Okay it is more pink

Just a quick posting of the Gymnocalycium mostii. I was able to catch the flower open and it is more pink than I thought. The color is lush, that can be said? If you look close there is another bud below this flower and upon close examination I have found three other buds that are forming. YEAH!!!!!!!!

Gymnocalycium Mostii

Love those Gymnos, (can one have to many, but what is to many?).........I purchased this G. mostii from Kara Nursery at the Oregon Cactus and Succulent Society Sale at Portland Nursery on Stark St. in July. This plant is about 6+" wide and about the same height. And of course it had the bud when I purchase it, one of the reason it was added to the collection. It is usually a weakness when a Gymno is setting flower buds. I have not had the chance to see the flower open, since I'm at work during the day. Maybe I'll get to see it tomorrow if the flower is still in good shape.
The flower color is listed as pink, but to me its a little more on the apricot side. G. mostii is from the area of Córdoba in Argentina where it grows among grasses in the mossy cracks and cavities in rocky cliffs. The plants in habitat are different from its neighbors. Some have strong spines others weak, curly, straight, long or short ones and in all different combinations.

They have been described as solitary, but they can also form groups with age. It is a summer grower species that offers no cultivation difficulties. Water regularly in summer and keep this plant almost dry in winter at a minimum temperature of 32 degrees.

Blooming Gymnocalycium

Have been waiting for this little beauty to bloom. Love the way the flower bud is puffed up like a little balloon. Then when it opens it is a beautiful satin yellow. It is marked Gymnocalycium bruchii, but after looking up more information bruchii flowers are mostly pink or maybe white. Nothing about yellow flowers........But the flower is still pretty.

From the Greek words

gymnos meaning "naked"

kalyx meaning "bud"

Gymnos live in various habitats and elevations in Argentina, part of Uruguay, Paraguay, southern Bolivia and part of Brazil which is the South-Eastern part of South America. The largest of this genus may achieve 7 inches in height and 12 inches in diameter, while most of the species stay well under 5 inches in height and diameter. This small size have relatively easy care requirements making them very popular in cultivation. These flowers are naked without any spines, wool, or bristles. In all species, they are smooth and scaled, resembling the tips of young asparagus shoots. Nearly all species have white, cream-colored or pale-pink flowers, while a few will have dark red or yellow. Flower size is moderate and typically flowers are 1 to 1.5 inches wide. While flowers come easy and at an early age on Gymno plants, they usually need high-heat to open fully and thus do much better in a greenhouse.

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.

Gymnocalycium achirasense var. orientale

After looking thru my many books and viewing websites,I believe this to be a Gymnocalycium achirasense var. orientale. I'm very sure I'm correct, but I would not bet the greenhouse on it. As always the flowers are amazing.........I moved this plant from Death Valley Shack to the kitchen table to enjoy the flowers!

Gymnocalyciums in habitat are found in South-Eastern South America in various environments and elevations.

The Gymno. achirasense grows in Argentina in the foothills of the city of Cordoba. The variety name "orientale" means that it lies in the most eastern part of the habitat. Achirasense is a (usually) solitary cactus, flattened or globular, dark-green, grey-green to olive green, 2"-3" in diameter up to 2" in height, but in cultivation it can become 4" high (or more) over the years. 10-12 spines which are stout and aggressive, but usually fewer in young plants, bent against the body with a rib count of 12-15. Central spines are usually absent or they have 1 erect. The flowers are some of the largest in this genus, often growing larger than the plant, whitish, pale pink to lavender, with a darker mid-strip.The cultivation of this plant as well as other Gymnocalyciums is simple. They are summer growers, water regularly in summer, keep rather dry in winter. They will flourish in full sun (not direct) or light shade. The Gymnocalyciums are one of the easiest of the cacti to grow, to have flower and can flower at an early age.

Mammillaria spinosissima cv. Un Pico

There is a blog entry on this same plant from October 21, 2010. I do not want to bore anyone with the info regarding this plant. Just wanted to share the flowers that are in bloom right now. The color is an amazing purple red..........