And so we continue with the firsts. First flower in this cactus opened today fully. I almost shot it yesterday, but it looked so shy. Luckily we got some sun today and it showed what it can.
Lobivia arachnacantha
It turns out that I have three of those from different sources. But I think the body and the flowers are slightly different, so I will keep them all.
It is native to Bolivia and it's one tough cookie! It likes bright conditions and sun and, but it will also withstand freezing temperatures for short periods of time. It is a small cactus that will create nice clumps with multiple heads with time (and you can see that on my one).
The one I have here had some hard time with me in the past. I got it as a cutting and it rooted well, but then I think it was attacked by spider mites or mealybugs and it just looked so miserable for a long time. You can see the discolorations on the lower parts.
Last year I thought it just died and I almost threw it away. But knowing that cacti can almost come back from the dead, I decided to repot it, clean the roots, spray and put it in a few mineral soil. And voila... We have some flowers :)
The flower is HUGE comparing to the cactus. Here is a shot with my hand. The plant is potted now in 5 cm pot and still has plenty of room on the sides.
It is amazing how this tiny abuse cactus managed to grow such large flower. And it is just the first one. I think there is another bud, but I am not sure if it didn't blast. Or it is waiting for its turn since this one must have cost a lot of energy.
The name "arachnacantha" means "with spider web-shaped thorns" in Green and you can see why this name, though to me the spines look like skinny spider legs, not a web.
And something weird:
The plant started to grow tons of little babies around. And that is perfectly normal. But look at them! They grow roots like mad even from the middle of the little body!
I can only guess it is a way to make sure the plant survives. In case the mother plant dies (and I guess that was close) the babies will survive and they do need roots for that.
I will probably remove some of the tops ones this year and plant them separately. The ones under will have no room to grow when they and their roots get bigger.
You can also see that the ones under are greener and bigger since the roots are growing in the soil and no in the air.
Imagine a field of those blooming in the same time... 😍
My other blooming cacti:
Click on the image to view full post.
Chamaecereus hybrid | Sulcorebutia Canigueralii | Mammillaria camptotricha | Mammillaria Glassii |
Gymnocalycium baldianum | Mediolobivia mudanensis | Lobivia Arachnacantha | Rebutia hybrid |
Mammillaria Bombycina | Mammillaria Gracilis Snowcap | Mammillaria haageana | Mammillaria backebergiana |
Chamaecereus silvestrii | Mammillaria prolifera | Rebutia Fabrisii var. Aureiflora | Lobivia Wrightiana |
Aylostera Flavistyla FR756 | Parodia concinna | Mammillaria Copper King | Gymnocalycium Bruchii |
Mammillaria backebergiana | Gymnocalycium damsii | Echinopsis subdenudata | Rhipsalis pilocarpa |
Mammillaria Prolifera | Lobivia arachnacantha v. vallegrandensis | Mediolobivia atrovirens | Mammillaria magnimamma |
Sulcorebutia langerii | Sulcorebutia frankiana | Chamaelobivia no ID | Rebutia Albiflora |
Mediolobivia atrovirens var. ritteri | Gymnocalycium damsii var. tucavocense | Notocactus Ottonis | Gymnocalycium Friedrichii |
Turbinicarpus Viereckii | Rebutia neocumingii | Notocactus Rubrigemmatus | Lobivia no ID |
Sulcorebutia albissima |
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Shot with Nikon D5500 + Sigma 105mm lens
All photos and text are my own.