Echeveria imbricdo in Bloom





Actually there are two plants in the pot, but only is in bloom. I purchased them about four years ago and this is the first time either one have bloomed. The flower colors are quite outstanding with that strong yellow inside and the soft coral outside.  You can see the flower stem coming out of the one Echeveria and its about a foot long. The two Echeveria plants are six inchs across, the one blooming is around a foot and a half tall. The other droops over the side and the stem is only about six inches in length. After the one is done blooming, I'm going to cut both of them back and re-root them, hopefully the stems will sprout out with plant heads. I look at it as refurbishing old plants, that's what is amazing and great about succulents.  

 

Echeveria is a large genus of flowering plants in the Crassulaceae family, native to semi-desert areas of central America, from Mexico to northwestern South America.

 

The genus is named after the 18th century Mexican botanical artist

Atanasio Echeverría y Godoy.

Gymnocactus viereckii

This is the first Gymnocactus that has been added to the collection here at Death Valley Shack, due to the fact I have not come across many that have been for sale, but there other names for this plant read below. The spine coloration is what I find interesting very similar to the new Opuntia that Loree of Danger Garden has added to her collection.

Origin is in the Tamaulipas area of Mexico and found at an altitude of around 2500 ft. Growing solitary or occasionally clustering they live in cracks in rocks, on cliff faces, getting very little nutrients, and growing nearly free of organic matter. The only naturally occurring organic matter will be leaves blown around and getting caught on the spines. G. viereckii will grow to about 7" in height and 3" in width, it's a small plant but the flowers are a bright magenta or pink with a greenish-white throat making up for the size.Other names that have been given this variety is Thelocactus viereckii, Pediocactus viereckii, Neolloydia viereckii, and Echinocactus viereckii.

March of the Mammillarias

The Mammillarias are very busy this time of year in the Death Valley Shack with flowering of pinks and yellows. But there are also red, white, lavender, some striped, and even two tone stripes.  

Mammillaria ?plumosa

Mammillaria bombycina

Mammillaria hahniana

Mammillaria karwinskiana

Mammillaria nejapensis

Mimmillaria spinosissima

"Uno Pico"

Wolverine Barrel

FEROCACTUS EMORYI
SUBSPECIES RECTISPINUS

Fero from Greek meaning "fierce"

The newest addition to the Death Valley Shack collection.
The barrel cactus is 8" wide with 4" spines and planted in a 10" pot.

Always cylindrical or barrel shaped and are usually among the largest cacti of the North American deserts. All members of the barrel family have prominent ribs and are fiercely armed with heavy spines. In some species, one or more central spines are curved like a fishhook, accounting for the common name Fishhook Barrel Cactus. The younger plants of the Emoryi cactus have colored spines, often a purple hue, and very few that are strongly crosshatched ridges. The very long central spines are only slightly flat and not hooked. Growing at an elevation of 1,500 to 3,500 feet in the Sonoran Desert of Pima and Yuma counties of Arizona, as well as down south into Mexico. Reaching a height of 8 feet and flowering in July and August with yellow, orange, or maroon flowers.

Echinocereus rigidissimus var. rubispinus

"RUBY RAINBOW"

Mexico
"Northern Sonora, North-Western Chihuahua"

I like the look of this cactus, the spine coloration is very pretty. If I allowed this plant to have more sun, the spines would develop into a deep raspberry color. It is not one of the easiest of cactus to grow due to them being so prone to root rot from over-watering. One of the most interesting facts about this cactus is that it will take temperatures in the teens for a short period. No central spine is on the areole. Prefers soil poor in lime and usually acidic. Beautiful bright pinkish-red or magenta or red flowers with white throats are huge, up to 4" wide. Blooms in ring on the crown of the stem in spring. This plant is in a 3" pot.

Mammillaria spinosissima

RED-HEADED IRISHMAN

One of first cactus before Death Valley Shack was built. Actually there are twin plants in the pot, but this is the one blooming. Nice pink blooms against the reddish-copper needles. The flowers are fashioned as a ring around the apex of the plant. The Mammillaria spinosissina comes from the Guerrero area of Mexico. Easy to grow and self fertile so it produces its own seeds. Cylindrical plants up to 8 to 12 inches in height and about 4 inches wide.

Thelocactus hexaedrophorus

"Hexaedrophorus" comes from the Greek
"hexa" = six and "hedra" =plane, seat
and "phoros" = carrying, for the six angled tubercles.

A solitary and quite variable cactus with flattened stems from San Luis Potosi, Tamaulipas, Nuevo Leon and Zacatecas areas of Mexico. Many local forms are known, often formally described, that differ in stem, spine or flower morphology. Because of the large variability of the species in the whole distribution area, none of these are recognized today. Depressed or globose, bluish , olive-green, or greyish-green eventually tinged in pink or purple, 2-5" tall , 8" in diameter (eventually grows a little taller in cultivation). Spines are usually strong and variable in length depending on the plant often difficult to distinguish as centrals and radials. Flowers are silvery-white or rarely pinkish with more or less magenta midribs, up to 10 in diameter. Easy to cultivate but very slow growing. The plant in the collection is planted in a 4" pot.

Astrophytum asterias

Sea Urchin or Sand Dollar Cactus
These four plants are in a 4" pot.

The Astrophytum asterias is a popular spineless cactus. Solitary globular cactus, up to 6 inches in diameter and 6 to 8 ribs. In the wild area of Northeastern Mexico (Nuevo León, Tamaulipas) and southern Texas it is almost extinct, mostly due to habitat destruction. It decreases in size in the wild when lacking water and might be covered with dust during the dry season. The rain makes it swell and washes it, making it ready to enjoy the sunlight. Little water, subject to root rot, keep very dry in winter. Seeds germinate rapidly and some cultivars are grafted for faster growth. Can take up to 6 years to bloom in summer at irregular intervals. The 2 inch wide flowers are yellow with a red center, and sweet scented. They are followed by spineless greyish-red fruits. Plants generally start blooming when they exceed one inch in diameter.

'Super Kabuto' is a Japanese cultivar with extremely abundant flecking. The white flecking is very variable from clone to clone. Be sure to click on the link and take a look at some of these beautiful plants that are being created. You will want to add a couple to your collection, but be careful they are very expensive.

Narrow Leaf Century Plant

Agave Striata
This plant is in a 3" pot.

Hailing from the Sierra Madre Orientale mountain range in northeast Mexico. Easy to grow century plant looks quite different from the wider leaf types with its narrow, rounded, grey-green, knitting needle-like leaves that are quite stiff and delightfully painful.....Be sure to have your friends admire this plant closer. The initial rosettes will become 18" tall x 3' wide, but after the 8' tall flower stalks finish in midsummer, the rosette branches and continues to grow, eventually creating a stack of porcupine-like balls. I have read reviews of some people growing this outside in a zone 7, if kept dry. This little baby is staying in the Death Valley Shack, not putting this plant out till late Spring.

Echinocereus pectinatus var. rigidissimus

Comb Hedgehog

The plant from the collection is planted in a 3" pot.

Discovered in the Sierra Oscura area of Chihuahua, Mexico. Now includes southwestern Arizona to Maverick County, Texas, at elevations upto 4,500 ft. Plants are usually solitary, globose to cylindrical, 2 1/2" to 12" in height and 1 1/2" to 4 1/2" in width. Body obsured by spines without a central spine and flattened against the stems. Spines are comblike in their arrangement and often interlace. The spine colors range in white, pink, red, yellowish and brownish. Flowers are borne at the sides, funnelformed, and brilliant red to magenta with white throats. In size they are about 2 1/2" long and about 2 1/2" to 3 1/2" diameter.

Ortegocactus macdougallii

Ortegocactus macdougallii is a species of cactus, the sole species of the genus Ortegocactus and closely related to Mammillaria. The plant has a greenish-gray epidermis and black spines. It is only known from Oaxaca, Mexico where it grows on limestone rock. It is often grafted since it is tricky to grow when on its own roots. A harmless but unsightly orange discoloration is common at the base of the stems. It named in honor of the family Ortega, from San Jose Lachuguiri that helped Tom MacDougall in the discovery of this plant.

The plant above is growing in a 3" pot and purchased a couple of years ago. I like the contrast of the spines against the body of the plant.

Mexican Fire Barrel

FEROCACTUS PILOSUS

aka

Mexican Fire Barrel

WOW.......a new cactus for the greenhouse. This plant is amazing, the spines alone are threatening. Long, red, and sharp, but a beautiful contrast against the green body of the plant. It is about 7" across and 6" high. In order for this plant to bloom it will take about 40 to 50 years and reach a height of about 6' to 7' x 3' wide. Ferocactus pilosus originally comes from Central Mexico. They grow solitary or form massive clumps of several stems. When it flowers they are produced in circles around the stem tips or crown of the plant and a wonderful color of yellow to red.

Ferocactus

From the Latin ferox, meaning "fierce" and the Greek word kaktos, meaning "thistle".