Galapagos islands, New Photos ...

[Maid Spikeion]

Hello, I'm new to the forum and thought I'd share some pics I took of cacti from different islands in the Galapagos. Sorry I don't know the names of them. The land iguanas were eating the cacti leaves from fallen cacti trees and hiding from the full sun in the shade of the huge cacti trunks. The trunks are very hard and I saw some necklaces for sale made from cacti wood.

[Saxicola]

Great pictures! The tree cacti are an Opuntia. I'm sure someone here will know the exact species. The other cactus is a very interesting one. It is Brachycereus nesioticus. It has the very appropriate common name of Lava Cactus. It may be the rarest cactus in cultivation as only a few people in the world grow it and it is nearly impossible to legally get any plants or seeds off the Galapagos (which is the only place in the world it grows).

[peterb]

WOW! Absolutely spectacular habita photos, truly a rare and glorious sight and a wonderful inspiration on a Monday morning. The big tree Opuntia are either Opuntia echios or the other one (I forget the name). Beautiful Brachycereus pictures!

thanks for posting!

peterb

[Subverted]

Great photos of those tree like Opuntias and the Brachycereus, hopefully someday I will make it to the Galapagos...for now though...thanks for sharing these photos!

[peterb]

Just noticed that there seem to be a couple of stems missing from the bottom of the Brachycereus in the last picture. I wonder if someone took cuttings or if it is also turtle food?

peterb

[gemhunter178]

Amazing pics!

[daiv]

Great pics!

Peterb - I think the remains of the broken stems are laying in front of the plant.

[MJPapay]

Wow!

Tree Opuntias are otherworldly beautiful.

I was not aware that non-opuntia cacti made it to the Galapagos.

Amazing!

Seeing the iguana munching cactus pads makes one wonder how they manage with all the glochids (the teeny tiny spines packed by the hundreds into each aereole (dot on the pad)).

Glad you made the journey - and shared the photos!

Inspiring indeed!

[tumamoc]

Awesome pictures! That iguana has the right idea (hanging out in the shade, that is. I'm not so sure about munching on glochids).

[Tony]

Awesome! thanks for posting!

[DaveW]

Yes impossible to obtain plants or seed from the Galapagos, as Equador, who they belong to will not even let the Darwin Research Station send any out. I nearly went myself one time so enquired from the Research Station if they ever produced a seed list, only to be told no plants or seed are allowed to be collected in case they are carried from island to island and so pollute the unique flora of each island that has occurred in isolation, as described by Darwin.

[Maid Spikeion]

Thank you everyone for your lovely comments!:) There were tons of lava cacti.... clumps every 50m or so across the lava field... they didn't get much camera time though because they are right next to hundreds of basking marine iguanas on the nearby coast:) Peter B: I've posted a couple more pics so you can see how the cactus seem to get old and snap off at the base... looking as though they were cut. Dave W: I went to the Darwin Research Centre in Santa Cruz and they were growing cacti there in their own small nursery. I don't see why people outside the Galapagos don't have the seeds or plants already, I could have taken handfuls of seed while I was there but didn't think of it... I didn't know you're not supposed to either, so I'm sure people must be growing them out there somewhere. I saw a wild cactus growing on the northern coast of peru that I thought was the same as the lava cactus... but I guess it's not now that I know it's only on the Galapagos... I'll attach a pic of it anyway, maybe you know what it is...

[DaveW]

Like a lot of things, what official bodies are not supposed to do and what amateurs or visitors do Maid can be a different thing. I thought it was Ecuadorian Customs that kept a look out for seed and cactus smuggling when you returned to the mainland because don't all trips to the Galapagos have to start from there? If much seed escaped you would think Brachycereus neosticus would be readily available, but try and obtain some.

http://www.cactus-art.biz/schede/BRACHY ... oticus.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

"Notes: The government of Ecuador prohibits the collection of any plant in the Galapagos, which have been designated a national park. The Brachycereus nesioticus is almost unknown in cultivation for it is not only difficult to obtain seeds or plants, but practically the only success in propagation has been by grafting."

http://cactiguide.com/cactus/?genus=Brachycereus" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Harriet]

What a wonderful trip you must have had. I'm glad you shared the pictures!

[peterb]

I think the big columnar cactus with the segmented stems is Jasminocereus. The other pad type cactus is another species of Opuntia, and I can't remember what it's called right now. Someone else will know. The cactus from the coast might be the nearest relative to Brachycereus. I know I read somewhere that there is a plant on the mainland that seems to be the closest relative, but now I can't find that info anywhere.

Another factor besides the restrictions on seed distribution is the extreme difficulty of germinating and raising Brachycereus, so I am told.

peterb