Showing posts with label Flowers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Flowers. Show all posts

Tuesday, May 22, 2007

Flowering Lophophora jourdaniana

One of my Lophophora williamsii v. jourdaniana plants flowered last week. I’m hoping the early flower can be seen as a promise for more flowers this season – last year and the year before last the plant only displayed one flower.

Flowering Lophophora jourdaniana
Flowering Lophophora jourdaniana

The sun was obscured by clouds most of last week and consequently the flower never unfolded completely before it withered. The picture above shows the flower at its peak – it’s still beautiful in all its rose-violet charm, but for comparison you can check the fully unfolded flower from last year in all its splendor.

Spent Lophophora jourdaniana flower
Spent Lophophora jourdaniana flower

Saturday, April 21, 2007

The power of grafting – 3rd anniversary

Today one of my Lophophora williamsii (SB 854; Starr Co, Tx) plants is celebrating its 3rd anniversary as a scion grafted onto a Trichocereus pachanoi stock. The plant has set 4 offshoots and grown to a width of 7.3 cm (~2.9''), 3 of the offshoots are wider than 4 cm (~1.6'') while the smallest just exceeds 2.5 cm (~1'').

Grafted Lophophora williamsii (SB 854; Starr Co, Tx)
Grafted Lophophora williamsii (SB 854; Starr Co, Tx)

The plant set 9 flowers last year and has already displayed two flowers this year. The dried fruits resulting from last season’s flowers are clearly visible in the above photo along with the withered remains of the two “fresh” flowers from this week. The photo below was taken a couple of days ago while the flowers were still at their peak.

Two early Lophophora williamsii flowers
Two early Lophophora williamsii flowers

Usually I assist the plant with its self-pollination but this season I will not interfere. I’m doing this to test to which degree the plant will be able to set seed without any help – of course I can’t do anything about the thigmotropic reactions of the stamens or insects taking liberties with the flowers ;-)

A couple of days ago a flower bud also appeared on the largest of the offshoots and it will probably bloom within a week; unfortunately I will not be home to witness it. If all the offshoots begin to flower and the main shoot continues to flower in its usual pace, I’ll soon grow more seeds than I’ll ever need.

Offshoot setting a flower
Offshoot setting a flower

Since last summer the Trichocereus pachanoi stock has also been allowed to grow an offshoot. Usually I remove these from stock plants in order not to starve the scion, but this one appeared almost at soil level and I decided to let it grow and later graft one of last years Lophophora williamsii (SB 854; Starr Co, Tx) seedlings onto it (these seedlings are the result of self-pollinating the above plant, i.e. technically they are clones of the mother plant). I had planned to do the graft today, but I’ll leave for the Netherlands tomorrow and decided to postpone doing the graft till I’m back.

Trichocereus pachanoi stock with offshoot
Trichocereus pachanoi stock with offshoot

I was in doubt whether or not to include the last photo but decided to do it anyway. I’m fascinated by the dreamy image of the flowers backlit by the soft light of the setting sun, filtered through the foliage of a sprawling Bowiea volubilis. My girlfriend finds the picture boring and “too green” – but who is she to trust, she’s not into cacti ;-)

Flowers backlit by the setting sun
Flowers backlit by the setting sun

For comparison you can check the posts on the same graft written one and two years ago.

Update - April 28, 2007
Fortunately I made it home from the Netherlands in time to experience the pup unfold its first flower. The flower is not as sturdy as those of the main shoot, but what’s to expect from a novice ;-)

Flowering Lophophora williamsii pup
Flowering Lophophora williamsii pup

Today I also removed the dried fruits of last season’s flowers and freed the seeds.

9 dried Lophophora williamsii fruits
9 dried Lophophora williamsii fruits

Close-up of dried Lophophora williamsii fruit
Close-up of dried Lophophora williamsii fruit

The result of the harvest was approximately 100 seeds.

Home grown Lophophora williamsii seeds
Home grown Lophophora williamsii seeds

Saturday, September 30, 2006

Lophophora williamsii – autumn flowers

Having passed the autumnal equinox I hadn’t expected any more flowers from my lophs – nevertheless two of them decided to bloom this week, one for the first time.

Lophophora williamsii (SB 854; Starr Co, Tx) flower
Lophophora williamsii (SB 854; Starr Co, Tx) flower

My grafted Lophophora williamsii (SB 854; Starr Co, Tx) has been flowering abundantly all summer. Several fruits have already ripened and more are budding; still the plant took the opportunity to squeeze in yet another flower before going dormant. The flowers of this plant are quite large, approximately 2.75cm (~1.1'') in diameter.

Lophophora williamsii var. caespitosa flower
Lophophora williamsii var. caespitosa flower

The Lophophora williamsii var. caespitosa graft has been growing profusely but never felt like flowering before now. The flowers are small, less than 2cm (~0.8'') in diameter, compared to those of L. williamsii (SB 854; Starr Co, Tx), and the midstripes are a slightly darker shade of pink.

Lophophora williamsii var. caespitosa
Lophophora williamsii var. caespitosa

The scion used for this graft was taken from the plant shown in the blog profile. Unfortunately this plant later caught rot and died.

Thursday, August 24, 2006

Flowering Lophophora williamsii – III

My Lophophora williamsii (SB 854; Starr Co, Tx) graft has gone on a flowering spree and is currently flashing its 7th and 8th flower this season.

Flowering Lophophora williamsii
Flowering Lophophora williamsii

Like other species of Lophophora, L. williamsii has sensitive stamens, closing around the style when touched.

L. williamsii stamens closing around the style
L. williamsii stamens closing around the style

In this flower the anthers are actually brushing the stigmas when the stamens react to a touch, i.e. the thigmotropic reaction will assist the flower to self-pollinate. I have to test if this is sufficient to pollinate the flower (in a previous post I also wondered if it was necessary to manually self-pollinate the Lophophora williamsii (SB 854; Starr Co, Tx) flowers or if they could cope without any help ;-)

For comparison you can check a photo of thigmotropic behavior in Lophopohora jourdaniana. In this case the stamens fold in below the stigmas, apparently not touching them.

The fruits (or berries, pods, whatever;-) from the plants first two flowers this season have just appeared.

Lophophora williamsii fruits
Lophophora williamsii fruits

I’m looking forward to see how many of the flowers will actually result in a fruit.

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Monday, July 31, 2006

Flowering Lophophora williamsii v. jourdaniana

According to Habermann’s description Lophophora williamsii v. jourdaniana differs from other L. williamsii varieties by having rose-violet perianth, pistil and filaments as well as having small persistent spines on young areoles.

Flowering Lophophora williamsii v. jourdaniana
Flowering Lophophora williamsii v. jourdaniana

One of my Lophophora williamsii v. jourdaniana plants flowered today, beautifully illustrating the description (even some spines can be seen faintly in the photos ;-)

Lophophora williamsii v. jourdaniana flower
Lophophora williamsii v. jourdaniana flower

Like L. williamsii v. williamsii the jourdaniana variety has thigmotropic stamens, i.e. stamens that when touched fold in around pollinating insects or the style. I wonder if this mechanism is used for actively depositing pollen on pollinators or for avoiding self-pollination (or both)?

Lophophora williamsii v. jourdaniana flower
L. williamsii v. jourdaniana – thigmotropic stamens

The flowering of this plant coincided with the flowering of my grafted Lophophora williamsii (SB 854; Starr Co, Tx). I decided not to outcross the plants but instead self-pollinate both of them; first of all to keep my SB 854’s “clean”, but also because I want to test the alleged self-incompatibility of the jourdaniana variety.

This Lophophora williamsii v. jourdaniana plant also flowered last year – it was then outcrossed with pollen from a regular L. williamsii and yielded 2 seeds.

Flowering Lophophora williamsii – II

As mentioned in an earlier post flowering was late this year. My grafted Lophophora williamsii (SB 854; Starr Co, Tx) is now making up for this by showing off its sixth flower this season.

Flowering Lophophora williamsii – 6th flower this season
Flowering Lophophora williamsii – 6th flower this season

The three previous flowers unfolded while I was away on vacation – the remains of all the spent flowers are visible beneath the current one.

This flowering coincided with the flowering of a Lophophora williamsii v. jourdaniana. I decided not to outcross the plants but instead self-pollinate both of them; first of all to keep my SB 854’s “clean”, secondly I want to test the alleged self-incompatibility of the jourdaniana variety.

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Friday, July 14, 2006

Flowering Lophophora williamsii

Flowering has been late this year but finally my grafted Lophophora williamsii (SB 854; Starr Co, Tx) decided to come back with a vengeance by setting two flowers simultaneously.

Lophophora williamsii with two flowers
Lophophora williamsii with two flowers

The scar visible in the upper left-hand corner of the photo formed after the epidermis ripped, caused by too vigorous growth.

The flowers are funnelform, pinkish white with a light pink midstripe.

Funnelform Lophophora flowers reaching for the sun
Funnelform flowers reaching for the sun

I self-pollinated the flowers but am wondering if it’s necessary – the anthers are virtually brushing the stigmas, depositing pollen without any help.

Lophophora anthers brushing stigmas
Anthers brushing stigmas

Last growing season I also posted on this plants flowering and fruit setting (use the previous and next links to navigate the posts).

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Thursday, July 06, 2006

Straying Lophophora williamsii flower

The July issue of Kakteen und andere Sukkulenten features an article on weird growth forms in Lophophora and Ariocarpus.

Contrary to common Lophophora behaviour with flowers emerging from the young areoles at the top of the plant, the article shows a specimen flowering from an old areole close to the root neck.

Lophophora williamsii KuaS 2006 07a

The only information available on the Lophophora specimen is that it was acquired 10 years ago as a L. williamsii var. caespitosa. The plant itself doesn’t seem to tiller, but apparently the areoles are vigorously vital ;-)

Lophophora williamsii KuaS 2006 07b

References
Uwe Schriefer (2006), "Sonderbare Auswüchse bei Lophophora und Ariocarpus", Kakteen und andere Sukkulenten 57 (7), 191–192

Tuesday, January 31, 2006

Flowering Ariocarpus fissuratus var. hintonii

None of my Ariocarpi have flowered yet, but this video (1.1MB) of a flowering Ariocarpus fissuratus var. hintonii gives a good impression of what to expect.

Flowering Ariocarpus fissuratus var. hintonii
Flowering Ariocarpus fissuratus var. hintonii

More amazing videos of flowering cacti can be found at the Hydrocactus video page.

Wednesday, October 12, 2005

Flowering Lophophora williamsii v. jourdaniana

I’m finally getting on top of my jet lag and ready to blog ;-) One of my Lophophora williamsii v. jourdaniana plants flowered while I was in California. Unfortunately my girlfriend is neither a cactus buff nor a skilled close-up photographer (she doesn’t mind me saying so… not too much anyway ;-) so the only reasonably sharp photo of the flower is the one pictured below.

Flowering Lophophora williamsii v. jourdaniana
Flowering Lophophora williamsii v. jourdaniana

Only time will tell if the attempted fertilization was a success. Pollen from the grafted Lophophora williamsii (SB 854; Starr Co, Tx) was used.

Flowering Lophophora williamsii v. jourdaniana (before and after)
Flowering Lophophora - before and after

The before and after photos were taken at September 17 and October 7 accordingly.

Check the next post on Lophophora williamsii v. jourdaniana for more detailed photos.

Monday, September 12, 2005

The power of grafting - V

My grafted Lophophora williamsii (SB 854; Starr Co, Tx) is on a roll – it is now flowering for the fourth time this year.

Lophophora williamsii flower
Lophophora williamsii flower

I self-pollinated the flower and collected some pollen for a Lophophora williamsii v. jourdaniana that will flower soon – allegedly this variety is self-incompatible i.e. it requires outcross pollination. I hope the pollen will stay viable in the refrigerator for a week or two.

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Monday, August 29, 2005

The power of grafting - IV

For the third time this year my grafted Lophophora williamsii (SB 854; Starr Co, Tx) is flowering – quite an accomplishment from a plant only 18 months from seed (sowed February 29, 2004). This flower was also self-pollinated.

Flowering Lophophora williamsii
Flowering Lophophora williamsii

The two spent flowers can be seen below the current one.

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Monday, August 22, 2005

The power of grafting - III

My grafted Lophophora williamsii (SB 854; Starr Co, Tx) is flowering again (and yet another bud is in the works). Once again I had to self-pollinate the flower since none of my other plants are blooming.

Flowering Lophophora williamsii
Flowering Lophophora williamsii

Growth will tear us apart
The scion is growing so hard you can practically hear the epidermis squeaking. A couple of days ago it gave in to the pressure and burst – maybe triggered by the plant “rearranging itself”, starting to grow more ribs. The scion has grown to a width of 5 cm (~1.97’’), excluding the offshoots.

Bursting Lophophora williamsii.
Bursting Lophophora williamsii

The Echinopsis (Trichocereus) pachanoi stock refuses to give up the fight and is stubbornly growing yet another offshoot.

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Monday, July 25, 2005

The power of grafting - II

In less than one and a half years my grafted Lophophora williamsii (SB 854; Starr Co, Tx) has grown from a minute seedling to a mature plant, flowering for the first time. The Lophophora scion is 4.85 cm (~1.9’’) wide and has grown 3 offshoots; the flower is a typical pinkish white with a somewhat darker midstripe, and is 1.8 cm (~0.7’’) wide. None of my other plants are currently blooming so I attempted to self-pollinate the flower.

Flowering Lophophora williamsii graft
Flowering Lophophora williamsii graft

The Echinopsis (Trichocereus) pachanoi stock is striving to get a life of its own – since the previous post I’ve removed two offshoots. Even though it slows the growth of the Lophophora scion down a bit, I let the shoots grow for as long as they don’t intimidate the scion. The removed shoots are rooted and will be used for future grafts.

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Monday, July 11, 2005

Winter-hardy Opuntias

This post is slightly off topic, but many of the Opuntias in my winter-hardy cacti bed are flowering right now and I would like to share a couple of photos of the beautiful flowers.

Opuntia polyacantha
Opuntia polyacantha

Opuntia 'Claude Arno'

Opuntia 'Claude Arno'

Opuntia fragilis (Butte Co, Nebraska)

Opuntia fragilis (Butte Co, Nebraska)

The plants are growing in the northwestern parts of Denmark, only a couple of hundred meters (yards) from the North Sea. I bought the plants two years ago at Benny’s Cactus.

Friday, May 27, 2005

Flowering Nestor

Today the oldest cactus in my collection (a Lophophora williamsii named Nestor;-) flowered for the first time this year. I bought it in 1992 as a small plant in a flower shop, i.e. I don’t know the exact age of the plant nor do I have any locality information (except that it probably originates from a commercial Dutch grower ;-).


Lophophora williamsii in flower


The flower backlit by the sun

The photo of the backlit flower doesn’t do full justice to the sight – the sunlit flower has an almost mother-of-pearl sheen to it.

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