Rimacactus lauii Lau 1541 (syn Eriosyce lauii) Extreme Rarity in Habitat

e6filmusere6filmuser Registered Users Posts: 3,379 Major grins
edited July 23, 2022 in Holy Macro

These images are of a grafted plant, which is how it is normally grown in cultivation. That makes it flower more readily but the growth is much more lush that in habitat.

In the wild it is found only in northern Chile “known only from a small barren area (less than 10 square km) in the costal desert of Tocopilla, where hardly any other plants at all are capable of surviving”. There, it obtains almost all its water from coastal fog.

When this plant flowered, I hand pollinated it. Now, all except one of the dead flowers pulled away easily but that one may have set seed. I may have chance to grow it on its own roots.

Olympus EM-1, (aperture priority), Olympus 4/3 50mm f2 macro, 1/30 f11 1/250 f9, hand-held.

The stereos are crosseye.

Harold

Comments

  • spanky117abspanky117ab Registered Users Posts: 263 Major grins

    What an unusual looking plant, showed my wife and she loves it and now wants one lol. Regards …Mike

  • e6filmusere6filmuser Registered Users Posts: 3,379 Major grins
    edited July 28, 2022

    @spanky117ab said:
    What an unusual looking plant, showed my wife and she loves it and now wants one lol. Regards …Mike

    If you can obtain one, it is supposed to be very difficult unless grafted. I recommend Mammillaria bocasana as an easy alternative, readily available where cacti are sold. Alternatively, check out other species of Eriosyce or Neoporteria, Neolloydia.

    Harold

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