SUCCULENT SUNDAY: Turbinicarpus valdezianus

Turbinicarpus valdezianus is one of the smallest and slowest-growing cactus—small even within genus Turbinicarpus, not known for their tremendous size. The diminutive body is the size and shape of a thimble. The spines are minute, almost microscopic, and flattened against the body in harmless tight formation—more like scales than armament. Flowers are pink, often striped; occasionally white.

Turbinicarpus valdezianus is found in Coahuila, San Luis Potosí, Nuevo León, and Zacatecas.

Turbinicarpus valdezianus showing more of body

SUCCULENT SUNDAY: Parodia buiningii, synonym Notocactus buiningii

This week Parodia buiningii takes us to South America. Each plant is an excuse to learn more about botany and geography, bouncing from continent to continent as the inspiration strikes. A succulent species represents millions of years of adaptation to specific ecological pressures in Mexico or the rest of North America, Africa, Madagascar... or this week, Uruguay and Brazil.

Parodia buiningii is also known by its synonym Notocactus buiningii. (All Notocactus species have been included under the genus Parodia, where they form a distinct clade: a group of related plants with evidence of descending from a common ancestor.) 

Parodia buiningii is one of the most handsome members of the group formerly known as genus Notocactus: geometric ribs, glaucous blue-green skin, and needle-sharp spines the color of tortoise shell. This Parodia buiningii has advanced flower buds with characteristic brown wool. They look almost like fuzzy antlers on a young deer or strange rabbit ears. The flowers will be yellow. This individual is probably a few years old and measures approximately 3 inches across.

Notocactus buiningii grown and photographed by Mr Sentient Meat

Which country is it really from, you ask—Uruguay or Brazil? Well, Parodia buiningii is found near the unusual dual-nationality city: Rivera, the capital of the Rivera Department of Uruguay and (Santana do) Livramento, a city in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. In an uncommon arrangement, citizens of either country within the city can cross the border freely. Customs and checkpoints are located outside the city.

Parodia buiningii is reportedly rare in its habitat, the environs of these twin cities, Rivera, Uruguay, and Livramento, Brazil.

Closeup of same Notocactus buiningii grown and photographed by Mr Sentient Meat

SUCCULENT SUNDAY: Stenocactus multicostatus

Called "brain cactus", the genus Stenocactus hails from Mexico. It's distinguished by its wavy ribs. Also called Echinofossulocactus, this genus varies widely in size, spination, and number of ribs.

Today's species, Stenocactus multicostatus ("many-ribbed") enjoys wide distribution in Mexico: Chihuahua, Coahuila, Durango, Nuevo Léon, San Luis Potosí, and Zacatecas. True to its name, it seldom has fewer than 120 ribs. Notice the flat, stout central spines.

Stenocactus multicostatus

Within that natural variation, this individual shows flowers typical of stenocactus: short, funnel- or bell-shaped; white with purple-pink midstripe.

Stenocactus multicostatus flowers seen from above

See Also

Stenocactus multicostatus at Cactus-Art.Biz

SUCCULENT SUNDAY: Mammillaria pectinifera

Even if you limit yourself to the most seductive cacti from genus Mammillaria, you still have dozens of strange and wonderful plants to choose from. Mammillaria pectinifera (Latin for "comb-bearing") has such minute, harmless spines that they appear like legs on tiny bugs—reminiscent of the spines on Mammillaria hernandezii (profiled previously). The spine beds are elongated vertically, like so many miniature millipedes marching in tight formation.

Surprisingly, Mammillaria pectinifera is closely related to M. carmenae (which looks completely different & is also profiled on Sentient Meat), M. glassii, M. picta, M. plumosa, and M. prolifera. Together these species plants form a clade, a group of types likely descending from a common ancestor. They differ markedly from each other in size, spines, and other features.

Mammillaria pectinifera, endangered miniature cactus native to Puebla, Oaxaca. Plant grown and photographed by Mr Sentient Meat

My plant is just over an inch in diameter. This is its first bloom under my care. The flowers are an elegant pale pink. Overall the plant is neat and understated in appearance.

Mammillaria pectinifera, same plant viewed close up, plant grown and photographed by Mr Sentient Meat

Mammillaria pectinifera's appeal may be its downfall. It is reported to be nearly extinct due to over-collection within its native Puebla, Oaxaca, Mexico. Consequently, it's protected under CITES I, the most stringent protocol of international protection.

SUCCULENT SUNDAY: Eriosyce senilis

Like last week's copiapoa, this week's eriosyce comes from Chile on South America's arid Pacific coast. Eriosyce senilis ssp. senilis has long, curly white spines resembling a scraggly old beard. It hails from the Rio Choapa valley in the Coquimbo region of Chile.

Eriosyce senilis starting full bloom

This individual has a dark maroon body—about 3 inches wide—a striking contrast with the long, white spines. Frilly shocking-magenta flowers emerge like trumpets.

Eriosyce senilis flower closeup

SUCCULENT SUNDAY: Copiapoa tenuissima, spirals of woolly areoles on maroon bodies

February, 2012, is too mild in Southern California to be called "the dead of winter". While some plants have slowed down drastically, others have reawakened and are pushing new flower buds. My Copiapoa tenuissima is pictured in full bloom with yellow flowers sharply contrasting against the dark maroon body.

In early February, the most active cacti and succulents are plants from regions with winter rainfall (or fog), typically near western coasts. Copiapoa tenuissima follows this general rule since it comes from around Chile's Pacific Ocean (western) port city of Antofagasta.

Look at the 10 or 11 new heads branching off from the central body. These can be re-rooted and grown as new plants, though it takes a while for a detached head to grow new roots.

The currently accepted name is Copiapoa humilis subspecies tenuissima, since the original description of Copiapoa tenuissima was invalid. I'm mildly dissatisfied with this classification for sentimental reasons: Copiapoa humilis is a rough and lumpy species which grows fast and messy. By contrast, this Copiapoa tenuissima seems to be rather elegant.

See Also

Hunt, David. 2006. The New Cactus Lexicon. dh books. The Manse, Chapel Lane, Milborne Port, Sherborne DT9 5DL, England.

SUCCULENT SUNDAY: Euphorbia obesa v symmetrica—the UFO has landed

Chief among the pleasures of succulents are their otherworldly shapes and colors. Euphorbia obesa is a very familiar shape... familiar, that is, in a beach ball or balloon! This oblate spheroid is not a common shape in the world of plants.

This UFO-shaped plant is dioecious (unisexual). I think the plant pictured is male, but I'm not completely sure. On my to-learn list is better positive identification of the sex of euphorbia blooms (called cyathia).

Euphorbia obesa var symmetrica

With any luck, I'll have a breeding pair of these choice succulents from southern Africa. Here's my second plant. Look at the cute second body! This kind of branching is quite unusual in this species:

Euphorbia obesa grows wild in the Graaff-Reinet district in the Eastern Cape. The form pictured here (subspecies symmetrica) is found in the Willowmore district, where it's protected voluntarily by some farmers, partly with the effort of enthusiasts from the Euphorbia Study Group of Warrington, England.

The subspecies symmetrica is distinguished from the base type by a rather technical distinction: it produces multiple peduncles from single flowering eyes. Amateur growers and fans of this plant also know that Euphorbia symmetrica stays compact, rather than elongating and growing tall like the species type, Euphorbia obesa.
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See Also
Euphorbia obesa ssp symmetrica at Cactus-Art.Biz

SUCCULENT SUNDAY: Mammillaria carmenae, blonde bombshell

If you were marooned on a... ahem... DESERT island and could only grow one genus of cactus... okay humor me here... don't you think it would probably be...

 

Mammillaria

Mammillaria is a large genus with about 140–180 species, depending on who's listing them. So if you're stuck on that hypothetical desert island, you won't be limiting your options very much.

Pilbeam (1999) recognizes 181 Mammillaria species and of these Hunt (1999) accepts 145. Any way you split this genus, it is one of the most varied in the Cactaceae, and it also has wide distribution: southward as far as Colombia and Venezuela and northward extending into the American Southwest. The greatest richness and diversity of Mammillaria varieties is in Mexico.

Mammillaria carmenae is native to Tamaulipas, Mexico.

Mammillaria carmenae, a particularly blonde and pink-flowered individual cared for and photographed by Mr Sentient Meat. Spines can vary from yellow to white. Flowers can be white, pink or pink-tinged white.

Mammillaria is a very diverse group; however none of these cacti are giant trees. They are all small-to-medium-size "globular" (roundish) cacti. Some are solitary; others grow into large clumps. They all have distinctive bumps which remind scientists of breasts enough to earn the name mammillae—thus the genus name (or as they say in the lingo, the generic epithet).

Mammillaria carmenae, same plant, different angle

The plant pictured is fully grown at around 3 inches tall and 2 inches in diameter. This species is known to grow in clusters, so it's probably time for me to move it to a larger pot where it can spread out and grow more bodies.

Mammillaria carmenae has pale yellow to white spines, and each areole (at the tip of each mammilla) has over 100 spines, obscuring the surface of the plant almost entirely. It reminds me a bit of Mammillaria candida (profiled recently) or Mammillaria lasiacantha (in the collection but not profiled yet). Surprisingly, these similar-looking cousins are not its closest relatives.

Instead, according to molecular studies by Butterworth and Wallace (2002), Mammillaria carmenae is most closely related to M pectinifera, a bizarre subminiature which is about to bloom in my yard. I hope to profile it soon. You'd never guess these two are so closely related. M pectinifera (means "comb-bearing") resembles a strange, round top with spine-beds (areoles) like tiny, multilegged creatures. You'll see!

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See Also

ANDERSON, E. F. 2001. The cactus family. Timber Press, Portland, Oregon, USA.

HUNT, D. 1999. CITES Cactaceae checklist. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, UK.

BUTTERWORTH, C.;  WALLACE, R.  2002. "Phylogenetic studies of Mammillaria (Cactaceae)—Insights from chloroplast sequence variation and hyptothesis testing using the parametric bootstrap". American Journal of Botany 91(7): 1086–1098. 2004.

PILBEAM, J. 1999. Mammillaria. Nuffield Press, Oxford, UK.

Also... coming soon, Mr Sentient Meat, chief plant profiler for Succulent Sunday, is very excited to be upgrading his library with the top, current, go-to reference for cactus:
HUNT, D. 2006. New cactus lexicon. dh books. Sherborne, England, UK.

[I can practically feel your excitement from here. —Mr S M]

SUCCULENT SUNDAY: Kalanchoe eriophylla, thou woolliest of leaves

Also posted at SentientMeat.Net

I confess a personal weakness. I cannot resist the wildlife of Madagascar. Lemurs, aloes, bryophyllums, kalanchoes... This may be exoticism, orientalism, or some other unhealthy fascination. Probably the only cure—as with the phobias—is to confront the object of my obsession and see Madagascar in person. Soon, baby, soon.

Kalanchoe eriophylla grown & photographed by Mr Sentient Meat

The genus Kalanchoe is found in almost all of Madagascar's many regions and climates, except the central plains. Kalanchoe comprises about 100 species, of which 60 are endemic to Madagascar.
Many species of Kalanchoe have adapted a woolly or fuzzy tomentum: fibrous, protective leaf covering. Of these, Kalanchoe eriophylla (from Greek words for woolly and leaves) may be the woolliest of all. Its covering is even denser than that of the more common "Panda Plant" Kalanchoe tomentosa.

E.J. Lucas reports this wool is Kalanchoe eriophylla's adaptation to high montane Madagascar—moderate temperatures but punishing ultraviolet. Whatever the cause, Kalanchoe eriophylla is highly attractive and extremely pettable. In person, it's almost irresistible. What's more, it is adapted to a scrambling existence on mountainsides, so its stems can re-root along their length. This makes it fairly easy to propagate, though too much water or heat can kill it quickly.

Kalanchoe eriophylla pale-pink flower borne on long stalks with fuzzy sepals, photo by Pilar at Infojardin

Kalanchoe eriophylla was originally described (the word botanists prefer over discovered) in 1857 from a plant collected by Bojer on Mt Antogona, Imerina province. Reference specimens have been collected for herbariums from the central Madagascar Ankaratra massif, and the areas surrounding Tananarive, Imerina province. As recently as 1995, the species was reported "very abundant". Pieces are sold in markets and worn by Malagasy people as a good-luck charm, particularly in business or acquiring riches.

One of several common Malagasy names for Kalanchoe eriophylla is "Felatanantsifoana", meaning "palm of the hand never empty".

Kalanchoe eriophylla flower closeup, photo Creative Commons copyright 2009 Zoya Akulova

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See Also

Lucas, E. J. (2002), Plate 452. Kalanchoe Eriophylla Crassulaceae. Curtis's Botanical Magazine, 19: 232–236. doi: 10.1111/1467-8748.00354
Kalanchoe eriophylla at Encyclopedia of Life

SUCCULENT SUNDAY: Adromischus marianiae forma herrei: vivid, almost volcanic

It's slow, it's tiny, and yet it's one of my favorite plants. It is species Adromischus marianiae forma herrei in a vivid, dark-maroon form—deeply textured, almost like red coral or volcanic rock. This form was found by Bruyns in the Kourkammaberg mountain range, as reported in the book titled simply Adromischus, by Pilbeam, Rodgerson and Tribble, 1998.

Adromischus marianiae forma herrei, a seductive form reportedly found in the Kourkammaberg mountain range, 30 miles S of Maerport

The genus Adromischus is part of the Crassulaceae (stonecrop or orpine family) found growing with other leaf succulents in dry areas all over southern Africa. Adromischus is closely related to other southern Africa Crassulaceae: Tylecodon, Cotyledon—and it's not far from Kalanchoe. Adromischus (known as "adros" by afficionados) are found in every province of S Africa and in southern Namibia. Like this plant, they are all subshrubs or smaller. Luckily they do not seem to be in serious danger of extinction, though habitat loss can always threaten to wipe out specific forms occurring in tiny areas.

This species A marianiae forma herrei and its close relatives are found in westerly parts of Western Cape and Northern Cape.

The same plant from a different angle, grown and photographed by Mr Sentient Meat and twice a 3rd prize winner

I raised this plant from a tiny individual of 3 small leaves to the 14-leaf specimen you see here. It's still just over 3 inches from tip to tip. Although it has won a couple awards, I can't claim any great skill with this drop-dead gorgeous plant. I do watch it carefully, but I'm guessing that my Los Angeles climate and my rather negligent hand with the watering bucket just happen to favor it.

Adromischus marianiae is a large and complex species with many different subspecies or forms stretching hundreds of miles north-south in western South Africa. The size, shape and color of the succulent leaves varies widely, even within the "herrei" form. Some have leaves of a pale bluish green with maroon spots, others have red leaves, still others are nearly black. They grow rather slowly; they are small; some of them are rather difficult to grow well unless the climate is just right. Many of these forms are highly desirable and sometimes difficult to find.

The outstanding red-brown population of A. marianiae “herrei”, in the Harras area, W. Steinkopf. Photo at Adromischus Displayed, http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/adrodisp/marianiae-herrei.htm , copyright Derek Tribble

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See Also

Pilbeam, J.;  Rodgerson, C.; Tribble, D. 1998. Adromischus. Cirio Publishing Services Ltd. Southampton. ISBN: 0 9520382 4 8.
Adromischus marianiae forma herrei at Adromischus Displayed, by Derek Tribble

SUCCULENT SUNDAY: Mammillaria candida—snowballs of the desert

Some cacti have evolved so successfully that they have adapted to life across a wide region. Now in darkest winter, it's time to talk about the "Snowball Cactus" which is just such a cactus: Mammillaria candida. (Scheidweiler 1838). The spine covering on Mammillaria candida is so dense that the cactus does appear like a big snowball or puffball. The flowers can be light pink, dark pink, white with dark midveins... or even yellow!

Its habitat stretches across several states in northeastern Mexico: Coahuila, Nuevo León, San Luis Potosí, and Tamaulipas.

Mammillaria candida grown and photographed by Sentient Meat

Unlike some puffball-like mammillaria, Mammillaria candida has spines which really mean business. I thought it looked soft and friendly so I started to repot it without gloves. I thought if I moved slowly and gently I could just turn it upside down with one hand and rest it ever-so-lightly in my other hand. Big mistake! After trying this maneuver gingerly a couple times, I gave up. I can try again in the spring. With gloves.

Mammillaria candida (syn M. ortizrubiona) ML 656 - Photo : Michel Lacoste at Mammillarias.net

M candida is sometimes separated from the rest of Mammillaria into its own genus, Mammilloydia, because its seeds are not pitted and lack the perisperm found in all other mammillaria. Recent molecular studies, however, place M. candida squarely within Mammillaria, a huge genus which includes many cacti much more distantly related than Mammillaria candida.

Mammillaria candida - Photo : Willy at Mammillarias.net

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See Also

Mammillarias.net gallery of species starting with C

SUCCULENT SUNDAY: Ortegocactus—lonely, lumpy & light green

Ortegocactus has an unusual, lumpy surface and distinctive, pale-green skin.

Ortegocactus, a genus with only one species: macdougallii

It's not very scientific to sort plants by how interesting they look. After all, why should a plant's place in science—the accidents of its evolution—also tickle our human sense of beauty? Why should a plant with scientific interest also match the desires of home growers of cacti and succulents?

Ortegocactus closeup. Note the furrows in the tubercle tops in this mature individual.

What does surprise me is how often plants which stick out in the science of plant naming—plants from a monospecific genus—are also interesting to look at.

Ortegocactus in habitat, photo by Amante Darmanin at cactuscristatemania.blogspot.com

A monospecific genus is a genus with only one species. Sometimes this is an isolated population with millions of years of adaptation to a particular evolutionary niche—long enough to diverge from other genera. In other cases, plants from a monospecific genus may be highly variable in size and shape (or habit) and may occur over a wide region. The physical differences between populations are simply too slight, too insignificant to warrant different species names (aka specific epithets).

Ortegocactus habitat. Photo by Amante Darmanin at CactusCristateMania.blogspot.com

Ortegocactus is a monospecific genus thought to be isolated for much of its recent evolution. In habitat, Ortegocactus macdougallii is known from one small area—the limestone scree and escarpments of a hill known as El Cántaro, 4km west of San José Lachiguiri, Oaxaca, Mexico.

The exact position of Ortegocactus in the cactus evolutionary tree has been debated. Recent molecular phylogenetic work by Butterworth places it close to genus Neolloydia and Cochemiea and to the series Ancistracanthae within the enormous genus Mammillaria, now seen to be polyphyletic.

The municipality of San José Lachiguiri lies between 16 ° 22' north latitude and 96 ° 21' west longitude at 1670 meters above sea level.

See Also

Ortegocactus at Desert-Tropicals.com
Ortegocactus at Cactus-Art.Biz
Ortegocactus at WelcomeToCactusLand.Com
Ortegocactus at CactusCristateMania.blogspot.com
San José Lachiguiri at the Encyclopedia of Mexico Municipalities, State of Oaxaca
Butterworth, Charles A. and Wallace, Robert S. 2004. Phylogenetic studies of Mammillaria (Cactaceae)—insights from chloroplast sequence variation and hypothesis testing using the parametric bootstrap. American Journal of Botany. 91:1086-1098.

Addendum: quote from Butterworth's paper and commentary:

Clade A [a group which appears to have evolved from a single population] includes sampled members of the genera Coryphantha, Escobaria, and Pelecyphora, which form sister lineages to sampled taxa of Hunt’s and Lu ?thy’s series Ancistracanthae and subgenus Cochemiea, respectively, thus clearly demonstrating paraphyly within Mammillaria. Furthermore, within the core group of series Ancistracanthae sensu Hunt and subgenus Cochemiea sensu Lu ?thy, our phylogeny places Ortegocactus macdougallii and Neolloydiaconoidea. Discovered by MacDougall in the early 1950s and described by Alexander (1961), Ortegocactus macdougallii has been contentious in its placement in relation to other members of tribe Cacteae. Bravo-Hollis and Sanchez-Mejorada (1991) sank this genus into Neobesseya, members of which are now commonly accepted as species of Escobaria (Hunt, 1992, 1999; Barthlott and Hunt, 1993). Hunt and Taylor (1986, 1990) suggested that Ortegocactus may be referable to the genus Mammillaria, although an official transfer to Mammillaria was not made. Barthlott and Hunt (1993) also commented on the similarities of Ortegocactus and Mammillaria, going so far as to suggest that Ortegocactus is reminiscent of M. schumannii. Butterworth et al. (2002) also suggested that Ortegocactus shared a greater affinity with members of Mammillaria than with Escobaria or Coryphantha. The data presented in this paper do indeed show that O. macdougallii is embedded within members of Mammillaria, its closest Mammillaria relatives including M. schumannii. However, at present the transfer of Ortegocactus to Mammillaria would be inappropriate because of the polyphyletic nature of Mammillaria as seen in our analyses.

Translation: Ortegocactus appears to share the same lineage of many Mammillaria, so much so that its DNA (and the model we reconstruct from this DNA of Ortegocactus evolution) would justify calling it a Mammillaria... EXCEPT that other genera also have this same problem, too—Neolloydia, Cochemiea, some Coryphantha and Escobaria. They all seem to be closely embedded within the evolutionary tree of what we otherwise call Mammillaria. So it would be hasty to rename Ortegocactus until we figure out what to do with ALL these naming problems.

SUCCULENT SUNDAY: Argyroderma, pale Martian globes with purple topknot

Also posted at SentientMeat.Net

This Argyroderma startled me the other day. I hadn't noticed the bud forming until it I saw its shocking purple petals fully unfurled and sticking straight up.

Argyroderma grown by Mr Sentient Meat

You'll have to take my word that this flower is a purple of such intensity and depth that I've rarely seen a color to rival it. Cameras have a hard time capturing intense magenta and deep purple; my camera is no exception. In real life the petals are a much darker, deeper purple—rather than the hot magenta in this photo. You almost begin to doubt your own eyesight... as if someone has fiddled with the color knobs of the world.

Argyroderma, same bloom fully open the following day

Argyroderma is native to the quartz fields of the Knersvlakte north of Vanrhynsdorp in southern Namaqualand, in South Africa's Northern Cape. All known species in Argyroderma are from this same region.

Like all its relatives known by the monickers "Split Rock" or "Living Stone", Argyroderma is a mesemb—a member of the ice plant family Aizoaceae, formerly Mesembryanthemaceae. Try saying that 3 times fast. I have yet another geeky confession: sometimes I walk around the house repeating this family name to myself: mess-emm-bree-ann-them-AY-see-ee. If I had to explain myself, I guess I'm practicing so that I don't stumble if I have to say it in public. Try it again yourself: meh-semm-bree-ann-theh-MAY-see-ee.

This particular plant was sold to me as Argyroderma 'Purple'. I'm guessing it's cultivated from Argyroderma delaetii, a solitary species which in Nature can have white, yellow, purple, or occasionally even red flowers—in the same population.

Argyroderma blooming in habitat, photo by Etwin Aslander

See Also

Argyroderma delaetii at CactusArt.Biz 

Court, Doreen. (Third Edition, 2010). Succulent Flora of Southern Africa. Cape Town, South Africa: Struik Publishers. ISBN-10: 1770075879. ISBN-13: 978-1770075870.

SUCCULENT SUNDAY: Monadenium ellenbeckii fma caulopodium: lime-green octopus decked for the holidays

Today was my local plant club's holiday party. I was called on to offer a little light entertainment, so I sang my favorite secular holiday tune: "You're A Mean One, Mr. Grinch".

For the plant exchange—an ingenious ceremony, really—I contributed a rather handsome little Agave xylonocantha. Handsome... but not showy. I confess with a little chagrin that my little A xylonocantha was not an early pick from the table; larger, more beautiful plants were on offer.

As soon as my plant finally was picked up from the table, it was my turn to pick my choice of the remaining plants. Luckily this terrific little Monadenium ellenbeckii forma caulopodium was still available. It took me a while to notice it, but the more I focused on it, the more it grew on me. Pretty!... and well grown.

It even bears a slight resemblance to Himself, that very villainous Grinch.

See also
San Gabriel Cactus and Succulent Society, my local club

SUCCULENT SUNDAY: Mammillaria plumosa, puffy plumed pillows

Mammillaria plumosa, fall flowers usually white or cream, here with pale pink stripe

Part of the magnetism of cacti and succulents is their strangeness—how they differ from mundane plants. Even more fascinating are the strangest-of-the-strange: cacti and succulents which have evolved bizarre features or eccentric adaptations.
     Enter Mammillaria plumosa. It's a cactus and it has spines, but these "spines" have evolved differently. They do not pierce or prickle. Instead, they sprout from each areole like tiny fountains of feathers. They certainly protect the body of the plant—but it's the soft protection of plumage rather than the hard protection of armor... or the outright weaponry of your typical cactus.
     Mammillaria plumosa forms clusters in calcareous rock clefts of Coahuila and Nuevo Leon in Northeast Mexico, home to many gorgeous and desirable cacti and succulents... such as Ariocarpus scaphirostris, subject of a previous Succulent Sunday. Like many cacti, it is protected on List II of CITES international wildlife treaty.
     Mammillaria plumosa is popular with home growers. (Yes, home growers. I hate the C word, collectors.) It is not terribly difficult to grow if you avoid keeping its roots too wet. Or at least that's what they tell me. So far, so good! Pictured is my plant blooming happily in a mix of 95% pumice, a naturally airy volcanic rock. This should help avoid the dreaded root rot. Time will tell; our first winter together is knocking at the door—this week with freakish 90 MPH winds in Los Angeles! Ah but the winds aren't as dangerous to cactus as wet combined with cold.
     Mammillaria plumosa rewards proper care by regular flowering (usually white but sometimes with a light pink midstripe), especially in autumn. And it spreads outward to form a clump. These clumps can be divided. Separated heads are reported to grow new roots with some ease. This makes it the best kind of long-term project for the home grower—your growing success is rewarded with more plants which you can give away to your friends.
     And they look good.

See also

Mammillaria plumosa article at Cactus Art
Mammillaria for sale at Miles' To Go cactus nursery
From The Cactus Family by Edward F. Anderson (2001):

Mammillaria plumosa F. A. C. Weber 1898
Feather Cactus
Chilita plumosa (F. A. C. Weber) Orcutt 1926, Ebnerella plumosa (F. A. C. Weber) Buxbaum 1951

Plants forming low, dense mounds to 40 cm (16 in) wide. Stems globose, light green 6–7 cm (2.4–2.8 in) high and in diameter. Tubercles very soft, cylindrical, without latex, axils woolly. Central spines absent. Radial spines about 40, plumose, white, 3–7 mm (to 0.3 in) long. Flowers white, to 15 mm (0.6 in) long. Fruits club shaped, deep purplish rose, to 15 mm (0.6 in) long. Seeds blackish brown to black. Distribution: Coahuila and Nuevo Leon, Mexico.

SUCCULENT SUNDAY: Haworthia tessellata, waxy windowed whorls

Haworthia tessellata 'Neat' shooting a bloom stalk. Can you see the windows in the leaf tops?

Haworthia tessellata is one of my favorite plants. At least, that's what I tell people. At least one friend has complained that I say that about so many plants that it can't possibly be true.

Haworthia limifolia, a close relative of H tessellata but lacking obvious windows in its leaves. It resembles opaque, molded plastic rather than translucent, carved wax.

The latin name tessellata comes from the tiled pattern in the leaf faces. Attractive, yes, but the bigger truth about these odd, waxy leaf faces is this: they evolved to be natural windows. Many Haworthia have adapted this way. Sunlight enters the plant body through these translucent windows and is converted into energy by many layers of chlorophyll-rich cells. This is especially useful in the arid climates where Haworthia tessellatamakes its living; the primary photosynthesis tissues are not exposed to the drying elements.

Haworthia tessellata 'Fang', a select clone named for the teeth and tubercles on the leaf undersides.

Leaves with window tops are described as fenestrate, from the Latin for window: fenestra.

Haworthia tessellata 'Super Tessellata', a beautiful, select clone

What's more, like many succulents, Haworthia tessellata can photosynthesize using Crassulacean Acid Metabolism (CAM). During CAM photosynthesis, the plant opens its stomata only during the cool of the night. It "inhales" in carbon dioxide and stores it in its thick, succulent tissues (while "exhaling" oxygen). During the heat of the day, the carbon dioxide stored deep in the plant can be used in photosynthesis because sunlight passes through the leaf windows, deep into the center of each leaf.

Haworthia tessellata in habitat. Photo by Jakub at http://haworthia-gasteria.blogspot.com/

See Also
Convergent Evolution in Succulent Desert Plants: Comparing Haworthia and Aloe (Africa) With Agave (America)

SUCCULENT SUNDAY: Adenia stylosa, purple vine of evil

Also posted at SentientMeat.net

Adenia stylosa, photo by Mr Sentient Meat of his plant

Okay, maybe Adenia stylosa isn't truly evil. But its heart-shaped purplish leaves are the color of a deep wound. They do have dark red veins. And consider the stem... the gnarled, waxy, green, enlarged trunk or caudex. To me it looks like a living version of a melted candle destined for a Satanic ritual. In fact this plant's common name is reportedly "Candlestick Plant". That's fitting, as far as it goes. It does lack a bit of punch, a bit of drama. I think we should all start calling it "Satan's Candle". Who will be the wiser? Common names don't really matter anyway. Whatever you call it, it's a plant straight out of Charles Addams or Edward Gorey.

Adenia firingalavensis v. stylosa "Candlestick Plant"

Now to the anatomy of evil... or at least the secrets behind Adenia stylosa's macabre appearance. Its above-ground tuber... okay, "tuber" doesn't sound very evil... this caudex even has vaguely anatomical "hips": actually a distinctly swollen hypocotyl, the portion of the stem below where its cotyledons were attached and fell away in the seedling's infancy. The leaves are dark and attractive, varying between individuals as shown in this picture by Olaf Pronk.

Leaves from different individuals, all Adenia stylosa

Adenia stylosa was known previously as a subspecies of Adenia firingalavensis or Adenia epigea but is now considered a separate species. It lives in Northern Madagascar, in Ankarana National Park among other places.

Famed tsingy, limestone formations in Ankarana, Madagascar

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See also:
Rauh, Werner. Succulent and Xerophytic Plants of Madagascar. Strawberry Press.

1995. Volume 1. ISBN 10: 0912647140. ISBN 13: 9780912647142

1998. Volume 2. ISBN 10: 0912647175. ISBN 13: 9780912647173

David J. Hearn has found strong enough DNA evidence and differences in its form to separate Adenia stylosa as a distinct species, moving it from its historical classification as variations or subspecies of Adenia firingalavensis or Adenia epigea. From the scientists' abstract:

[T]he position of A. stylosa has been clarified. This species was once treated as A. firingalavensis var. stylosa, and prior to that as A. epigea var. stylosa, but molecular and morphological data suggest it is separate from these species.

Hearn, D. J. 2007. Novelties in Adenia (Passifloraceae): Four new species, a new combination, a vegetative key, and diagnostic characters for known Madagascan species. Brittonia 59(4): 308–327.

Huntington Botanical Garden's introduction of related Adenia epigea

SUCCULENT SUNDAY: Dorstenia lavrani, one sex at a time

Also posted at SentientMeat.net

Dorstenia lavrani, too young to be sexually active
(no hypanthodia),  photo by Sentient Meat

After you read about the bizarre sex life of figs and fig wasps, you can't really say that the genus Dorstenia is much stranger than other members of the fig family, Moraceae. Still, you can't help but notice the bizarre blooms of Dorstenia called hypanthodia. They look like psychedelic set decorations from the original Star Trek.

Photo of Dorstenia hybrid hypanthodium by Josiah Hartzell
Ripe seeds are ejected and may land far from the mother plant

Dorstenia has about 100 species. Most are monoecious with bisexual hypanthodia, but today's focus, Dorstenia lavrani, is dioecious, meaning some plants are male and bear pollen, while others are female and bear ovaries and later, seeds. My young plant has not borne any hypanthodia yet, so I don't know its sex. I hope it's female.

Same Dorstenia lavrani pictured above

Legendary plant explorer John Lavranos discovered this plant variety in 1973, but it was circulated among collectors as a form of Dorstenia foetida -- a fascinating but much more common plant -- identified only by its locality, Taba'a Gap or Taba'a Gorge. It was finally described as a distinct species and named Dorstenia lavrani only in 2008.

Beautiful, prizewinning plant about 14 inches high
(not counting the Sideshow Bob topknot)
grown by Yvonne Hemenway, iPhone snapshot by Sentient Meat

Dorstenia lavrani mesmerizes me with its pale, wax-like skin and its helix of leaf scars running up and down each stem. Well grown plants are visually striking, magnetic to growers and plant show judges alike. Apparently animals also find it irresistible -- it was the first plant to be devoured off my deck. (The small plant pictured here is its replacement.) The first day I noticed a problem, only a nibble was missing. The next day all that remained of that plant was a crater in the soil.

Breeding female Dorstenia lavrani at Mike and Maureen Massara's growing grounds
photo by Bruce Brethauer, Columbus Cactus Club

SUCCULENT SUNDAY: Avonia buderiana: tiny stems covered with papery white scales, tipped with fragrant white flowers

Also posted at Sentient Meat blog

Avonia recurvata ssp buderiana, new addition to Sentient Meat container garden
grown and sold by Woody Minnich of Cactus Data Plants

Which plants bewitch you? Which traits arouse the most passion? Even if pressed, I can't narrow my favorite plants down to just 10 or even 100, but I can tell you which traits amaze me. I am endlessly fascinated by plants which don't look like plants... or in some cases, don't resemble living things from the planet Earth.

Avonia buderiana is just such a plant. Its tiny branches reach upwards in haphazard, coral shapes (coralliform) covered with bizarre, overlapping, white, papery scales. These scales are actually modified leaf parts (stipules) which protect the tender branches and minute green leaves from heat, sun, and dehydration. Some Avonia live in quartz sands where their papery white scales blend visually with their habitat. All Avonia are dwarfs; A buderiana stems reach at most 80mm or scarcely over 3 inches in height.

The ephemeral white flowers sprout from the tips of the stems, usually 1 per stem. They open briefly in the heat of the day but are usually closed like tiny, out-worldly pincers.

Avonia buderiana grows wild in Helskloof, Richtersveld, in the Northern Cape of South Africa.

Dirt road and horizon, showing arid habitat
Helskloof, Richtersveld, Northern Cape, South Africa
photo by Sakkie on Panoramio

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Richtersveld Transfrontier National Park, South Africa official site

Court, Doreen. (Third Edition, 2010). Succulent Flora of Southern Africa. Cape Town, South Africa: Struik Publishers. ISBN-10: 1770075879. ISBN-13: 978-1770075870.

Photo from Spain plant vendor Cactus Serrano www.cactuserrano.es

View from Maerpoort with Rosyntjieberg in the background, Richtersveld National Park
Photo by Lex Hes, courtesy of, and copyright, South Africa Tourism, a department of the government of South Africa.