Wierd cactus

Discussion in 'Cacti and Succulents' started by kinghedes, Sep 10, 2009.

  1. kinghedes

    kinghedes Active Member

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    i have this barrel cactus i found and it made a fruit that turned in to a baby cactus that was half red and one that was all red will they stay like this
     

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  2. mandarin

    mandarin Active Member 10 Years

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    Probably yes, areas without chlorophyll typically remain red (other species are often yellow). The top on the right one is producing green tissue, isn't it? It looks as if it should end up looking like the one in the left picture.
    Could be a Ferocactus hamatacanthus.
     
  3. kinghedes

    kinghedes Active Member

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    i found it in southern texas between a town called beevile and sinton
     
  4. mandarin

    mandarin Active Member 10 Years

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    Ferocactus is not my area, but I think you found your plant outside the F. hamatacanthus habitat.
     
  5. Bluewing

    Bluewing Well-Known Member

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    In your second photo, the red thing looks more like a berrie then the one in the first photo. It looks like a seed pod to me, no?
     
  6. kinghedes

    kinghedes Active Member

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    ya at first it was a seed pod but it started grown thorns and stuff it still had the dried up flower on it but it got eaten by ants the othere day but i still have the other half one
     

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  7. mandarin

    mandarin Active Member 10 Years

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    Are the flowers yellow with red centers? Thelocactus setispinus is my new guess.
     
  8. kinghedes

    kinghedes Active Member

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    the flowers do look like the one on Thelocactus setispinus
     
  9. MaQMartok

    MaQMartok Member

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    I see that no one is discussing the subject of removing plants from their native habitat. In many areas, as it is here in Arizona, this is illegal because of the damage collectors have done to native populations. Collectors have decimated some populations to the point of extinction. Seed collection of native specimens should be the ONLY collection that you do. Even when it appears that there are plenty of the plants you are trying to collect you are removing genetic material from the population. As you point out you have an unusual speciman and now you have removed that specimen's genetic material from the population. That plant may have exibited an adaptation to local conditions that would benefit the future of the species and now it's gone. Please don't remove plants from their native habitat.
     
  10. kinghedes

    kinghedes Active Member

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    yes but the place were i was getting them it getting plowed and roller chopped and I will only get a few like if i see a clump of 5 i'll only get 1 and the ranch i was getting them from the ranch peaple kill every one they see because they hurt the horses. And i alway try and plant some more back. I do beleive it is wrong to screw up plants ecosystem but were i got these is now bull dosed and theres just a few clumps of trees here and there my freind ranch is rite next to the ranch we got them from and i try and plant cactus out there so it stays plentiful

    I was wondering because we have hundreds of prickly pears every were and some are pretty tall if i grafted like horse cripler seedling to them would they fall off and root when they got big

    The reason i got the ones i got was i want to get sum of them horse cripplers befor the cattle rancher got rid of them
     
  11. kinghedes

    kinghedes Active Member

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    and the plant was removed a few years ago it didn't make this unusual change till after it was removed
     
  12. mandarin

    mandarin Active Member 10 Years

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    Graft a seedling high up on an Opuntia? Why? To make them more difficult to reach? Or just to propagate them?
    (Cannot see anything wrong with rescuing cacti from ranch owners, dam projects etc., by the way).
     
  13. kinghedes

    kinghedes Active Member

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    to propagate them i wonder if they would fall off and live or fall off and die
     
  14. mandarin

    mandarin Active Member 10 Years

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    I am not sure that they will fall off, Thelocactus don't become very large, but if they do they might have some Opuntia tissue at the base (grafts sometimes break below the joint), and Opuntia root very easily. I think it is unlikely that the Thelocactus will root by itself. It is not a method I would use, the risk that the plant will land in a position where base doesn't come in contact with the ground is too big.

    Or did you mean Echinocactus texensis (the real "horse crippler" - those common names are often applied to more than one species)?

    But grafting should be done with care and the grafts should be protected while the two plants merge. Further, the stock should be active (in the growing phase). Would it not be easier to root some Opuntia pads first and then make the grafts while they are in pots?
     

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