Astrophytum ornatum fa. mirbelii

No longer accepted by most as a separate variety, it nevertheless is one of the most beautiful forms of A. ornatum, with its heavy white flecking and yellow spines. It can take a fair amount of cold (-10C) if dry during the dormant winter season. The form name is often misspelled as mirabellii, but it derives from the very old description Echinocactus mirbelii (Astrophytum ornatum v. mirbelii) LEMAIRE, CH. (1838).

Astrophytum capricorne

Since I'm on an older computer for a day or two I don't have access to my more recent photos, so I'll share a few older ones. These photos were taken about 5 or 6 years ago. This is Astrophytum capricorne and its fantastic flower. But, of course, we're about flowered out here as we enter into the Fall and Winter seasons.

Enjoy your plants!

Astrophytum myriostigma 'Onzuka'

The sale is done and we're back at the nursery and we took today to rest up a bit. Also took the camera out and took a few shots. This is one of the several plants of Astrophytum myriostigma 'Onzuka' which were flowering today. Our cold and damp weather hasn't exactly been conducive to flowering, but they're trying nonetheless.

The sale was a bit cold and wet and I'm sure it kept a few people away. This is not the weather we're supposed to be getting at this time of year! Hopefully, August will bring some more pleasant weather.

Astrophytum myriostigma

A lot of plants were flowering today. Finally a bit of summer arrives and the plants are showing their appreciation. First, the "Bishop's Cap". It sometimes has an undeserved reputation of being hard to grow. Not at all. Just remember, it doesn't like to be wet during the cool, wet winter, but it appreciates plenty of water and a bit of fertilizer during the warm days of summer. (This refers to conditions in the Pacific Northwest of the U.S. of course; what works best elsewhere I can't say.)

Astrophytum capricorne (The Goat's Horn Cactus)

Today's post is of one of those classic cacti, this one - Astrophytum capricorne - from northern Mexico. It blooms in summer with sweet smelling 7.5 cm wide flowers which are yellow with a red center. It grows well from seed and is highly variable. It can be rot prone, so grow it in a porous mix and keep it dry during the winter. I couldn't resist taking this photo the other day as the beauty of the form always keeps me coming back.

Astrophytum myriostigma 'Onzuka'

Nothing like going from one side of the cactus spectrum to the other; if we were just casual observers it would be hard to believe that this Astrophytum and the previously posted Epi were both from the same family of plants. The very formal geometric patterns of the Astrophytum are a total contrast to the graceful lines of the Epi, but each is beautiful in its own way.

 

This particular example is four sided - quadricostatum - and they are often marketed as a variety in themselves. But many of them will add another rib or two with time and it's clear that this is not a stable reality of the species. But they do sometimes stay four-sided as they grow older, making them very distinctive. The 'Onzuka' is a cultivar which emphasizes the dots and sometimes very distinctive patterns of dots.