Unknown Gymno

[PrickPrickBloom]

Hi all I have an unknown Gymno that was unmarked I recently picked up just flowered today.Any help would be appreciated.

[Lucy_V]

G. ochoterenae (ssp. vatteri) may be?

[PrickPrickBloom]

Thanks for the response and hint on Insta

[Lucy_V]

You are very welcome! I think your plant was overwatered at the nursery, and got a bit "bloated" , that is why it does not look like typical G.vatteri, but I think spination and flowers are similar to one :)

[7george]

The flowers do not look like of G. ochoterenae and rather remind me those of G. gibbosum. The cracks at the sides down make me worry but I hope you will enjoy it for a long time. Yes, they force them to grow rapidly in commercial places.

[PrickPrickBloom]

Yes it was the biggest boy they had, and they had it hidden below the surface so didn’t see them until I got it home and repotted it. I wish I grabbed the one with 2 smaller ones inside rather then this. To get home and repot to see 2 big overwater splits on the bottom. Nurseries are getting very tricky. I got a couple home from a plant show to find they just buried the graft under the soil. Gonna have to really start inspecting before I bring things home!

[DaveW]

It is surprising early in the year how some plants can take up water so fast and split, sort of a forced new inter-rib expansion. Plants never seem to rot because of it, but it just looks unsightly for a time until it disappears down at the base with further growth and becomes undetectable.

I have had Lophophora's do it, but they evidently grow faster than we think since it soon disappears down at the base after a few years although the plant does not gain size very quickly. However it does illustrate with many cacti how the old growth continues shrinking at the base almost as quickly as new growth is produced at the crown, therefore the plant gains size slowly.