Oddities

The recent rains have stimulated several cacti to produce buds, so in a week or so, I'll have some more cactus flowers. The extremely fast-growing buds of the Argentine Giant (Echinopsis candicans) will grow to about six to eight inches long, before the end of this week.

These little hairy buds on this Golden Torch Cereus (Echinopsis spachiana) take a bit longer to form, and they are interesting to look at. They remind me of rabbit tails. I have my doubts as to the identity of this cactus. It was labeled Golden Torch Cereus, but the characteristics don't match up to most I've seen. Until I find out for sure, it will remain a Golden Torch.There have never been flower buds on this segmented Paper Spine Cactus (Tephrocactus articulatus var. papyracanthus) but when they come they will be small, and a pale yellow or off-white color. Most collectors grow this cactus for the unusual, harmless spines, not the flowers. The segmented portions easily fall off, and if left where they fall, they will start growing. The only water this cactus receives is rain water.

Unlike many desert gardeners, I leave the long stalks on the Red Yucca (Hesperaloe parviflora) long after the flowers are gone. The interesting seedpods slowly harden, split open and spill hundreds of black seeds out of the four sections. The seeds are stacked in each pod like Pringles®. To see the seeds, see a previous post.