Here comes another first. And not with just one lousy flower, but with two! I didn't even expect for it to bloom this year as to me it still seems pretty small. This one knows how to make an entrance :)
Sulcorebutia albissima
She is with me for 3 years and got it as a cutting. First year it spend in a community pot with other tiny cuttings focusing on growing roots. When they all got bigger I splited them to separate, tiny, 4 cm pots.
Since then I treat the as any other grown up cactus - so they get the sun, the rain, wind and stay outside over the winter to get feel those temperature drops. I think think could help them growing the flowers this year, as many of my cacti bloomed for the first time, or after a break.
It is a small cactus (just the way I like them) native to Bolivia. In the mountains where she grows, at the altitude between 2000 and 4000 meters, it can get quite cold in winter, so she is used to that. If kept dry, it can withstand temperatures below 0 degrees C.
My one is about 2 cm across now. It is a single plant and I hope it will grow some offshoots soon.
And the flowers... my oh my. The shape is typical, but just look at the bright colour! I am glad they managed to open fully as we get some cloudier weather recently and and they prefer to stay closed when it is cloudy. I am not gonna try to pollinate those. We will see if they will produce some fruits on their own.
What I like about those small fellas (besides that they stay small and compact) are the spines. they are short and stay almost completely flat, close to the body. You can touch it, move it and no blood is spilled.
Besides that they look nice they also have a protective function. By staying so close to the plant, they protect it from the sun.
Bonus for today:
Notocactus mueller-melchersii is preparing to bloom! Also for the first time. I was showing it not so long ago with the two cute buds in this post
(
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 |
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Shot with Nikon D5500 + Sigma 105mm lens
All photos and text are my own.