Friday, March 30. 2007
It's an Ocotillo
It's not a cactus, so they say in Colorado.
Now we know. And don't tell me you never learned nothing about cactus on this cactus blog that features whippets and political quotes alongside recipes for tequila drinks, although in this case we actually only learned about non-cactus today. But a fine non-cactus it is.
You could have fooled me. I always thought that the ocotillo growing in the Sonoran Desert and throughout Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument was itself a species of cactus. Cacti, however, have regularly spaced areoles, small pits or cavities from which spines and branches usually originate.
Despite its own thorny spines, the ocotillo (pronounced oh-koh-TEE-yo) is actually a kind of candlewood, a resinous tree or shrub.
Unlike cactus and other succulents that have adapted to desert environments by conserving moisture within their fleshy tissue, the ocotillo produces leaves during rainy spells, then drops its leaves during periods of drought.
Despite its own thorny spines, the ocotillo (pronounced oh-koh-TEE-yo) is actually a kind of candlewood, a resinous tree or shrub.
Unlike cactus and other succulents that have adapted to desert environments by conserving moisture within their fleshy tissue, the ocotillo produces leaves during rainy spells, then drops its leaves during periods of drought.
Now we know. And don't tell me you never learned nothing about cactus on this cactus blog that features whippets and political quotes alongside recipes for tequila drinks, although in this case we actually only learned about non-cactus today. But a fine non-cactus it is.
Friday Whippet Blogging
Benjamin asleep in bed, with pink belly.
Spring Succulents
Sempervivum kalinda
Thursday, March 29. 2007
New York Times' Orwellian Quote of the Day
Security leads to Freedom.
David Brooks, columnist, New York Times, March 29, 2007
I have created a graphic to illustrate the point:
We Get Questions
Q: I just read your website and I wondered if you could answer a question for me?? I have a beautiful cactus—its on the smaller side –it is Green at the bottom (stalk) and it has a nice red sort of ball on top that has sprouted two more little ones. My problem is that is was accidentally knocked over and it has come away from its roots. Do I need to throw it away or can it be saved?? I tried to replant it but it keeps falling over as it has nothing to keep it in the pot. I appreciate any help you can give me. I have had this plant for over a year and a half and I hate to toss it.
Barbara
A: Hello,
You can repot your cactus and use bamboo skewers or chopsticks to hold it upright while it re-roots. It sounds like your plant is a grafted cactus with a mutant Gymnocalycium as the red ball on top. The bottom green part is most likely a Hylocereus. The mutant red one is grafted on to the green stock since the weird color means there is no chlorophyll to feed the red plant.
Try propping it up for a month or two and let the roots re-grow and then it should be able to stand up on its own.
Good luck,
Hap
Barbara
A: Hello,
You can repot your cactus and use bamboo skewers or chopsticks to hold it upright while it re-roots. It sounds like your plant is a grafted cactus with a mutant Gymnocalycium as the red ball on top. The bottom green part is most likely a Hylocereus. The mutant red one is grafted on to the green stock since the weird color means there is no chlorophyll to feed the red plant.
Try propping it up for a month or two and let the roots re-grow and then it should be able to stand up on its own.
Good luck,
Hap
Tuesday, March 27. 2007
San Francisco Garden Show Blogging Still
The Garden Show is long over, but I still have one more photo from the grand-prize winner "Under the Sea" and our plants they used:
It's the trophy, and some ferocactus too.
It's the trophy, and some ferocactus too.
Monday, March 26. 2007
San Francisco Garden Show Blogging III
Here's the 3rd picture in our series of photos of the grand-prize winning garden, "Under the Sea".
Some Hoodia gordonii from our collection have an amazing underwater coral look to them, alongside a ferocactus and some opuntia and echeveria and more.
Some Hoodia gordonii from our collection have an amazing underwater coral look to them, alongside a ferocactus and some opuntia and echeveria and more.
Take a Break
At Stanford, taking a break may mean going to the cactus garden:
Interesting. I think too much studying has gotten to somebody over in Palo Alto.
Put down that problem set. Snap out of that literary haze. It’s time to take a break....
The planters around the Quad. One of the most accessible and stunningly beautiful places to sit on campus. Recline and stare off into some foliage until a tourist interrupts to ask you if he can take a picture with a real, live Stanford student.
The benches around the Claw. It is almost impossible to sit within these four concrete parentheses and get work done. Between the baby-Gap model inches away from falling into the fountain and the unleashed doggy parading about, you will be distracted. And that’s a good thing.
The Arizona Cactus Garden. No need to get on a plane for this. If you’re willing to trek out to the Mausoleum and navigate from there, you will stumble across an unexpected garden of 500 cacti and succulents. Just remember to keep your hands to yourselves, kids.
The planters around the Quad. One of the most accessible and stunningly beautiful places to sit on campus. Recline and stare off into some foliage until a tourist interrupts to ask you if he can take a picture with a real, live Stanford student.
The benches around the Claw. It is almost impossible to sit within these four concrete parentheses and get work done. Between the baby-Gap model inches away from falling into the fountain and the unleashed doggy parading about, you will be distracted. And that’s a good thing.
The Arizona Cactus Garden. No need to get on a plane for this. If you’re willing to trek out to the Mausoleum and navigate from there, you will stumble across an unexpected garden of 500 cacti and succulents. Just remember to keep your hands to yourselves, kids.
Interesting. I think too much studying has gotten to somebody over in Palo Alto.
Sunday, March 25. 2007
San Francisco Garden Show Blogging
It's another photo from the Garden Show!
Echinocactus grusonii! Woohoo!
Echinocactus grusonii! Woohoo!
Bush Quote of the Day
Saturday, March 24. 2007
Dirty Hippy Quote of the Day
But until this authoritarian zombie is finally killed, the country is in danger of more of these "misbegotten, stupid, ill-advised wars" and imperial presidencies each time the Republicans manage to... regain power.
Digby gets angry.
SF Garden Show
"Under the Sea" by Organic Mechanics won Best-in-Show. They used some of our plants.
Congratulations to them for the most excellent job. I'll have more photos over the coming days.
Friday, March 23. 2007
Japanese Whippet Blogging
I can't read the site this image comes from. It's in Japanese. The name at the top is Beth. The whippet is jumping. Good whippet.
Administration Quote of the Day
Tony Snow says:
Hmmmmmm....
The executive branch is under no compulsion to testify to Congress, because Congress in fact doesn't have oversight ability.
Hmmmmmm....
Thursday, March 22. 2007
We Get Questions
Q: Hi,
I wonder if you could help me please - one of my two cacti desided to produce some pink things; it doesn't look like flowers!
I even don't know the 'proper' name for my cactus!
Many thanks,
Lena
A: Hello Lena,
Your cactus is a Mammilaria, unfortunately I can't tell you the species without seeing a close-up of the flowers but it looks like it might be a nice young Mammilaria compressa.
The "pink things" are fruit from last years blooms. They will ripen, eventually fall off and be full of tiny black seeds. In the wild mice and birds would pick the fruit, eat it and of course spread the seeds.
Good luck with your plant,
Hap
I wonder if you could help me please - one of my two cacti desided to produce some pink things; it doesn't look like flowers!
I even don't know the 'proper' name for my cactus!
Many thanks,
Lena
A: Hello Lena,
Your cactus is a Mammilaria, unfortunately I can't tell you the species without seeing a close-up of the flowers but it looks like it might be a nice young Mammilaria compressa.
The "pink things" are fruit from last years blooms. They will ripen, eventually fall off and be full of tiny black seeds. In the wild mice and birds would pick the fruit, eat it and of course spread the seeds.
Good luck with your plant,
Hap
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