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Apache Trail

Posted: Mon May 18, 2009 3:20 am
by peterb
Like a dust bowl up there now, the driest time of the year here. But Vlad and Jason's pics inspired me to get off my duff and get outside for a while. Record breaking heat today over 100.

I had to jump really high for some of the saguaro pics.
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This freaky mutant Echinocereus flower, the only one up there:
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Bunch of views, including Dudleya saxicola, cool blue rosettes:
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The very unassuming flowers of Agave toumeyana
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Base of same plant:
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Another couple of jumpers:
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A few pics of Mammillaria viridiflora, first time I've seen it in habitat. At least, I assume that's what this is. I suppose it could be wilcoxii.
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A couple of a mystery Opuntia with some interesting characters:
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great to get back out into the wilds...

peterb

Posted: Mon May 18, 2009 3:24 am
by Saguaro123
Nice shots Peter. 8) You must've had a lot of fun out there, especially in record breaking heat. :shock:

Is the Apache Trail an unpaved highway that takes you from Phoenix to Roosevelt Lake?

Posted: Mon May 18, 2009 3:34 am
by birdguy34
Amazing place and pics. Are some of the Fero's eastwoodiae? I can't remember exactly where those are found.
Chris

Posted: Mon May 18, 2009 3:35 am
by Saguaro123
birdguy34 wrote:Amazing place and pics. Are some of the Fero's eastwoodiae? I can't remember exactly where those are found.
Chris
I am just wondering, why do they have the name "eastwood" in it?

Posted: Mon May 18, 2009 4:17 am
by daiv
Chris,
I was thinking that too, but I believe eastwoodiae lacks the wiskers shown on these. I think they must just be F. cylindraceus.

Byron,
Alice Eastwood (1859-1953) distinguished Californian botanist, collector (plants of Western United States), author of a lot articles, editor of "Zoe", Curator and Head of the Department of Botany, her main botanical interest were American Liliaceae. (For example: Ferocactus acanthodes v. eastwoodiae).
From this page: http://www.cactiguide.com/etymology_species/

Posted: Mon May 18, 2009 4:57 am
by peterb
There were some eastwoodii but I didn't photograph them. They are scattered throughout this area. These cylindraceus seem to have slightly eastwoodian characteristics, so to speak. But they're cylindraceus.

peterb

Posted: Mon May 18, 2009 12:12 pm
by Arzberger
Impressive pictures! Thanks for sharing.

Is it legal there to harvest seeds in the wild?

Regards
Alex

Posted: Mon May 18, 2009 12:30 pm
by kevin63129
You have an awesome jump shot.LOL Thanks for taking us along on your trip.

Posted: Mon May 18, 2009 1:40 pm
by peterb
Alex, I don't think it is legal to collect seed, since it's a National Forest (Tonto).

peterb

Posted: Mon May 18, 2009 2:50 pm
by CoronaCactus
Great pics man!
Awesome Saguaro flowers.

Amazing how good those Fero's look.

Posted: Tue May 19, 2009 2:38 am
by peterb
I think it was a pretty rainy winter, so they soaked up a lot of water before the complete dryness set in.

peterb

Posted: Tue May 19, 2009 5:50 am
by vlani
So you call this Mamms viridifloras or wrightii.. So I suspected, as Benson shows them somewhat in the area.
Fits his description too as he specifically mentions 2-3 hooked centrals as a differentiation.

The bloomed apachensis I found at higher elevation, near that observation point with large parking and a restroom where the road crests. And some more on my way down to Roosevelt dam.

I always wondered what plants are found all the way up at the mountain tops there. Must be a different environment, and a different set of cacti

Posted: Tue May 19, 2009 1:32 pm
by John P Weiser
Great as always to be out and about with you!! Even if it is vicariously! :D

Posted: Tue May 19, 2009 1:48 pm
by peterb
Vlad, I have trouble finding the larger, fuzzy, hook-spined Mammillaria around AZ, maybe it's just bad luck, maybe I haven't been looking in the right habitats. But this big, flabby super-whiskery plant with long red radials sure looks like viridiflora to me, not a form of wrightii. I've never really seen wilcoxii in with wrightii anyway, though. wrightii up around Santa Fe is a pretty strange plant indeed, more like a dolicothele, except for the huge purple flower. I've never seen any wrightii outside of Santa Fe to compare. Apparently it intergrades with wilcoxii farther south and west.

I stopped off at the rest stop you mention, Fish Creek Hill. Amazing vistas up there. The Echinocereus were maybe a week off flowering.

peterb

Posted: Thu May 21, 2009 12:35 am
by John C
Nice pics!