Saturday, October 23, 2010

Thread Leaf Agave

AGAVE FILIFERA

Agaves are the number one succulents that I collect, Ferocactus being second. This little one is the Agave filifera variety planted in a 2 1/2 inch pot. The origin is Mexico (Chihuahua, Durango, Sinaloa, Sonora), at an elevation of 4500 to 7500 feet. Stemless rosette up to 1 1/2 to 2 feet tall, 2 to 3 feet wide; 100 leaves or more per rosette, each leaf has white markings, sharp tips and marginal fibers.

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Mammillaria spinosissima cv. Un Pico

Un Pico

This is a stable genetic mutation from a very variable spined species M. spinosissima ssp. spinosissima, aka "red-headed Irishman". A species of cactus that grows in Guerrero, Mexico. On the cultivar Un Pico each areole only produces one spine, but some perfectly spineless areoles are also present, but the axil is very woolly . Columnar solitary (usually) or slowly clumping, dark blue-green, rarely exceeding 12 inches in height and four inches in diameter. Flowers are a purplish red. The plant above is growing in a four inch pot and is about seven inches tall. I like the look of this plant very much, I even have a little group of three in another pot, and the largest plant is about two inches tall
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