Cool happenings up my way...

[daiv]

I am not without flowers up here. Partly because this neocumingii from GeneS was already in bud when he sent it:

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But no cheating on these - the "Devils Tower" Escobaria missouriensis that are out in the field year-round are blooming away:

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I really like growing them in the habitat-like conditions like this.

[iann]

My Dandelions would make short work of those cute little things

[daiv]

You can see a dandelion and some black-leaf clover in the last picture. Soil is too poor in this area for them to do much damage. Elsewhere the grass would be the big threat.

[Sharpy]

Really like the Escobaria. Since you say they are "in the field", guessing they are native to there? Would be nice to have stuff like that around here. Just a bunch of scrub palms and pine trees here, lol.

[Saxicola]

Really like the Escobaria. Since you say they are "in the field", guessing they are native to there? Would be nice to have stuff like that around here. Just a bunch of scrub palms and pine trees here, lol.

You just need to get out more! Florida has around 12 species of native cactus, with several of them being endemic (meaning they grow naturally nowhere in the world but Florida). Minnesota has 3-4 species and none are endemic. When you take into account all native plants Florida is a fascinating place. It has the second biggest flora in the US, behind only California and has a lot of native tropical species that don't make it into any other state.

[daiv]

E. missouriensis is one of the non-native species. E. vivipara makes it into the southwest part of the state. These hail from near Devils Tower WY. I have all my cold hardy species in a field where they grow as if they are native.

[Saxicola]

E. missouriensis is one of the non-native species. E. vivipara makes it into the southwest part of the state. These hail from near Devils Tower WY. I have all my cold hardy species in a field where they grow as if they are native.

The checklist of the flora of Minnesota suggests E. missouriensis may occur in MN although no specimens are known. They think it may occur in dry prairies in the western part of the state. Trying to find a population in MN might be a fun project if you ever have the time. By the way, they put these two species in Coryphantha. Is there a reason you go by Escobaria?

http://www.bellmuseum.umn.edu/prod/grou ... 357853.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Arjen]

great looking flowers, especially the weingartia

[promethean_spark]

I got Opuntia fragilis and Escobaria vivipara for my Mom's rock garden in St. Cloud, MN, but she moved out to CA too before I could get them to her. There is a population of O. fragilis in a park a few miles from St. Cloud.

Weeds are a problem in my yard too, I just run around a few times in the winter with roundup and get all the ones that aren't near plants so that the weed-seed crop is kept to a minimum - that keeps weeding around the plants to a manageable level. Big flat rocks also help a lot as mulch.

California is the size of Minnesota, Iowa and Missouri put together (or Florida to Virginia), it really isn't fair to compare the number of species with other states - they just got lazy about subdividing states when they got this far west. (The lumpers got us)

[daiv]

By the way, they put these two species in Coryphantha. Is there a reason you go by Escobaria?

Who are "they"? "They" do a lot of things - depending on which "They" you are referring to, these species are also listed under Escobaria. I don't make up any of my own names, but usually run with whatever is most popular among people I know and books I have. "They" also put these in Mammillaria in the past.

There is a summary of this qualifications of this genus on this page: http://www.cactiguide.com/cactus/?genus=Escobaria" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I have been in the SW part of the state and found O. fragilis and E. vivipara, but would definitely like to get back and explore more of that area.

@pro_spark - My brother found the O. fragilis near St. Cloud years ago. The area was since changed into a park and we have been unable to find them there again.


EDIT: I reread the above and realize that might sound like I'm angry - definitely not - apologies if that sounded rude!

[peterb]

beautiful missouriensis, Daiv, love those.

I am not trying to be intentionally contrarian (seriously!) but I can even see keeping Neobesseya for these. missouriensis really have never seemed at home in either Coryphantha or Escobaria, to me.

peterb

[daiv]

Couple more pictures - plants are growing nicely...

Here is the Echinocereus - looks like some have given up, a couple may just be flowers - the top one definitely is some flower/pup mutant:

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This P/N. buiningii had buds last fall that waited out the winter. Rather than abort, they just came out like this:

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This will be a first time flowering for me - Got it from Craig last fall.

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[gemhunter178]

Nice bunch of buds/bud mutants!

[daiv]

Ha ha! I'm hoping for some non-mutant action here soon! For those I had over winter, it is a close call between the above Turbi, Stenocactus multicostatus, and Eryosyce subgibbosa for first flower of the season.

[Arjen]

the buiningii looks to be a nice healthy plant, very strange that it flowers so weakly!
the buds on the other too look promising