Dear Dr. Fox: I would like to buy some houseplants. I have a cat and know there are certain kinds of plants that are poisonous to animals. Could you please tell me what they are? – M.A., Visalia, Calif.
Dear M.A.: The list is long and questionable, some “poisonous” plants being bitter irritants that most cats in their right minds would never swallow.
Above all, avoid all members of the lily family, including those in cut-flower arrangements – a not uncommon cause of cat poisoning. Cyclamen can be risky. Your safest choices are the various cacti and succulents that are decorative, easy to care for and either have their own weapons to deter cats or won’t cause harm (even benefit, such as aloe) if eaten.
Oddly enough, while warning against plants in the lily family, this writer recommends plants in the lily family (Aloes). To be fair, that designation is under dispute. Oy, the arguments.
A lovely bright red tillandsia. Looking at this picture, I feel that I must have placed this plant on that branch, for how otherwise could it have come to rest in such a picturesque fashion? Alas, it is merely the workings of the Central American rain forest in action.
I’ve decided to feature Haworthias this month on the Cactus Blog.
Haworthias are a pleasant little succulent because they are the best shade-tolerant succulents around, consistently building a loyal following by eschewing the sunshine.
They are from South Africa, just like their relatives the Aloes.
I’ll bet there are all kinds of local common names for these plants, but I don’t know them. I’m ignorant that way.
As many of us know, Eternal Hills has had their plan for expansion approved by the City of Oceanside and a number of State and Federal agencies….
This will be the last chance for you to cut or dig up many species of cactus and succulents that will be plowed under. There is access at the end of Dunstan and Eldean as well as a hole in the fence at the gate near the Fire Mountain reservoir. It is private property, so proceed at your own risk.
A neighbor gave me some cuttings from a couple of their cactus plants. Can you help me ID? I have an idea on the cactus on the right side, but for the sake of not sounding stupid ill defer to your expertise. The one on the left I can’t don’t have a clue. Your help is greatly appreciated.
I also have a Ferocactus with what looks to be some black fungus or mold or bug in the deep ridges, new growth and on the white hairy areoles. I don’t have a picture at this time, but can provide one if necessary. The cactus is firm and very healthy otherwise. I have been hitting it with Neem weekly which seems to be working fine. The black stuff can be easily wiped away with a paper towel and/or soft brush. I was also considering repotting it but have not done so thinking that winter time is not the best time to do so?
Any input you have is of course appreciated.
Thanks
Matt
Matt,
The smaller left hand cut, looks like it is a type of Cylindropuntia fulgida, most likely the variety Cylindropuntia fulgida mammillata. The larger one is Cereus peruviana monstrose. On your Ferocactus, I would not repot until late March-April, cactus are dormant over the winter so they don’t like root disturbance and it can lead to infection in cool wet weather. If you have treated a few times with Neem I would just take a soft small artist brush and clean the skin with warm soapy water and let it dry out. Hopefully it is just sooty-mold and will clean right off.
Good luck,
Hap
Hap,
Thanks a TON! I thought the one was a Cereus Monstrose for sure, but the Cylindropuntia has been difficult to ID. That’s part of the fun I know.
My Ferocactus is soooo cool. I’ll send a photo some time. The black stuff seems pretty harmless, and ill get it cleaned up and replanted early spring.
It doesn’t happen often, but last week a cactus changed the outcome of a major sporting event. And I’m not talking about Pittsburgh getting a cactus from Glendale, AZ for winning the Superbowl, though I hear that was incentive enough for Big Ben.
Villegas’s adventure with the desert fauna happened on his next-to-last hole at the TPC Scottsdale. The towel his caddy was carrying caught some cactus and when Villegas reached out to clean his grip, his hand became a pin cushion.
For several minutes, Villegas tried in vain to pick the thorns out of his hand. One of his female fans offered a pair of tweezers that did the trick, though.
“I hit a great shot after that, and like I said, I missed the putt and then went on to bogey the last one and missed the cut by one,” Villegas said.
Most people in the cactus and succulent world know jatrophas from the famed Buddha’s Belly – i.e. the Jatropha berlandieri. Becoming more popular these days is the Jatropha curcas, currently being planted worldwide for the biofuel properties of the oily seeds.
But we like all the different jatrophas. The shrubby ones, the caudiciforms, the oily ones – I mean look at these seed pods – what’s not to like! Just don’t eat them since they’re poisonous.
Why: Get a blast of warm, wonderful summer in the middle of winter…. (in) the Desert Room, where you’ll not only find cacti and succulents but artist Dale Chihuly’s Desert Gold Star chandelier…. A special exotic orchid show in stunning colors also is on exhibit through March 8.
Fun factor: 10, because we’ve had it with winter.
We went to the butterfly exhibit with Noa last time we were in Pittsburgh. That was fun.
This was the first hylocereus we saw in the jungle, the cactus in the jungle being quite epiphytic, high up in the trees. The jungle cactus I’m sure were denser up higher, but yet the cactus in the jungle didn’t quite form a cactus jungle at all.
This tiny mesemb is related to those giant iceplants covering the highways and byways of California freeways. But I think it is not quite as invasive. Maybe not even invasive at all. In fact, it is tiny and spreads no more than an inch.
Guerilla gardener “Scott” stops for a minute to lo(o)k over his median garden along Loynes Drive in Long Beach May 13, 2008. Scott has been tending the median garden since the 1990’s, planting succulents from his own home garden.
Some may ask if I approve of this outrageous and illegal and highly dangerous activity.
I do approve. Here, I wrote a poem about it:
Gardens appear
plantings in medians
trees in abandoned lots
making fresh air
From Science Daily, we find out that your alcohol consumption has contributed to the loss of traditional living in Mexico. How do you feel about that?
(T)equila’s surge in popularity over the past 15 years has been a boon for industry, but is triggering a significant hangover of social and environmental problems in the region of Mexico where the once-notorious liquor (distilled from the blue agave plant) is produced….
Of course we were looking for jungle cactus among the rain forests of Costa Rica on our recent trip there, and we were not disappointed. It may not have been cactus bloom season, but it was interesting to find cactus in the parks where everyone else was looking up in the trees for monkeys. We would stop and look up and I would aim the camera up, and then others nearby would wonder what kind of monkeys we had sighted. Hah! No monkey, just cactus.
Anyway, my inability to absolutely, positively identify these specimens doesn’t stop me from affixing a label anyway.
The coolest, quirkiest, must-have piece of art at Mesa’s (AZ) Pita Jungle is a wall mirror framed by cactus skeletons. It’s got a great organic quality that speaks to our desert heritage without screaming, “Get yer Scottsdale kitsch here!”
This is my best shot yet of the Epiphyllum pittieri in the Costa Rican rain forest. This was hanging high up in the trees, probably 40 feet up, and sometimes my camera just comes through even though I didn’t have a tripod. You can really see the way the cactus hangs off the trunk, and just hangs around, droopily. Very healthy looking; deep green color. Just imagine the blooms, because I have no pictures for you of these spectacular flowers. Something about the season. But just wait ’til I get to the orchid photos – there are always orchids blooming in the Costa Rican rain forests if you look closely enough. And we found them by the boatloads up in the cloud forest.
Oy. It looks like nopales might become the next health fad. I suppose that would be good for business, although we never did sell a lot of hoodia plants.
It turns out the cactus is not just found in the desert anymore. From grocery stores to nutritional stores, specialty boutiques and natural product aisles, a specific form of cactus has been making a name for itself. Plucked from the desert in the western United States and most of Mexico, a cactus known as the “prickly pear” is gaining popularity in the alternative medicine world.
The prickly pear cactus is being harvested because every component of the plant can be used to enhance your body’s vitality.
I just don’t know. It’s the use of the word “vitality” that sets me off. Maybe I’m just too preternaturally skeptical.
The Arizona Daily Star has stolen our idea of publishing reader photos of cactus! I’m absolutely sure that I came up with the idea first, I mean who else? Just because they’ve been publishing for 75 years and just because they have reader photos in the archives from as far back as the 1970s doesn’t mean I didn’t come up with the idea first.
Tucson, Arizona
Lois Manowitz submitted this photo of a cactus wren perched on a heart-shaped cactus.
How to remove the spines from nopales is an age old problem. So here’s one man’s hi-tech solution.
Henry Ramos demonstrates how his invention cleans the needles off a cactus, even along the edges. (STEVE R. FUJIMOTO)
Henry Ramos sells his cactus cleaner for $25.
Ramos says he stands by his product. After cleaning the plant, Ramos glides it against his face to prove it’s free of thorns.
Before I started this here cactusblog on the Ted Stevens Memorial Intertubes I never would have guessed how many cactus related products there are in the world. Now I know, and you too.
The Drama of Diversity is divided into two landscaped beds separated by a path. On one side are succulents and other plants from South Africa, while opposite are specimens from Western Australia – and a bush with blackened branches to show how plants in this region are regenerated by fire.
Colorful and fun – these tumblers are created from the bottom of the popular Mexican Sol beer bottle. Perfect for summer picnics or evenings on the patio!
I don’t have a clue why they call these tumblers “cactus.” They don’t look like cactus; they aren’t spiny like cactus; they aren’t colorful like cactus. It’s a mystery to me. In fact, I may just sue them for word infringement. On the other hand, I have borrowed the photo without permission, so maybe that’s not such a good idea.
But since they are recycled glass, that’s a point in their favor. OK, click the link if you want, and you too can own some fine “cactus” tumblers.
Rivenrock Gardens sells prickly pear pads to tortoise owners, and then gets back pictures, which I then borrow without permissio9n because I can’t resist tortoise pictures, especially when they’re eating yummy cactus.
I don’t know if you can help us or not. But we are going to remodel our back yard and want to sell this giant cactus that is in it. It is over 15 feet tall. Do you have any idea who would want to buy it in California? We live in Palm Springs.
Here is a picture. I can take a better one if you need it.
Sincerely,
Stan
Stan,
Your cactus is a Saguaro, and at 15 ft. it weighs a ton or more. It would take special equipment to remove it. I would recommend you check with your local cactus society for Saguaro rescue groups.
Peter
Well that wasn’t very helpful of me. Maybe you can help Stan out and walk away with a 15 ft. saguaro too.
Digging It Series continues
Milton Garden Club is presenting the Florida Federation of Garden Clubs organized series of horticulture series of horticulture courses….
Each course is $20. There are no refunds or credits. Lunch will be served for a small fee. The times for each course is 10 to 12 noon, study and demonstration, with lunch from 12 to 1 p.m. and 1 to 3 p.m. a hands-on workshop. All courses will be held at the Milton Garden Center, 5256 Alabama St., Milton.
