The Author grows succulents at his Northern
California home. He's mostly interested in unusual forms, contrasts, and
of course the beautiful flowers. Here are some pics of more notable
successes:
Stapelia gigantea:
From the name you can guess this Stapelia has grand flowers, and it does.
They're so big that when the plant was smaller, a single open flower
entirely hide and plant and pot both (over 11" across). This is a
carrion flower, so you don't want to hang around it in warm weather.
The last picture shows the pollinators, confused and aggravated flies,
invited to a banquet by the stench of decay, but alas it was a trick.
These shots from the '02 flowering:
The third flower in that bunch didn't open until the first had deflated,
so never got the hat trick. Flower #4 came along in November, for a
record four whoppers from this plant. A good year.
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Huernia penzigii: Another corpse-flower, but with smaller,
more subdued corpses. This one's gone cristate on some of the hanging
branches. Very useful plant to have around to attract flies; which when
stunned are a favorite food of brainless angelfish. |
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Ariocarpus fissuratus: Lucked into this specimen while visiting
a nursery down San Diego way. It's a bit too green and vigorous in this pic,
the Author has been over-watering it. Properly, it should evoke a "Is it
dead?" response when seen. |
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| Four pictures of the seed pods and seed of
Huernia penzigii taken August 5, 2005. |
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I'm in Yreka now, much further north. Had to give almost all my
succulents away when I moved here; was not able to care for them while
living in a cramped temporary rental while building, and the climate
is very different— winters usually get down to the low teens (F), but
in 2013 I saw -5° on my deck, and a neighbor a couple miles away
saw -10°.
I missed my little green friends, so have started again with a few
mail-order specimens (sent bare-root from
Arid Lands and
Miles' To Go)
which I keep on trays so I can move indoors and out.
I have to bring them in at night, even in good weather, or the pack rats
will steal them (no joke, they nabbed my first Ariocarpus
fissuratus).
Here are a few new flowering pics:
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| Matucana madisoniorum |
Matucana madisoniorum |
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| Frithia pulchra |
Thelocactus bicolor |
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| Gymnocalycium baldianum |
Gymnocalycium baldianum |
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| Thelocactus hexaedrophorus |
Thelocactus hexaedrophorus |
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| Ariocarpus fissuratus |
Ariocarpus fissuratus |
Ariocarpus fissuratus |
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| Pleiospilos bolusii |
Pleiospilos bolusii |
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| Lithops hookeri |
Lithops hookeri |
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| Lapidaria margaretae |
Lapidaria margaretae |
June 23, 2015 · Yreka, CA
Flowering this day are: Matucana madisoniorum,
Thelocactus bicolor and Thelocactus hexaedrophorus.
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