Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Red Headed Irishman

Mammillaria spinosissima

I love the common name of this cactus species. The Red Headed Irishman definitely earns its name with the bristly red spines. These spines may fade to a lighter color as the cactus ages--sort of like my head of hair has done. I wrote about this cactus back in July if anyone is interested in the species. It was one my successful entries in the local Cactus and Succulent Society show last year.




14 comments:

Di DeCaire said...

Great photos, I just went through several posts. I lived in Tuscon for a year a long time ago. The cactus flowing season is truly resplendent.

Priscilla George said...

Great name for that cactus. I love to see cactus's in bloom. I really should purchase some.

The Diva said...

Well, if that isn't just the cutest thing. I love the name.~~Dee

garden girl said...

So pretty! Last weekend I went to the Garfield Park Conservatory in Chicago, and they have a cactus and succulents room.

I really enjoyed that part of the conservatory - desert natives are such interesing plants.

Wurzerl said...

It' s a perfect name for a wonderful Mammilaria. I laughed a lot, really great.
Have a good time
Wurzerl

Julie said...

Nice!!! My mammi's blooms have faded now...nice color!!!

Shady Gardener said...

What a wonderful collection of cacti. Do you own all these plants? It's such a contrast to what you'd find in my yard. I really enjoy visiting. :-)

beckie said...

I am so glad to have found your blog! I love all these cacti and their names. You take such wonderful pictures of them. Tomorrow, I am going to post on my regular elongata(now that I know the name, thanks to you)Wait til you see what I found!

Aiyana said...

Thanks for all the comments. I'm glad others find cacti interesting--I'm kind of obsessed with them!

Shady Gardener, Yep, every one of them are mine. I'm trying to write about every genus and species of plant that's in my garden. I'm probably 80-85% completed now, but, I seem to acquire more!

Beckie,
I'll be checking out your blog. You've piqued my curiosity.

Yolanda Elizabet Heuzen said...

It really is a fun name for a cactus. Love those pretty flowers!

Kelly said...

I LOVE the name of the cactus. I think my friend Donna has one like that. That's great that you enter them in contests. I'm so new to growing cactus and succulents, that I'm juggling all the new obstacles, especially bugs, since Spring has sprung!

Sasha Renee said...

I just stumbled upon your blog and I am trying to find out if my little cactus is still alive. I've had it for about 3 years now but it didn't bloom last spring and so far it hasn't bloomed this spring either. If you know what that means or have any tips I would greatly appreciate them!

Anonymous said...

My son has a small one in a flowerpot on his windowsill. It has deflated, but is still orangey-red on top. Any ideas on how to fix the deflation?

Aiyana said...

I'm not sure I know what you mean when you say deflation. Do you mean it has shrunk? If that's the case, there could be two causes. The first is lack of water and it's dehydrated, or, it could be that it has died and is slowly drying up. They usually get soft and rubbery, and then just dry up. If it's the latter, that could be from root rot. Press on it to see what it feels like. If it feels normal, then give it some water and wait awhile. If it's still alive, it should plump up.
Aiyana