Help with a ID?

If you have a cactus plant and need help identifying it, this is the place to post it.
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Gail
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Joined: Wed Sep 18, 2013 8:32 pm
Location: Idaho USA

Help with a ID?

Post by Gail »

I always thought this was a purple prickly pear but after looking at pictures online, I realized its not.

Can anyone ID it? I was hoping for a cold hardy plant
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jerrytheplater
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Location: Bloomingdale, NJ (USDA Zone 6b)
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Re: Help with a ID?

Post by jerrytheplater »

I can't help with the ID, but I can ask how long you've had it and under what conditions did you grow it throughout the year?

Do you have any other cold hardy plants? I have a bunch.

I like the cross section of the Lithops. Did you take the photo?
Jerry Smith
Bloomingdale, NJ
45 inches (114 cm) rain equivalent per year, approx. evenly spread per month
2012 USDA Hardiness Zone 6b: -5F to OF (-20C to -18C) min.
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Tom in Tucson
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Re: Help with a ID?

Post by Tom in Tucson »

My guess: Opuntia macrocentra
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Gail
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Location: Idaho USA

Re: Help with a ID?

Post by Gail »

jerrytheplater wrote: Sat Sep 17, 2022 5:56 pm I can't help with the ID, but I can ask how long you've had it and under what conditions did you grow it throughout the year?

Do you have any other cold hardy plants? I have a bunch.

I like the cross section of the Lithops. Did you take the photo?
I've had it about a year and a half. Its outside in full sun during the summer, under light in the winter.
At the beginning of the summer, it was just a couple old pads so its grown a lot. That long, weird pad grew from a big split pad.
I'll probably remove the long one and maybe the split pad next summer.

I don't have any cold hardy cacti. I'm in zone 5/6 so not many choices. I had one but its missing, must have died and I didn't notice.

I didn't take the lithop photo, I found it online
Last edited by Gail on Sat Sep 17, 2022 9:08 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Gail
Posts: 97
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Location: Idaho USA

Re: Help with a ID?

Post by Gail »

Tom in Tucson wrote: Sat Sep 17, 2022 7:47 pm My guess: Opuntia macrocentra
Thanks, that does look like it. Might sacrifice a pad next year and see if it can take our winters
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jerrytheplater
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Re: Help with a ID?

Post by jerrytheplater »

Gail wrote: Sat Sep 17, 2022 9:07 pmI don't have any cold hardy cacti. I'm in zone 5/6 so not many choices. I had one but its missing, must have died and I didn't notice.
There are quite a few cacti that can take the cold if dry. Some even can take the cold and wet. John N. Spain wrote a booklet on his multi decade experiments with cacti outdoors in NJ and CT. I keep mine in my detached unheated garage over winter. We can see neg 5 F, but not normally.

Article on John Spain's gardens in CT. But, he died a few years ago in his 90's. http://www.dig-itmag.com/features/groun ... 4_0_4_0_M/
Winter Hardy Cacti blog: http://winterhardycacti.blogspot.com/
Intermountain Cactus, specializing in winter hardy cacti: https://www.intermountaincactus.com/
Ethical Desert, specializing in winter hardy cacti: https://www.ethicaldesert.com/
Cold Hardy Cactus: https://coldhardycactus.com/
Brooklyn Botanic Garden article on Cold Hardy Cacti: https://www.bbg.org/gardening/article/hardy_cacti
John Spain's Powerpoint on his experiments: https://www.ctcactussociety.org/john-spain-slide-shows
Jerry Smith
Bloomingdale, NJ
45 inches (114 cm) rain equivalent per year, approx. evenly spread per month
2012 USDA Hardiness Zone 6b: -5F to OF (-20C to -18C) min.
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