CACTUS AND SUCCULENT
CURIOSTIES
Cacti and succulents are amazing plants,  a lot of unknown and unusual things can be discovered living with them, in this page we show some curiosities discovered observing our plants.
A special thanks to Bernard Bubendorf
who sent us a photo of its own odd plant.

Transparent windowed leaves .

A number of South African succulents like Lithops ssp. and Haworthia ssp.  to escape the killing heat of the desert grow almost entirely subterranean and have evolved special fenestrate translucent leaves that grow below the surface of the soil;
In the photo two sliced plants: Haworthia emelyae v. comptoniana and  Lithops salicola (longitudinal section)

*  *  *

Nectar drops.

Hamatocactus longihamatus

Extra-floral nectaries (areolar glands) are glands, usually located (in Cactus) in the tubercle-grooves or in the axils tha exude nectar drops... and attract ants.

*  *  *

Lemony  scented flower!!!

Echinocereus davisii var. brevispinus

This plant is very famous for the nice short spines, but it has also some of the more perfumed flowers among cacti. The intensive lemon fragrance of its flowers fill up the greenhouse in the month of April.

*  *  *

A very bizarre flower.

Titanopsis calcarea "bizarre"

I saw on your site that you show some « curiosity », I joined a photo of a strange flower of Tianopasis calcarea;  it is a monstrose and very rare plant sport.
Photo by Bernard Bubendorf   Site:http://bernard.bubendorf.free.fr

*  *  *

The chimaerical cactus!

+ Ortegopuntia cv. "Percy"

"Chimera" is an organism that is made up of cells of two different origins. Only a very few chimerical cactus are known, this new and very rare plant is a graft hybrid containing cells of Opuntia compressa and Ortegocactus macdougalli.

*  *  *

    Sulcorebutia with Opuntia flowers

Sulcorebutia with Opuntia flowers

A very strange event: various species of Sulcorebutia grafted on Opuntia compressa encourage the grafting stock to bloom... Among so many kinds of cactus grafted on Opuntia compressa only the Sulcorebutias stimulate the grafting stock to bloom.  The result is curious and very handsome.

*  *  *

And fruit too!!!

Sulcorebutia with Opuntia fruits

And now a Sulcorebutia tiraqunsis var. aguillarii with a true …prickly pear fruit???

*  *  *

    Adventitious shoots

Ariocarpus agavoides 'Spiny'

Singular and very nice Adventitious shoot originated from the napiform root subsequently to a damage of the stem which dropped off all the tubercles (For an excess of heat during the winter rest in the home near a heating radiator)

*  *  *

    Two ribs.... Incredible!!!!

Astrophytum myriostigma cv. Tao

The birth of an A. myriostigma bicostatum is really a rare and memorable event.
Till now only two plants over thousand plants born with this uncommon feature.

*  *  *

 Underground shoots

Notocactus arechavaletai var. limiticola HU179

Shoots, called root suckers - that arise from adventitious buds developing on the root system - occasionally occur in some cactus species when roots have been injured or felled, but this specie produce naturally a large numbers of them and can develop into a small colony.

*  *  *

   Compass cactus

Pterocactus megliolii

When I grafted Pterocactus megliolii on Opuntia compressa I noticed - with mine great disappointment - that the branches were not erect but they inexorably  tilted on a side. The strangest thing is that all the branches are folded up in the same direction: west!!!

*  *  *

Red point?

Coryphantha echinoidea SB 26 Salinas, San Luis Potosi, Mexico
Many cacti have estrafloral nectaries (gland producing a sugary nectar that attracts pugnacious ants which defend the plants by herbivore insects) The red nectaries of C. echinoidea are particularly decorative.                        

*  *  *

Delicious Mammillaria berries!!!

Mammillaria_wrightii_SB86_Manzano_Mts_NM.htm

This winter hardy Mammillaria produce very big fruits that taste of gooseberry.

*  *  *