472 times

E_dasyacanthus and E. coccineus1.JPG (125.98 KiB) Viewed 8472 times

E. coccineus and E. dasyacanthus2.JPG (114.41 KiB) Viewed 8472 times

E_dasyacanthus1.JPG (120.41 KiB) Viewed 8472 times

E_dasyacanthus2.JPG (118.34 KiB) Viewed 8472 times

E_dasyacanthus3.JPG (118.07 KiB) Viewed 8472 times

E_dasyacanthus4 and poss. E_viridiflorus.JPG (133.66 KiB) Viewed 8472 times

E_dasyacanthus5.JPG (122.71 KiB) Viewed 8472 times

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E_daysacanthus12.JPG (118.15 KiB) Viewed 8472 times

[hegar]

Here is finally a more colorful section. It does show most of the early flowering claret cup hybrids. Unfortunately, due to the limited number of open blossoms, there was also not the usual palette of color variation. The flowers were either pink or brick red. The latter color could also indicate the presence of a pure strain claret cup and not a hybrid.
If my health allows it, I shall also go next year and will most likely be able to present a good number of beautiful digital images as I did in the years from 2006 on up until now.
In about three weeks, those plants, which do have the physical characteristics of the Texas Rainbow cactus (E. dasyacantha) will also flower. Their blossoms are not as numerous per stem and also do not last more than two days like those of the claret cup cactus, but they are substantially larger in size. I do have a good number of that cactus in my front yard cactus beds and shall post the images as soon as these plants flower under the name hegar listed under "Members Topics". I also do have a pink and a salmon-colored claret cup hybrid in my plantings. The latter is already flowering and I do have the first images posted at this time. The pink one is growing in a filtered light environment, which delays flowering, but should also have blossoms in about two weeks from now.

Harald

E_coccineus1.JPG (118.76 KiB) Viewed 8468 times

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[Dawnstar75]

I am in Roswell New Mexico *represent* nice pix

[Licespray]

Great thread, thanks for posting

[hegar]

Well, this year was a bust, compared to the previous six or so years.
However, I shall return to that marvelous place next spring and hopefully will have a much larger number of cacti in flower to present, with a bigger palette of colors, which can range from pure white, all shades of pink, orange and all the way to red. Some of the flowers are also bicolored.
My avatar image does show one of these hybrids.

Harald

[Cactusethan]

Beautiful pictures!

[A_G_R]

Well, this year was a bust, compared to the previous six or so years.
However, I shall return to that marvelous place next spring and hopefully will have a much larger number of cacti in flower to present, with a bigger palette of colors, which can range from pure white, all shades of pink, orange and all the way to red. Some of the flowers are also bicolored.
My avatar image does show one of these hybrids.

Harald

Can't wait for the photos of your next trip! Those multi-colored Echinocereus are fascinating, thank you for sharing

[hegar]

Hello Alejandro,

I did mention in previous presentations of this topic, that since the first time I did go to Orogrande, NM, (2006) the color variability has substantially decreased. This may be due to some people collecting the unusually colored specimens, partly, because the habitat is also suffering stress from changes in the climate. There are not enough seedlings showing up in some years, because we do not have rainfall during the time they need to grow to a size, which does more easily allow them to survive.
Also, I wish I could go at least twice a year to that place. The reason being, that the hybrids resembling Echinocereus coccineus, with their smaller and longer lasting blossoms flower earlier than those, which do exhibit the morphological appearance of the other main parent (Echinocereus dasyacanthus). I guess, in order to see more plants in bloom, our guide always picks the time of flowering for the former hybrid type.
My avatar image was just a happy coincidence, because we did visit the location near the end of the flowering cycle of the E. coccineus like hybrids.
Perhaps I can persuade our guide to go twice there, so I can take images of both hybrid versions.

Harald

[dinfelu]

Harald

I thank for the photos that present some beautiful flowers of the cactus of orogrande
those flowers of red tones are impressive in size and color

the thorns are impressive in size

regards

[hegar]

Hello dinfelu,

the flower size of both kinds of hybrids is more in the mid-size range for cacti, i.e. not as large as that found in some of the Cereus and Echinopsis genera for example. One of our cactus club members does have a plant, which - while having the spines and stem of an Echinocereus coccineus - produces the large flower as it is found on Echinocereus dasyacanthus.
Well, I hope, that this year's trip will be better than last year's and I will get to get a good number of cacti in flower of various color posted here once again. To see, what at least once was there, you can go and scroll through the published series of images with more or less the same title, which I have placed on line since about 2006. That year I did find a pure white-flowering cactus and also photographed the one that I use for my avatar.

Harald

[dinfelu]

Harald

thank's for your comment

regards