My flowering Cacti 2020

This is a place for members to post on-going topics about their plants and experiences.
User avatar
hegar
Posts: 4596
Joined: Mon Jan 23, 2006 4:04 am
Location: El Paso, Texas

Re: My flowering Cacti 2020

Post by hegar »

Hello Cactus Friends,

I am going to close out the day with two images I took just a few minutes ago of my night-flowering Queen of the Night cactus Peniocereus greggii.
The plant does have seven blossom buds on it and two of them opened at around 10 p.m., about one hour ago.
Because the wind was blowing, the thin cactus stems were swaying in the breeze and the flowers along with them. So I had to take a large number of images, in order to find a few, which did not look too blurry. Without a tripod this would not even have been possible. However, for lighting I just used an LED flashlight.

Harald
P_greggii1.JPG
P_greggii1.JPG (36.28 KiB) Viewed 4821 times
P_greggii6.JPG
P_greggii6.JPG (41.55 KiB) Viewed 4821 times
User avatar
hegar
Posts: 4596
Joined: Mon Jan 23, 2006 4:04 am
Location: El Paso, Texas

Re: My flowering Cacti 2020

Post by hegar »

Hello Cactus Friends,

there was not much going in in the cactus flower department. Only both the peanut cactus (Echinopsis chamaecereus) plants had flowers in one cactus bed, while there was one prickly pear blossom in another. The third bed did have an Astrophytum capricorne blooming (see following attachment).
I do like that species, because it seems to be the easiest to grow of that genus. The two plants I do have continue to do well and reward me several times each years with their flowers. I love the red glow at the base of the flower when the sun shines. It reminds me of a fire or lantern inside. :)
A_capricorne15.JPG
A_capricorne15.JPG (72.45 KiB) Viewed 4796 times
There was yet another prickly pear cactus (Opuntia microdasys) blooming in the back yard. The flower is not one of the showier ones within that genus. It is also not as large as those of most prickly pear cacti.

Harald
O_microdasys.JPG
O_microdasys.JPG (73.31 KiB) Viewed 4796 times
User avatar
hegar
Posts: 4596
Joined: Mon Jan 23, 2006 4:04 am
Location: El Paso, Texas

Re: My flowering Cacti 2020

Post by hegar »

Hello Cactus Friends,
today, only one new blossom was produced. I almost missed it, because the cactus is planted against a rock wall with the purpose of keeping the cats out of the box turtle area.
The plant is as far as I know a cholla with the scientific name Opuntia imbricata. The images did not turn out very well, because it was getting dark and I did a free-handed shoot.

Harald
O_imbricata1.JPG
O_imbricata1.JPG (89.66 KiB) Viewed 4769 times
O_imbricata2.JPG
O_imbricata2.JPG (51.04 KiB) Viewed 4769 times
User avatar
hegar
Posts: 4596
Joined: Mon Jan 23, 2006 4:04 am
Location: El Paso, Texas

Re: My flowering Cacti 2020

Post by hegar »

Hello Cactus Friends,

last night I was out in the front yard, because I had noticed in the morning hours, that my Peniocereus greggii cactus was going to open three blossoms at once (see attachment). Tonight the cactus will have its last flower open for the year. My other two Queen-of-the-Night cacti are not going to flower, because a feral cat broke off two of the major stems of one and the other does not yet have enough growth to bloom. I did cut the broken off stems into pieces and am trying to root them. At least two pieces are actively growing. So I shall be able to give them and hopefully some more to my cactus club buddies. :)

Harald
P_greggii8.JPG
P_greggii8.JPG (44.4 KiB) Viewed 4741 times
User avatar
hegar
Posts: 4596
Joined: Mon Jan 23, 2006 4:04 am
Location: El Paso, Texas

Re: My flowering Cacti 2020

Post by hegar »

Hello Cacti Friends,
the last two days there was nothing spectacular to bloom, but I did take a few digital images nevertheless.
One plant that did flower and has flowered before is one of the smaller specimens of Thelocactus bicolor var. bolaensis.
Thelo_bicolor var bolaensis2.JPG
Thelo_bicolor var bolaensis2.JPG (112.67 KiB) Viewed 4693 times
Thelo_bicolor var bolaensis3.JPG
Thelo_bicolor var bolaensis3.JPG (89.35 KiB) Viewed 4693 times
Another one, which also is producing an impressive number of large, pink flowers (13 on 4 stems) is my largest Echinocereus reichenbachii.
E_reichenbachii11.JPG
E_reichenbachii11.JPG (122.46 KiB) Viewed 4693 times
E_reichenbachii13.JPG
E_reichenbachii13.JPG (127.82 KiB) Viewed 4693 times
E_reichenbachii15.JPG
E_reichenbachii15.JPG (71.37 KiB) Viewed 4693 times
The last one for today is one of my Turbinicarpus sp. plants. I am not sure what species this is, but I assume, that it is a T. pseudomacrochele.
I bought these plants over a number of years and their name tags were ruined over time; plus I did transplant some of them into pots, which also did not help to keep the identification accurate. Either way, it is a nice, small plan with two blossoms. :)

Harald
Turbinicarpus1.JPG
Turbinicarpus1.JPG (117.22 KiB) Viewed 4693 times
Turbinicarpus3.JPG
Turbinicarpus3.JPG (78.53 KiB) Viewed 4693 times
User avatar
hegar
Posts: 4596
Joined: Mon Jan 23, 2006 4:04 am
Location: El Paso, Texas

Re: My flowering Cacti 2020

Post by hegar »

Hello Cacti Friends,
over the last two days a number of plants flowered. Unfortunately, I did have to go to work and missed the fully opened blossoms on several of them.
The first one I missed at the right time is a clump of Echinocereus cinarescens. I forgot to tell my wife to go out and take a few photos. Perhaps tomorrow some blossoms will still open up.
E_cinarescens1.JPG
E_cinarescens1.JPG (180.99 KiB) Viewed 4652 times
E_cinarescens2.JPG
E_cinarescens2.JPG (107.87 KiB) Viewed 4652 times
The second one I almost overlooked, because my peanut cactus is starting to grow over it. The blossom was also already almost fully closed. It is a Thelocactus hexaedrophorus.
T_hexaedrophorus1.JPG
T_hexaedrophorus1.JPG (93.77 KiB) Viewed 4652 times
T_hexaedrophorus3.JPG
T_hexaedrophorus3.JPG (121.47 KiB) Viewed 4652 times
One plant with rather inconspicuous flowers is my Opuntia leptocaulis. I use its stems to keep cats and prowling birds (e.g. curve-billed thrashers) away from my cacti. The fruit is a bright red and much more noticeable than the yellow-green flower.
O_leptocaulis1.JPG
O_leptocaulis1.JPG (155 KiB) Viewed 4652 times
O_leptocaulis2.JPG
O_leptocaulis2.JPG (78.03 KiB) Viewed 4652 times
Another of my pretty Echinocereus species collection is the Echinocereus viereckii var. morricalli. I also do have the regular version, but that one has yet to flower. My plants do not bloom profusely. It may just be the nature of the species, but it could also be the growing environment. The flower is a deep pink and quite showy though. That plant also lacks spines.
E_viereckii var morricalli2.JPG
E_viereckii var morricalli2.JPG (118.9 KiB) Viewed 4652 times
E_viereckii var morricalli3.JPG
E_viereckii var morricalli3.JPG (98.67 KiB) Viewed 4652 times
I did save the best for last. My very vigorous Echinopsis eyeriesii does produce large flowers and blooms several times a year. This plant even my wife does not dislike. :)
E_eyriesii2.JPG
E_eyriesii2.JPG (153.9 KiB) Viewed 4652 times
E_eyriesii3.JPG
E_eyriesii3.JPG (132.45 KiB) Viewed 4652 times
E_eyriesii4.JPG
E_eyriesii4.JPG (109.15 KiB) Viewed 4652 times
E_eyriesii5.JPG
E_eyriesii5.JPG (66.43 KiB) Viewed 4652 times
So, that is all for the day. I am looking forward to seeing many more cacti flower this year and perhaps even some that have never done so. :)

Harald
User avatar
hegar
Posts: 4596
Joined: Mon Jan 23, 2006 4:04 am
Location: El Paso, Texas

Re: My flowering Cacti 2020

Post by hegar »

Hello Cactus Friends,

here are a few more images of flowering cacti, taken within the last few days.
First, while I had missed the blooming clump of Echinocereus cinarescens, my wife did spot one blossom open the next day and took a photo.
So, here it is.
E_cinarescens3.jpg
E_cinarescens3.jpg (150.17 KiB) Viewed 4611 times
The very same day, my Echinocereus enneacanthus was in flower. I was able to get a few good photographs of that clumping plant.
E_enneacanthus1.jpg
E_enneacanthus1.jpg (178.42 KiB) Viewed 4611 times
E_enneacanthus2.JPG
E_enneacanthus2.JPG (162.25 KiB) Viewed 4611 times
E_enneacanthus3.jpg
E_enneacanthus3.jpg (126.7 KiB) Viewed 4611 times
E_enneacanthus4.JPG
E_enneacanthus4.JPG (91.04 KiB) Viewed 4611 times
Another cactus, that was in bloom, is some kind of red-flowering Echinopsis. It had three blossoms, but only two were open.
Red Echinopsis1.jpg
Red Echinopsis1.jpg (136.57 KiB) Viewed 4611 times
The last cactus in bloom was a group of the locally common Eagle Claw Cactus (Echinocactus horizonthalonius). A group of three plants did flower on the same day. This cactus flowers repeatedly and rainfall does trigger the flowering.
Echinocactus horizonthalonius1.jpg
Echinocactus horizonthalonius1.jpg (152.03 KiB) Viewed 4611 times
Echinocactus horizonthalonius3.jpg
Echinocactus horizonthalonius3.jpg (133.64 KiB) Viewed 4611 times
Echinocactus horizonthalonius5.jpg
Echinocactus horizonthalonius5.jpg (124.11 KiB) Viewed 4611 times
Well, that was all for today. I hope, that the images are not too large and I will have to redo everything.

Harald
User avatar
hegar
Posts: 4596
Joined: Mon Jan 23, 2006 4:04 am
Location: El Paso, Texas

Re: My flowering Cacti 2020

Post by hegar »

Hello Cactus Friends,
today only one cactus was in flower. It is one of the batch of small plants I ordered early this year from Miles Anderson. I did have a plant of that kind a number of years ago and it did not survive one of our winters. Thus could have been due to the fact, that it was planted in the ground and the drainage was not sufficient. This plant I placed into a bowl in some of my very coarse growing medium (about 3 parts small pumice, 1 part weathered granite chicken grit, and 1 part coarse sandy material from local arroyos).
The cactus, a Leuchtenbergia principis, is thus far doing fine and has at least flowered once before this time. However, I was at work and missed the open blossom. So here is a photo I took this morning around 11 a.m..

Harald
L_principis1.JPG
L_principis1.JPG (71.54 KiB) Viewed 4589 times
L_principis3.JPG
L_principis3.JPG (65.78 KiB) Viewed 4589 times
keith
Posts: 1860
Joined: Wed Jun 12, 2013 3:50 am
Location: S. CA USA

Re: My flowering Cacti 2020

Post by keith »

I think its Obregonia denegrii, very cool cactus. I really like the Echinocactus horizonthalonius I have a few but have not flowered yet this year.

I have a hard time growing them from seeds very poor germination .
User avatar
hegar
Posts: 4596
Joined: Mon Jan 23, 2006 4:04 am
Location: El Paso, Texas

Re: My flowering Cacti 2020

Post by hegar »

Of course, Keith, you are right. The last cactus pictured is indeed an Obregonia denegrii. I must have been rather tired to mix up those two cacti.
I did have a Leuchtenbergia principis plant for a good number of years, but it never flowered and eventually died. The replacement plant looked fine a month or so ago, but also has not grown in over a year and the tips of the tubercles are discolored. I should perhaps try to transplant it into a pot, before it also leaves me for good.
I realized my mistake and was going to enter a correction, but you were faster. :)

Harald

P.S.: About the Echinocactus horizonthalonius: It is a native plant here in this area, but a little sensitive to overwatering. I was a little disappointed, when the flower of my first E. horizonthalonius only lasted from around 9 a.m. until 3 p.m.. Because I did not know at that time, that the plant will produce another blossom, if the conditions are right, i.e. rainfall, I got hold of a few more of these plants, when my local cactus club was given the authorization to take out wild plants, before the heavy construction vehicles were going to raze the native flora. The club members and I do go out and salvage cacti, before development like construction of new housing, schools, or use for quarry purposes is carried out and we receive permission to enter the property.
User avatar
hegar
Posts: 4596
Joined: Mon Jan 23, 2006 4:04 am
Location: El Paso, Texas

Re: My flowering Cacti 2020

Post by hegar »

Hello Cactus Friends,

this weekend I only had two plants in bloom. Both of them had already flowered earlier this year. However, both are pretty cacti, even if not in flower and the repeat flowering makes them even more desirable. Also, they are easy to cultivate.
The first one is the Astrophytum capricorne. I did have one blossom open yesterday and the other today. So you can see by looking at the plant, the flower does not remain for long on the plant. However, this cactus flowers every year several times to make up for that shortfall.
A_capricorne16.JPG
A_capricorne16.JPG (123.16 KiB) Viewed 4515 times
A_capricorne18.JPG
A_capricorne18.JPG (115.44 KiB) Viewed 4515 times
A_capricorne20.JPG
A_capricorne20.JPG (68.18 KiB) Viewed 4515 times
The second plant is the "Glory of Texas" cactus Thelocactus bicolor variety schottii. Just like the Astrophytum cactus, it does flower several times each year and also only opens its blossoms starting in early afternoon. I especially like the red center of the flower, which is easily visible through the translucent light yellow flower petals.
Thelo_bicolor var schottii7.JPG
Thelo_bicolor var schottii7.JPG (145.82 KiB) Viewed 4515 times
Thelo_bicolor var schottii10.JPG
Thelo_bicolor var schottii10.JPG (123.9 KiB) Viewed 4515 times
Thelo_bicolor var schottii12.JPG
Thelo_bicolor var schottii12.JPG (85.56 KiB) Viewed 4515 times
Harald
Mark
Posts: 2097
Joined: Thu Oct 13, 2005 1:42 am
Location: El Paso,TX 8A

Re: My flowering Cacti 2020

Post by Mark »

Hey Harald, your plants are looking great! Do you have the Queen of the night in the ground?

Mark
User avatar
hegar
Posts: 4596
Joined: Mon Jan 23, 2006 4:04 am
Location: El Paso, Texas

Re: My flowering Cacti 2020

Post by hegar »

Hello Mark,

I have not heard from you in a long time. I thought, that perhaps you had left El Paso and moved to another city.
Thank you for your compliment of my cacti. Some are doing quite well, others not so much. A few minutes ago I found out, that one of my small Ariocarpus fissuratus plants is being covered up by a mound of sand brought to the surface by ants! :x
I have lost several cacti, which at one time or another were covered by dirt removed from below by ants. I do have a suspicion, that perhaps these ants are also chewing through the cactus roots and cause the plant to go into a rot.
Although now is not a good time to take the cactus out, I might still do so, because I want to see its root system. Of course, the ants will have to be eliminated.
Now to your question: I do have three Queen-of-the-Night (Peniocereus greggii) in the ground. Two of them in the backyard and another one in the front yard. The biggest plant until last year was one of the backyard cacti. However, two times now feral cats broke major stems off, which I then tried to root. So that plant is no longer the largest one and did not even flower this year. The one in the front yard did produce six nice blossoms though. I did photograph five of them and posted them in this thread.

Harald
Mark
Posts: 2097
Joined: Thu Oct 13, 2005 1:42 am
Location: El Paso,TX 8A

Re: My flowering Cacti 2020

Post by Mark »

Hey Harald, I'm still here. :P Oh no those ants are terrible Hopefully they don't chew the roots, never thought of that. Do you have them mixed in a bush or full sand? I am wondering if I should plant my potted plant in the yard. I also have another which is growing under a cholla and it gets shaded out, so moving that one is a little more intense


Mark
User avatar
hegar
Posts: 4596
Joined: Mon Jan 23, 2006 4:04 am
Location: El Paso, Texas

Re: My flowering Cacti 2020

Post by hegar »

Hello Mark,
the ants have taken up more "real estate" than I had observed at first glance. Some of my other small cacti are now in danger of at least being covered by mounds of desert soil. Several of those I needed to remove anyway, because more vigorous, larger, clumping cacti are starting to squeeze them out.
So this Friday I am going to dig all those plants up and perhaps by Sunday transplant them, some in planter bowls, other in a different location in the cactus bed which used to be almost covered by several kinds of Opuntia spp..
I have not noticed any ant activity in my planter bowls. Perhaps the ants do not like, that those are above ground. Also, the growing medium, conisting mostly of pumice pebbles and chicken grit, may not be to their liking. :)

Harald
Post Reply