"Fat Plants" : cacti,succulents, caudiciforms, whatever..

[Maggi Young]

You always show us interesting plants, Rudi, thank you.
I look at that first photo of Rechsteineria leucotricha and I marvel at the way the growth comes from the caudex.... in the second photo, I see a red-nosed furry ant-eater! 

[cohan]

Now flowering with me:
Rechsteineria is a Gesneriad of tropical origin. It needs a frost-free shelter in winter but enjoys
a place in full sun without cover, the caudex can grow to an impressive size.
I place the Escobarias from October to March in the unheated Alpine House without any watering
and the rest of the year in a frame in full sun without cover.

Rechsteineria leucotricha.jpg
003.jpg
Escobaria organensis.jpg
Escobaria sneedii.jpg
011.jpg

nicely grown!

[Rogan]

Conan will enjoy this little succulent: Conophytum saxetanum from Namibia.

In its native habitat it often "clothes" the rocks in domed mats surviving entirely on moisture-laden fog from the cold ocean. I collected my plant 20 years ago near the seaside town of Luderitz where it is common.

My plant is in full bloom at the moment with each bloom measuring no more than 4mm (3/16") in diameter - a real beauty    At night it emits a sweet, pungent odour that can be detected from quite a distance away - I wonder what pollinates it?

[iann]

I know what you mean by pungent odour!  Do you have C. quaesitum?  Smelly socks

[iann]

Back to Lesley's cacti.  #3 may be Mammillaria elongata.  I'm not sure how big it is.  Escobarias mostly have white spines.  #5 may also be a Mammillaria if it is a really small plant, something like M. magnimamma.

I have to bring up the subject of soil.  I don't know where you got them, but little factory-raised cacti in Europe are usually sold in a soil guaranteed to kill them within a year.  You probably know a thing or two about making good soil, but a good cactus soil is slightly different to a good alpine soil.  Good drainage is important, but because cacti are drenched and then allowed to dry out completely, their soil is slightly different.  It can actually be quite dense, although you don't want soggy.  You won't go far wrong if you just make it free draining.

I have to add a topical photo

[cohan]

Conan will enjoy this little succulent: Conophytum saxetanum from Namibia.

In its native habitat it often "clothes" the rocks in domed mats surviving entirely on moisture-laden fog from the cold ocean. I collected my plant 20 years ago near the seaside town of Luderitz where it is common.

My plant is in full bloom at the moment with each bloom measuring no more than 4mm (3/16") in diameter - a real beauty    At night it emits a sweet, pungent odour that can be detected from quite a distance away - I wonder what pollinates it?

just a lucky guess, i do like it conos are high on my list to get some seed and try, and i esp like those with tiny bodies and actively clustering..would be great to see in habitat on the rocks..
interesting about the smell.... most night bloomers i know of are sweet scented..

[cohan]

I have to add a topical photo

nice one..i don't have enough of these little mexican sp.. and don't think i will be attempting many from seed since they sound so slow...

[christian pfalz]

hi, today in bloom...opuntia engelmannii, echinocereus triglochidiathus...



cheers
chris

[iann]

don't think i will be attempting many from seed since they sound so slow

There's slow and there's slow.  The two big ones are Strombocactus disciformis at one year old.  Over 1 cm and could be bigger if they'd been kept under lights all summer.  The small ones are the red flowered ssp esperanzae, much slower.

[JPB]

Hoodia gordonii (left) and Hoodia spec. (right; H. flava or hybrid?)
Conophytum wettsteinii ssp. wettsteinii
Conophytum obcordellum var. ceresianum (delicious perfume in the evening/night!)

[angie]

Lovely Hoodia...I have given up trying to grow this lovely plant four attempts now.
Nice to see someone else growing it and getting it to flower, don't know what i did wrong.

Angie

[cohan]

don't think i will be attempting many from seed since they sound so slow

There's slow and there's slow.  The two big ones are Strombocactus disciformis at one year old.  Over 1 cm and could be bigger if they'd been kept under lights all summer.  The small ones are the red flowered ssp esperanzae, much slower.

as a long time cactus grower, 1cm at a year is not that slow to me  not as bad as some of the others then..

[cohan]

Hoodia gordonii (left) and Hoodia spec. (right; H. flava or hybrid?)
Conophytum wettsteinii ssp. wettsteinii
Conophytum obcordellum var. ceresianum (delicious perfume in the evening/night!)

nice! i hadn't seen the yellow hoodia before...
love the conos...

[christian pfalz]

hi, especially for cohan my friend...agave snapshots here agve neomexicana


opuntia engelmannii



opuntia azurea flower detail....

kind regards
chris

[Michael J Campbell]

In bloom a few days ago.