Thomasianum time

All posts relating to the CactiGuide.com Big Picture Project
Post Reply
User avatar
leland
Posts: 266
Joined: Sat Jun 02, 2012 11:55 pm
Location: North central Nicaragua

Thomasianum time

Post by leland »

The rainy season has just started in Central America and these Epiphyllums are doing their share.
IMG_0829 - Edited.jpg
IMG_0829 - Edited.jpg (91.15 KiB) Viewed 8179 times
Ron43
Posts: 251
Joined: Thu Oct 13, 2011 1:57 am

Re: Thomasianum time

Post by Ron43 »

Beautiful!
DaveW
Posts: 7376
Joined: Thu Dec 20, 2012 2:36 pm
Location: Nottingham, England/UK

Re: Thomasianum time

Post by DaveW »

Yes beautiful and so much more interesting than the "Epiphyllum" hybrids to me. The very long flower tubes compared to the so called Epiphyllum hybrids show there is little true Epiphyllum blood in the "Orchid Cacti". Does it set seed or is it self sterile?
User avatar
ElieEstephane
Posts: 2909
Joined: Tue Dec 13, 2016 12:10 am
Location: Lebanon (zone 11a)

Re: Thomasianum time

Post by ElieEstephane »

DaveW wrote:Yes beautiful and so much more interesting than the "Epiphyllum" hybrids to me. The very long flower tubes compared to the so called Epiphyllum hybrids show there is little true Epiphyllum blood in the "Orchid Cacti". Does it set seed or is it self sterile?
I acquired some true epiphyllum oxypetalum with the long flower tubes from a very old collector who now literally has an epiphyllum tree. If mine ever set seeds i'll send them your way if you want them.
There are more cacti in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.
One of the few cactus lovers in Lebanon (zone 11a) :mrgreen:
DaveW
Posts: 7376
Joined: Thu Dec 20, 2012 2:36 pm
Location: Nottingham, England/UK

Re: Thomasianum time

Post by DaveW »

Yes, certainly I would be interested in seed if non hybrid. I do grow a few epiphytes but not the hybrids. Disocactus macranthus flowered a week or so ago, not very large flowers compared to the "Orchid Cacti", but more interesting to me. Any cacti that flower in our winter are a bonus.
macracanthus2.jpg
macracanthus2.jpg (49.06 KiB) Viewed 7563 times
This is still one of the best articles I have found on true species of epiphytic cacti. A lot of the old genera lumped under Disocactus, Hatiora and Selenicereus so personally not sure that is not a bit of "over lumping":-

https://www.scribd.com/presentation/556 ... ytic-Cacti

It does show one of the differences between the flower of the hybrid 'Akermannii', with white stigma lobes and Disocactus akermannii ssp. akermannii with pink stigma lobes.

Incidentally the picture of Epiphyllum crenatum ssp. kimnachii does disprove David Hunt's contention that any Epiphyllum with multi-angled stems are hybrids, unless you don't consider it an Epiphyllum? A form of this was grown in cultivation for many years as E. cooperi and thought to be a hybrid until rediscovered in the wild. See the comments by Myron Kimnach at the bottom of this link:-

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epiphyllum_crenatum
User avatar
stefan m.
Posts: 516
Joined: Mon Dec 04, 2017 5:28 pm
Location: Skopje MK

Re: Thomasianum time

Post by stefan m. »

Somehow the unusal shape reminds of cinitia knizei. So the pink stigma, is what makes a disocactus acketmanii a true plant, rather than a hybrid? Means mine is probably a hybrid then.
DaveW
Posts: 7376
Joined: Thu Dec 20, 2012 2:36 pm
Location: Nottingham, England/UK

Re: Thomasianum time

Post by DaveW »

Not the only difference Stefan, but one of them. Whether pink stigma's are diagnostic is debatable, but the early illustrations show them as non white. The true ackermannii only has flat leaf-like and not multi-angled stems, as do most true Epiphyllum's except for E. crenatum and it's subspecies.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/ ... annii1.jpg

http://plantillustrations.org/illustrat ... n=2&size=1
User avatar
stefan m.
Posts: 516
Joined: Mon Dec 04, 2017 5:28 pm
Location: Skopje MK

Re: Thomasianum time

Post by stefan m. »

So, mines also multi-angled. Well if nothing else, i can at least prove thats its definetely not an ackermanii, but a hybridus.
User avatar
leland
Posts: 266
Joined: Sat Jun 02, 2012 11:55 pm
Location: North central Nicaragua

Re: Thomasianum time

Post by leland »

I have had mixed success at my location, which is not in the same climate zone of many of my cacti. E. costaricense flowers and fruits, E.thomasianum flowers but does not fruit. It may be climate or lack of pollinator, age of plant, or just blind luck.
My 2 species of Weberocereus did not flower but flowered when I moved them to a higher/cooler/moister location.
Post Reply