Cactus Blog 

One of our customers sent us this photo of a green roof they made. And just 2 days ago I mentioned we like getting these photos, in a post featuring another customer’s photo!

Woohoo! We also love green roofs!

Goat house with plants from Cactus Jungle. It has been a year. Sorry I meant to send sooner. I lost the name of the gal that works there that helped me. She wanted to see it complete. This photo does not do it justice. I love it!

Thank you for your help with this,

Susan Nightingale

Pachypodium baronii v. baronii

Shrubby to 2 feet tall. Shrubby really doesn’t do this plant justice. Thick, long spiny branches off in all directions. Great heaps of fluorescent blooms on long stalks in spring, with masses of thick green leaves following.

Doesn’t it look lickable? That little yellow center must taste like honey. Let me lean in just a little closer…

On the other hand, there’s this description of the habitat from Wikipedia,

This plant is endemic to Madagascar, where it grows in open deciduous forest on Mesozoic calcareous rock and granite or gneiss on the western side of the island at low elevations. It is known in Madagascar as “Bontaka”. It is also endemic from Befandriana Nord to Mandritsara.

A very different style of writing from mine, wouldn’t you say? Denser, and yet not more informative at all. I love that you might like to read both styles in one place, right here on my blog that is, since I suspect if I edited my paragraph about licking into the wikipedia article it would be edited right back out within  minutes. Shall we try?…

© Smithsonian Institution

From the Catalog of Botanical Illustrations, Department of Botany, Smithsonian Institution

Plate Number: 4
Publication: The Cactaceae Vol. 3 Pl 23, Fig 5
Client: Britton, N.L. and Rose, J.N. – Size: 11×14

Echinofossulocactus violaciflorus (Cactaceae) – Collection: Safford, W.E. 1359, 09 May 1907, Mexico; flowering plant.
Artist: Passmore, D.G. – 09 May 1907 – watercolor

Jumbled words littered with cactus spines taste good on the tongue.

The East Bay Express reviews the Oakland branch of one of our favorite local restuarants, Cocina Poblana in Emeryville, and isn’t thrilled. They do like the nopales though.

Cocina Poblana belongs to the bourgeoning genre of Mexican restaurants that focus not on burritos, fajitas, and enchiladas, but on the more complex regional cookery of this food-centric nation….

Emeryville’s Cocina Poblana, which opened in 2006, helped bring this trend to the East Bay. Now proprietor Lito Saldaña has opened another, more upscale location among the chain stores and restaurants of Jack London Square. But… only a few of the venue’s dishes attain the sophisticated, dynamic, virile heights of gustatory Mexico….

Another entrée, the huarache Azteca, involves a dried-out platter of masa piled with refried beans, grilled cactus, grated cheese, and a few salty shrimp.

Well, I don’t know about the shrimp version of the huarache, but the chicken huarache at our local hangout is quite good. The grilled cactus is crisp, and tasty. And the margarita menu is top notch. Maybe we’ll go there for dinner tonight.

It’s true in this season of giant echinocereus blooms that some of them are bound to make the news. The Green Valley News and Sun published this picture.

JERRY MARRION PHOTO
Cactus king
An estimated 30 blooms make this cactus (ecinopsis genus, trichocereus species) in Esperanza Estates, a wonderful reason to appreciate the desert.

I’d pay money to see that.

Actually, it’s a bloom photo of a cactus that was planted in a trough and featured in a post yesterday.

Mammillaria spinosissima ssp pilcayensis

I don’t know much about this plant. I believe it is a cactus, or as they say, “in the cactaceae family.” The flowers are pink, the plant is spiny, the background is black. Cylindrical stems 2″ around to 20″ tall.

If you really want to get to know this plant, check out yesterday’s photo from the Bingleys of the plant in its new home.

I’d watch out for cactus if I were in Scottsdale. You never know when they’re going to jump out and hit your car.

Cactus has run-in with speeder

NORTHEAST VALLEY – Morning drivers had to contend with desert scenery on Wednesday as town officials worked to remove a cactus knocked onto Shea Boulevard by a speeding car.

A Maricopa County sheriff’s spokesman said a speeding driver lost control on Shea between Fountain Hills and Palisades boulevards during morning traffic Wednesday, jumping the median and knocking a cactus into the roadway.

No injuries were reported and the driver, who not identified, was cited for speeding.

Sometimes the cactus in Arizona not only jump, but they’ve been known to crawl as well.

Well, it’s official. That last sentence was literally the stupidest thing I’ve ever typed. Do I win a prize?

National Geographic wants to know, or wants you to know. Check out their Greendex. I did. I scored 61, but then it’s self-scoring, so I’m sure I shaded my answers a bit.

We like it when you send us your photos.

Here we have a friendly couple, with a couple of friendly dogs, who came into the nursery with a large trough to fill, and they picked out some lovely cacti. Spiny cacti, even. Poor dog. Well, the blooms are going crazy all over.

I’ll feature my own photo of the mammillaria (the one on the left) tomorrow, from before they planted it.

Hi Peter, Hi Hap:

Attached please find pictures of our antique Chinese water trough filled with your beautiful cacti!
Check out the blooms on the tall one!!

You may remember us from the pottery art show, and due to our little dogs.
Also, my orchid is blooming again thanks to your help.

Best,

The Bingleys

Echinocereus grandiflora hybrid in yellow.

From the New York Times.

Nopales en Ensalada

Adapted from Ana Sabrina Rivera del Río

Time: 30 minutes, plus 30 minutes’ resting

2 pounds cactus leaves (nopales), spines removed, coarsely diced (see note)

Salt

3 tomatoes, peeled, coarsely diced and tossed with a pinch of salt

1/4 white onion, thinly sliced

1/2 cup cilantro, finely chopped

2 tablespoons white vinegar

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 teaspoon Mexican oregano (preferably whole, not ground)

Panela or cotija cheese, for serving.

1. In a saucepan, simmer cactus with 1/2 cup water and a large pinch of salt, covered, for about 20 minutes, or until tender. Drain and cool.

2. In a bowl, combine cactus with remaining ingredients except cheese. Let sit for 30 minutes before serving on tortillas; garnish with cheese.

Yield: 6 to 8 servings.

Note: Wear gloves and use a paring knife to remove spines. Mexican and other Latino markets often sell prepared cactus leaves; use 1 1/2 pounds.

Usually I would excerpt an article, but you know if I left out any part of the recipe, then it wouldn’t work.

For instance, if I left out the part about the simmering the cactus, then you’d have cooked the whole thing with un-simmered cactus, and that wouldn’t be very good nor would it?

Christie at the Cape is featuring a Euphorbia for entertainment purposes only. Euphorbia meloformis, with pendulant bloom stalks.

I think the plant looks happier now, if it is possible for Euphorbia meloformis to look happy. Its unapologetic fatness is somehow happy.

…that the short post I posted last week could use a little more filling out.

Parkinsonia aculeata
Mexican Palo Verde Tree

Now I can understand if you liked the original “Short Post” as it was, but you know, it was inevitable that I would photograph the tree when it came into bloom, and then I would be forced to type a full post about it.

It’s spiny, small-leafed, and very low-water too.

It’s the Mexican version, because, you know, the California native Palo Verde doesn’t grow in N. Cal. We’ve killed about a dozen babies trying to get them to grow, but please don’t tell the woman who sold them to us, because she was very protective of them and didn’t want to sell them to someone who would kill them and we convinced her we would take good care of her babies, and then BAM! we go and kill them anyway, so now it’s Mexican Palo Verde or bust.

These Echinocereus grandifloras come in so many colors. They’re blooming up a storm. I’m sure I’ll have more colors coming up on the blog in the weeks ahead. Today is yellow. Tomorrow, too.

Here we see the bloom from below. I t doesn’t look so giant in this photo, but just wait for tomorrow’s portrait. This shot really shows the relationship of the bloom to the cactus below, and the buds yet to come, along with the fruit from last year’s blooms too.

The sun is quite bright as reflected in the washed out yellows in the center of the bloom.

Did I mention that I’m an architect?

And I used to live in Alaska?

Water When Dry has a very nice Astrophytum myriostigma in bloom. It’s got a lot of character, which means it’s old.

Old enough to bloom, and Aiyana has the photo to prove it. Can you guess what color it is? Here’s a poll for you to give it a try. I love polls! Then click through and check it out, dude.

Formerly Lobivia maximiliana caespitosa

now Echinopsis maximiliana subs. caespitosa

or to decipher the botanical epithets:
maximiliana = “superlative of magnus, large, great, high, extensive”
caespitosa = “plenitude or notable”

so translated to english:

the super-duper big and happy cactus!

Plumeria acuminata c.v.

They always come in different colors. We should mark the plants when they bloom, doncha think? And fragrant too. We grow them inside here in the Bay Area. They grow them outside in Southern Cal, up to Santa Barbara.

We always have trouble getting them to rebloom. We use fish bone meal. This year, I have 3 that are in the process of blooming right about now, out of 6 we have that bloomed last year. I think that’s a pretty good percentage. Even when they don’t bloom, they make a great multi-branched tree houseplant, doncha think? Well, it’s hard to tell from the photo of the bloom, but you can trust me on this one; they do.

The NYAS traveled to the Galapagos Islands to find out why certain cacti species there are starting to disappear.

With tourists swelling in number each year the Galapagos have now been put by UNESCO on the list of endangered World Heritage sites. In March of 2007 a team of four, led by Darwinian expert Frank Sulloway, and sponsored by the Charles Darwin Research Foundation, focused their investigation on the destruction of endemic Opuntia cactus. They used old photographs and a repeat photography technique during a 16-day field trip.

Dr. Julianne Chase will describe some of the policies and quarantine procedures intended to protect the fragile ecosystem and native species

It turns out that you had to have attended a lecture on April 21 in New York to have found out what was going on. For the rest of us, the Mystery Remains…

Unless you attended Dr. Chase’s lecture yourself and want to update us on the results yourself, which would be lovely. I’ll send you a box of cookies…

Oregon Cactus Blog has a nice photo of an older Eriocyse senilis in bloom. Red blooms at the crown of the plant, that is.

Q: We planted this cactus over 10 years ago, and the other day were surprised to see a stalk growing out of it. Do you know what types of cactus this is? And is it likely to ever do this again? We live in San Carlos. I would be interested in getting another one.

Many thanks!
Colleen

A: Colleen,

Your “cactus” is actually a Yucca, most likely Yucca whipplei (a wonderful California native) or perhaps Yucca rostrata. They look very similar and there is not enough detail in you photos for me to be sure… however my guess is yours is Yucca whipplei. If it is, this bloom will be it’s last, as the rosette that blooms dies after it is done blooming and hopefully setting seed (like it’s relatives Agave’s).

It will sometimes “pup” around the base and those will grow in to replace the “mother” rosette, but not always. If it is Yucca rostrata, it will not die, but will grow several new rosettes and eventually become a multibranched tree yucca and will bloom again when it has enough energy stored up to do so. Either way yours is a great looking plant and congratulations in getting it to bloom! It should bloom over the next few months and will look spectacular!

Take care,
Hap

The Palm Springs Desert Sun is quite familiar with cactus.

Of the three species of Mammillaria cacti found in the deserts of California, Graham’s nipple cactus, Mammillaria grahamii, is the rarest. Like the other two species, it is seldom more than 8 inches in height and blends in remarkably with the coarse sands and gravels on which it grows. Unless it is in bloom or in fruit, Graham’s nipple cactus usually goes completely unnoticed.

Unlike the other California Mammillarias, however, Graham’s nipple cactus does not typically bloom in spring but rather in summer, after a major thundershower. As such events are quite unpredictable in the California deserts as a whole, the cactus is restricted to those few mountains in the southeastern part of the state where there is a chance of summer rain.

It’s rare to find an article like this in a newspaper. usually you find articles about how some family’s 20-year-old cactus in some unknown town has finally bloomed and all the neighbors come over and call the newspaper and they print it on the front page as the big local news of the month. But here we have some real-life botanical information that even my cousin Mark Blotner in Newton, MA would find interesting. Well, maybe not, but Melissa might.

The Kansas City Royals started pitching better after a cactus spine incident was resolved.

“I had two different doctors look at it, and neither one said they could find anything,” Gobble said. “After about a month, it’s like the tip of the toe just opened up one day and there it was.”

Out peeked a cactus needle, one inch long, a thorn pretty much leaving of its own accord.

“We got it out of there,” Gobble said, “and suddenly I started pitching better again.”

From the San Diego Union-Tribune, not that I know why the San Diego sports section has an article about the KC Royals. They’ve got their own pitching woes to worry about in SD.

Mammillaria bocasana

Small multi-stemmed cactus from Mexico, usually globose. I love that word. Globose. Use it daily, and you will be a happy person. Anyway, the flower color varies on this species. We have both yellow and pink. I think this may be the subspecies roseiflora. I think that because, well, look at that subspecies name, “roseiflora”. I think that fits this one, don’t you? Of course you do.

Anyway, these small globose stems are sometimes a little taller than other small globose mammillarias.

It turns out it really is all about the oil.

John McCain: My friends, I will have an energy policy that we will be talking about, which will eliminate our dependence on oil from the Middle East that will – that will then prevent us – that will prevent us from having ever to send our young men and women into conflict again in the Middle East.

Video here.