This is probably one of the last flowers from my cacti I will show this season. Unless I find some lost photos that I forgot about that is. The blooming season is over and now they just look like green spiky mess until next spring. Some still show one little flower now and then, but I already showed them when they were in full bloom earlier in spring, so I don't see the point of repeating doing it again.
Lobivia arachnacantha
This cactus is native to Bolivia and Argentina and grows on higher elevations among rocks and some small bushes or grasses. It is nit big and never will be. It will produce multiple offshoots though and spread sideways a bit. You can see on the photos that my one already started to do it.
It is small, but it's tough as a rock! It can handle hot days with full sun but also freezing cold temperatures in winter for short periods of time. To survive the winter cold it needs to be kept completely dry though, otherwise it will rot and die in no time!
The flowers are gigantic! One of the biggest from the cacti I own (most Lobivia type has quite big blooms) especially if you compare it to the size of the cactus. The main stem is about 2-3 cm across. The flowers are probably double that.
I also found a little unwarted guest while I was shooting - mealybug! Those little shits attack and can kill a cactus and you don't even know why it dies. Sneaky little ****.
As a bonus another guest, but a very wanted one - my furry quality control assistant :)
My other blooming cacti:
Shot with Nikon D5500 + Sigma 105mm lens
All photos and text are my own.