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Chiricahua National Monument, Arizona
Posted: Sun Aug 25, 2019 6:57 am
by Kenizona
Re: Chiricahua National Monument, Arizona
Posted: Sun Aug 25, 2019 7:16 am
by Kenizona
Part 2
The most common agave was A. palmeri.
- A. palmeri CNM 1.jpg (200.56 KiB) Viewed 5118 times
- A. palmeri CNM 2.jpg (174.57 KiB) Viewed 5118 times
With Dasylirion wheeleri.
- A. palmeri CNM 3.jpg (160.66 KiB) Viewed 5118 times
A. palmeri, Y madrensis, and D. wheeleri all together.
- Aga_Yuc_Das.jpg (190.46 KiB) Viewed 5118 times
In the highest elevation wooded areas Agave parryi made an appearance.
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- A parryi CNM 2.jpg (184.86 KiB) Viewed 5118 times
There were Opuntia engelmannii. At least I think that's what they are. I am terrible at identifying Opuntias.
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- O. engelmannii CNM 2.jpg (164.13 KiB) Viewed 5118 times
- O. engelmannii CNM 3.jpg (155.01 KiB) Viewed 5118 times
And one nice O. macrocentra. That one I can recognize.
- O. macrocentra CNM 1.jpg (164.27 KiB) Viewed 5118 times
Re: Chiricahua National Monument, Arizona
Posted: Sun Aug 25, 2019 7:39 am
by Kenizona
Part 3
For hedgehogs, there were lots of Echinocereus arizonicus nigrihorridispinus claret cups.
- E. nigrihorridispinus CNM 5.jpg (213.69 KiB) Viewed 5118 times
- E. nigrihorridispinus CNM 4.jpg (167.6 KiB) Viewed 5118 times
They showed a lot of variation in width and height of the stems, and color of spines. Some really had the 'horrible black spines' they were named for.
- E. nigrihorridispinus CNM 1.jpg (155.01 KiB) Viewed 5118 times
Others not so much.
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- E. nigrihorridispinus CNM 2.jpg (153.57 KiB) Viewed 5118 times
There were also some E. rigidismus.
- E. rigidismus CNM 1.jpg (186.05 KiB) Viewed 5118 times
Including this impressive family group.
- E. rigidismus CNM 2.jpg (206.17 KiB) Viewed 5118 times
Ball-point pen for scale.
- E. rigidismus CNM 3.jpg (145.97 KiB) Viewed 5118 times
Re: Chiricahua National Monument, Arizona
Posted: Sun Aug 25, 2019 7:56 am
by Kenizona
Part 4
I never did see any Mammillaria wrightii wilcoxii or Mammillaria heyderi bullingtoniana which grow in this area and I was watching for. But the scenery and geology did not disappoint!
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- CNM 2.jpg (209.46 KiB) Viewed 5118 times
- CNM 6.jpg (118.21 KiB) Viewed 5118 times
Big Balancing Rock
- Big Balancing Rock.jpg (127.19 KiB) Viewed 5118 times
Punch and Judy
- Punch and Judy.jpg (73.25 KiB) Viewed 5118 times
Cochise Head Mountain
- Cochise Head.jpg (119.41 KiB) Viewed 5118 times
Altogether another fun outing!
Re: Chiricahua National Monument, Arizona
Posted: Sun Aug 25, 2019 4:13 pm
by hegar
Hello Kenizona,
thank you for posting those nice images of the Arizona cactus and succulent world. I also enjoyed looking at the photos of the geological formations. That big balancing rock is quite impressive. If I were walking near it, I would most likely tread lightly and hardly breathe.
Of the plants I especially liked the Agave parryi and of course the Echinocereus arizonicus-nigrihorridispinus claret cup cactus with the long, dark spines. What color does that cactus blossom have? Does the flower also last for about one week and stay open day and night as the claret cup that grows in my area (E. coccineus)?
Harald
Re: Chiricahua National Monument, Arizona
Posted: Mon Aug 26, 2019 3:29 am
by Kenizona
Hello Harald,
I like those Agave parryi a lot also. The are sometimes planted in landscaping around Tucson. When they bloom, the red flower buds giving way to bright yellow flowers can be a very impressive sight.
The Echinocereus arizonicus nigrihorridispinus has a bright red to orange-red flower, much like other claret cups. I don't know how long they last, but I would expect it to be similar to E. coccineus. In fact, it is sometimes classified as E. coccineus matudae. As I understand it, the main reason for separating them is that E. arizonicus is diploid (two sets of chromosomes), while E. coccineus is tetraploid (four sets of chromosomes). I am no expert on these, and am just trying to learn how to recognize the different forms, and figure out what is the best name to call them!
Ken
Re: Chiricahua National Monument, Arizona
Posted: Tue Oct 29, 2019 2:44 pm
by TimN
I went there a couple of years ago when I was traveling from Dallas to Phoenix. There was snow all over the ground then, so I think it's safe to assume all the pictured plants are frost-hardy to some degree.
It's an interesting spot, you can't really see the rocks until you get into the park.