Gymnocalycium baldianumAround noon each day from late April to early October, the flowers on my G. baldianum open up wide and then close up for the evening, only to reopen the next day. The flowers last several days to a week, and then more buds are ready to take over. I've written about this cactus twice before, once to describe its perilous past, and then again to describe its amazing flowering capacity. Since this is the only cactus in my garden to have flowers this week, I thought it deserved another post.
The genus name, Gymnocalycium, is a combination of two Greek words: Gymnom, meaning naked or hairless, and Calyx, meaning goblet. The genus is so named because the flower buds do not have any little hairs or spines as some cacti present. As you can see from the photo below, the bud is velvety soft and smooth. This photo was taken in the morning, and this bud opened that same afternoon. Close up, I think the buds are quite beautiful.
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20 comments:
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This cactus does deserve a post indeed. Lovely flowers.
Why are morning glory illegal in your area?
verobirdie,
re your question on morning glories; they are considered an invasive species here because they can get into cotton fields and choke out the cotton plants. You can't buy seeds locally, nor will any seed company send seeds into Arizona.
How interesting that they open and close in the same day. A pretty bloom.
Sara from farmingfriends
amazing! i havent know about this thanks for the interesting post
Those flowers are so beautiful. I'm thoroughly enjoying seeing a whole new range of plants through your wonderful photos and intersting posts.
The bud is beautiful and so is the bloom! Very interesting plant.
The pink cactus flowers at the top looks lovely - the one at the bottom looks out of the world.
Those buds are pretty spectacular, as are the blooms -- really interesting post!
Hi Aiyana,
There is definately something lizardy about the flower before it opens.
Cheers Mark
Beautiful plant! Gorgeous blooms!
Your cacti are so interesting to see since I have nothing like them in my garden, though with the dry summer we had they would have done well here, lol. I like the bud too!
Beautiful flowers - surprising that they belong to a cactus. They are good value with such a long flowering season!
Wow, that was really a beautifu one, so very simple but yet so complicated too. Beautiful!
the flower's color is beautiful. I always enjoy your photos and learn something from your posts.
I really have enjoyed learning about your catci and this particular flower is especially lovely :)
My GTS is up, too..come check it out when you get a chance. Hope you've had a nice weekend!
It's Amazing how many Cati you have. This one is just beautiful. Such a neat looking flower bud.
Wow...this is a soft, sweet flower...and amazingly wonderful cactus, I would say! Wish I had one...I need to move!!! LOL
Julie
Gorgeous!
The flowers look so soft and delicate against the spikes. Very pretty flowers. :-)
It truly is a cactus with nine lives! That the flowers open and close only to reopen the next day makes it one that does stand out. The flowers are beautiful.
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