Seedling Update

The seedlings are about 10 days old now. Its interesting how they change, but still have no characteristics of the actual plant at this time.  I'm thinking it will be about 4 or 5 months before they start showing any detail or maybe sooner. I'll keep posting about every 10 days to keep track of changes if there is any. 

Epithelanta

Echinocereus

Mammillaria

They Grow Up So Fast

It's amazing to me that the seeds were planted on the 26th of June and I already have cactus seedlings.........actually they were up on the 4th. If you click on the name you will be taken to another page and see a photo of a mature plant.

Echinocereus rigidissimus

Mammillaria pilcayensis

Epithelantha bokei

OCSS Sale

Last Saturday and Sunday the Oregon Cactus & Succulent Society had their annual June sale at the Division St. Portland Nursery. There will be another sale in July on the 20th, 21st, and 22nd at the Stark St. location. I always like to see what there is to purchase, do some admiring, and to visit with Luther of Kara Nursery and also writes the Oregon Cactus Blog. The photos below are the plants that I purchased from him for new additions in my collection in the Death Valley Shack.

Mammillaria huitzilopochtli  

Lithop bromfieldii var. insularis

Lithop schwantesii

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"

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.

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.

Pincushions of the Cactus World

MAMMILLARIA BOMBYCINA

MAMMILLARIA/ LATIN MEANING MAMMILLA "NIPPLE"

Distribution of Mammillarias extends from the southern United States to Northern Colombia as well as the West Indies. With 350 species Mammillarias are the largest genus in the cacti family as well as the most diverse in appearance. The plants are small to medium sized, spherical or elongated and cylindrical. The thick or bristly spination is often short and colorful. The smaller species have a central spine that is generally hooked similar to a fishhook. Flowers raise from the axils in rings around the upper part of the body like a crown, they are small to large, bell shaped like a short tube. Colors range from white, cream, yellow, pink, dark red, and mauve. There are some with striped flowers as well.
A great many of these plants are easy to grow and very popular in collections. They are hardy plants that prefer full sun, medium to coarse soil mix and a dry winter rest. The photograph above of the M. bombycina plant is from the greenhouse.