Cactus Blog 

The Yale Daily News has an article about some stolen cactus from the botanic garden, and some other stuff too – it’s a long article – but this is what caught my interest.

Marsh Botanic Garden manager Eric Larson examines ripening bananas in one of the Garden’s greenhouses. Sean Fraga/Contributing Photographer

I may not know all the banana species you might find at a botanic garden in Connecticut, but I know a carnivorous Nepenthes pitcher plant species when I see one. In case you were thinking that maybe he’s reaching for a banana behind the nepenthes, click the photo for the giant version, and you can see he’s actually holding one of the pitchers of the pitcher plant.

That was fun! But wait! That’s not all the fail we have at Yale today. To the article!

Eric Larson, the manager of the Garden, said the stolen cacti were among the most valuable plants in the Garden’s collection. Eight of the plants were of the genus conophytum — quarter-sized clusters of cacti — and were located in one small tray, he said.

And there we have the classic conflation of cacti and succulents. Conophytums are in the Aizoaceae family, formerly of the Mesembryanthemaceae family, also known as “Mesembs” like the Ice Plant and Lithops, or Living Stones; but definitely not the Cactus (Cactaceaa) family. Conophytums are from South Africa, as opposed to Cacti that are from the Americas. Wow, that was geeky.

Normally, I wouldn’t bother to correct some student journalists getting some basic facts wrong, because who cares really, but it was the photo of the “Bananas” that got my attention, and so once I got started I couldn’t be stopped. Until now…

I recently bought Richard Dawkins latest epic, “The Greatest Show on Earth” but I haven’t had the time to read it yet, what with the latest issue of Archie Comics having just come out. But the San Francisco Chronicle has this little gem from the book:

An “evolutionary arms race” pits cacti in the Galapagos against browsing tortoises, so the cactus grows taller to escape the browsers and the browsers evolve saddle-backed shells that enable them to stretch higher for the cacti.

I can’t wait. Tortoises AND cactus, together in one book! Exclamation points for everyone!

Science! (more…)

hello Cactus Jungle,

You guys are awesome and I’m hoping you can help me identify the plant in the pictures I’ve attached. I’ve done hours of online research and I think it’s a caudiciform that’s related to the Pachypodium; maybe that’s redundant. I only say this because of the coloring, overall look, texture, and thorns but I haven’t been able to find anything that shares the exact characteristics (yellow flowers, long narrow leaves, binary growing pattern). Maybe it’s some sort of hybrid??

I bought the plant last December at a winter craft fair and the dude who sold it told me it was a succulent daisy. This is the first time it has had flowers, and they do sorta look like daisies but I dunno… Other factoids: it is dormant in spring and summer (when I bought it it was covered in those green leaves), I haven’t watered it in at least 2 or 3 weeks and there’s new growth, the new growth sprouts from those fuzzy-looking white things in the pictures. Does any of this info help or sound familiar?

thanks in advance for anything you can offer!

Leo

Leo,

After a day (or two) of blanking it finally came to me! Othonna euphorbiodes! A cool succulent shrub in the Asteraceae (daisy) family from the Cape province of South Africa. It is a winter grower, so keep in good light and water occasionally this winter, it should leaf out and put on a show.

Nice plant!

Take care,

Hap

The Winston-Salem Journal wrote about rotting-flesh smelling flowers for Halloween, and ended up with the wrong caption for their photo of a stapeliad.

The giant saguaro cactus in Arizona is pollinated mostly by bats.

However, the text of the article did include this.

I was once seduced by a plant of Stapelia gigantea called zebra flower for its wildly striped flowers. I bought it because I was attracted to the huge bud it had formed, easily the size of my hand. It opened the next day, sending an awful stench through the house. Out the door and into the yard it went, where it was soon covered by a swarm of flies. It is a nasty pollination strategy, but it works.

That would have made a better caption.

Oh yeah, I almost forgot, here’s the photo in question.

It’s not S. gigantea, but at least it’s related.

Euphorbia tirucallii

Other common names include Pencil Cactus and Milk Tree.

Interesting thing about this plant. It seems that in the 7 years we’ve been open, I’ve never photographed it. Now I have. Good times.

Yesterday I forgot to mention that we’re also now making Tillandsia Wreaths.

That looks like hundreds of tillandsias on that wreath, but then I haven’t counted so I could be totally off.

It’s robot day at the Jungle.

And it just so happens that we have a robot dog!

Come to our Opening Night Party today 3-6pm at the nursery.

There’s been a lot of demand this year for succulent wall panels.

This is our new design for a wood-framed succulent wall panel that you can hang on the wall vertical or horizontal.

Yay!

Oregon Cactus Blog has a nice big, dark, scary-looking sempervivum variety that I’ve never seen. You’ll have to click over to see Sempervivum ‘Jungle Shadows’, but it’s worth the trip.

I sent out our monthly email, with a new plant on it that is a fabulous caudiciform mesemb (if you know what I mean) and I got the name wrong. Now I wrote that I wasn’t sure of the name, but just one day later and I’m fully corrected.

Nananthus transvaalensis X Aloinopsis orpenii is the correct name, so you can see why I was able to get it so wrong. It looks a lot more like the Nananthus parent than the Aloinopsis parent, if you ask me.

…and it’s time to plant the cacti. I wonder if the plants can switch their internal yearly clock cycle around like that?

This comes from Otago, which may be a city in New Zealand, or the name of a newspaper, or a blogger, or a nursery or even a coffee house; who knows, I can’t be bothered to google it today.

Cacti and succulents can be raised from cuttings made during the next month. Photo by Gillian Vine.

Notice how they cleverly crop the photo to imply a cutting.

Euphorbia flanaganii in full flower.

Tiny little buggers. Here’s a closeup.

Have you ever… had yourself poked with cactus soaked in tequila?

No.

Some people have.

Really?

5. Cactus and Tequila

Cactus leaves dipped in tequila are a base ingredient for the so-called ‘hakali’ massage. It was devised by the Mexicans who guarantee supreme, poking-free, experience and who believe in the relaxing effects of alcohol.

I wonder where you can go to relax with a cactus in Mexico?

Apuane Spa at the Four Seasons Resort Punta Mita, Mexico.

And finally, we have a picture. She does look relaxed.

The drivers didn’t seem to notice, but they were being watched from a patrol car parked behind a cactus hedge just off Demaree Street. Visalia police Officer Jacob Heaton scanned the driver’s seat of each passing vehicle… looking for a driver passing by with his hand fixed to his ear, the telltale sign of a motorist flouting California’s 16-month-old law prohibiting adult drivers from talking on cell phones without hands-free devices.

Now you know: Don’t drive while talking on your cell phone… While driving past a cactus in Visalia. Actually, that’s probably good advice even if the police aren’t behind there, since that accident you are about to cause could land you in a cactus.

From one of the news sites I regularly read, Talking Points Memo, comes this insight about the failure that is Joe Lieberman, as told in a cactus joke.

But it became ever more clear yesterday that (Obama’s) “forgive and forget” policy toward Joe Lieberman was a big mistake.

I understand why Obama did what he did. It is summed up in (an) adage (that) states that the difference between a caucus and a cactus is that, on a cactus, the pricks are on the outside.

Oh, snap! See, that joke is funny because Joe Lieberman is a prick!

But unfortunately, any comparison between a cactus and Joe Lieberman would inherently be insulting to the cactus. He makes a jumping cholla seem friendly. Even a porcupine wouldn’t mate carefully with him (that’s another sophomoric spiny joke entirely. Sorry about that.)

Hello friends at Cactus Jungle,

My beloved euphorbia pseudocactus has been having some problems lately. I’ve noticed two distinct issues, which I was hoping you could help me diagnose.

1. Black and brown discoloration, over wide areas of all 3 pseudos. (see picture)
-I know this can happen with overwatering, but I’ve owned this plant for 3 years and have watered at most once every 4 to 6 weeks.

2. Chunky holes (see picture)
-possible pest infestation?

I am currently having a mealy bug problem with other succulents in my garden, but I haven’t see any signs of mealies on the pseudocactus. Any ideas as to what might be causing the above issues and how I can treat them?

Thanks a million!

-Kristi

Kristi,
The holes look like they have healed over, whatever had caused them in the first place, so I wouldn’t worry about them at this time. However, the black spots, with rainbow coloration around it, looks like a fungal infection. This needs to be fixed ASAP or you will lose that portion of the plant over the winter.

It doesn’t sound like it was overwatering. Has light or airflow conditions changed recently?

Treat with Neem oil, or we also have a product called Mildew Cure.
Take care,
Peter

This cactus came with our new house. I don’t know what it’s name is or how to care for it. Thanks for your help.

Carol
St. Petersburg Florida

Carol,
Your cactus is a Cleistocactus, and it is not looking happy. You are probably too wet and humid for it, long term, and it probably it needs to be inside in a very sunny location.
Peter

Or Indian Summer, which is probably an offensive term. let me look it up. Seems safe.

So we’ll be doing some extra watering today. Or rather, Sam will.

The cactus thief is in prison.

A Tucson man was sentenced Tuesday to eight months in federal prison for stealing cacti from Saguaro National Park West.

And ABC15 was kind enough to include a stock photo of a saguaro with the article. This one looks too big to have been stolen with a pickup truck.

Now seems to be the time to bring your succulents indoor, if you live in Oregon, assuming they’re not alpine succulents, ’cause then you could leave them outside.

From the Oregonian:

Should I bring one more succulent indoors? I’m really tempted. Photo: Kym Pokorny

Kalanchoes should definitely come inside. They’re from Madagascar.

Green Roof on their gazebo
(Joe Fudge, Daily Press / September 24, 2009)

Charles Martino , Operations Manager for Cooke’s Gardens stands under the green roof on their gazebo at Williamsburg Botanical Garden in James City County….

The garden is a “green roof” of 250 sedums planted on top of an outdoor pavilion. This fall the sedums are at their peak, covering the 200-square-foot roof with lush greenery. Prolific bloomers like ice plant and portulaca add more splashes of color. All are… succulent(s).

As usual, rather than read the article all the way through to figure out where this Williamsburg in James City County is, I’ll do a lovely little internet search, this time using answers.com – and we have Virginia. No surprise there. I was hoping for Utah, but it wasn’t to be.

Some beautiful fall color borrowed from Superfly Whippets in Germany.

Danfun tries to win Phish tickets from Glide magazine with this cactus costume.

No, he did not win.

A simple enough costume, if you can keep your arms up all day long.

We have word from the Santa Cruz contingent that Jaxx is all better – up and running around and making a mess of the garden again.

And the stitches are finally out!

Beverly Hills home for sale, asking price only $3.5 mil.

Ellenbogen… had nearly 60 varieties of cactuses and succulents among the flowering plants.

“I have planted the garden so there is color 12 months a year,” he said.

OK, now it makes sense. A beautiful cactus and succulent garden will increase the value of any house, even in this tough market.

I wonder why they say “nearly 60 varieties.” Can’t they say “57 varieties” or whatever, and save a word? Newspapers are weird that way. Maybe he really does have 57 varieties, and they just didn’t want their readers to confuse this Beverly Hills doctor with ketchup.

Changi Airport in Singapore has a large and well developed cactus garden. Did you know this? I did not. Now, not only do you know this, but you also can see it.

Spectacular and dramatic photos by Callan Davies.

Chehalem garden club meeting slated
The Chehalem Garden Club will meet at 7 p.m. Thursday in the meeting room at Coffee Cottage. The meeting will concentrate on cacti and succulents.

I wonder if that’s tonight? I wonder where Chehalem is? I love random bits. This one is from the Newberg Graphic. I wonder where Newberg is? Such mysteries that cannot ever be solved, except with the google. Except today – today we are to the Bing!

Well, that didn’t get me anything good. Lets try google after all.

It appears we could be talking about Chehalem Valley,  Oregon.

Pretty pastoral picture. So pretty…

Hello,
I hope you can help me identify whatever has been eating
the new bamboo shoots. What ever is eating the shoots
appears to be doing it at night and doesn’t seem to be
interested in the mature stalks. In all other respects the
plants seem to be doing fine, I purchased them about a month
or so ago from you and your advice was terrific. I thought
it may be slugs as I have seen them around, so I placed some
dead line around the plants in hope of determining if they
were the cause, but no luck. There doesn’t seem to be any
evidence of rodent presence as far as I can tell. I have
included some images of the bamboo. In the background you
will see some stalks that are older that seem to be eaten in
the same way. Any advise you could shed on the cause or
culprit would be much appreciated.
Thanks,
Ai

Ai,

I have to say this one is a bit odd. But I think you have something large, but it looks like deer can’t get to the plants, so perhaps a raccoon, opossum or rats. After all bamboo shoots are tasty. I suggest you sprinkle the shoots with both a liquid animal repellent, like Deer Off or Critter Ridder and copious amounts of cayenne pepper (You can get this inexpensively in bulk at an ethnic market or Costco). You may just want to try the cayenne first, since the repellents smell pretty bad for use close to public use spaces. at least for a few days….

Good luck,

Hap