Flowers

The Spider Mums from last week had run their gamut, so it was time to replace them in the vase on the sofa table. The flower concession in the supermarket didn’t have much in the way of lilies or mums this week, so we opted for the more costly, but well worth the slight extra expense, roses.

We have come across this light cream colored rose variety many times as they are pleasant to look at, smell nice and last the better part of a week. These look very nice in my tall crystal vase. Click on the image to enlarge.

My reliable Bishop’s Cap cactus is flowering again. Only three flowers today, not nearly a record for this cactus, but pretty indeed.

I did a little research on Wikipedia and came up with this information about one of my favorite cacti:

Astrophytum myriostigma (common names: Bishop’s Cap Cactus, Bishop’s Hat or Bishop’s Miter Cactus) is a species of cactus native to the highlands of northeastern and central Mexico.

Synonyms include Echinocactus myriostigma, Astrophytum prismaticum, A. columnare, A. coahuilense, A. tulense, and A. nuda.

A. myriostigma is a spineless cactus defined by the presence of three to seven (usually five) pronounced vertical ribs which define the cactus’ shape when young (the genus name “astrophytum”, literally, “star plant”, is derived from the resulting star-like shape). As the cactus ages, more ribs may be added and it becomes more cylindrical in shape, growing up to about 70–100 cm tall and 10–20 cm in diameter. In the wild, globose to cylindrical stem is covered with a whitish flocking of trichomes. Some horticultural varieties lack the flocking.

In the wild, the cacti flower in early spring, so that their seeds can grow with summer rains. In cultivation this differs, and the plants may flower in summer. Plants produce one or more flowers 4–6 cm diameter near the apex; the numerous tepals are creamy yellow, sometimes with an orange or red base. Pollinated flowers develop into a hairy reddish fruit about 2-2.5 cm in diameter. Plants may take up to six years to flower. A. myriostigma is commonly grown as an ornamental plant in cactus collections.

I usually try to put up a slideshow towards the end of springtime to display pictures we have taken of cactus flowers each year. This is this year’s collection of flower pictures taken since the first flowers of spring in March, or so. Click on the image to advance each slide.

This is a list of the flowers in the slideshow (in order of appearance):

• Argentine Giant Flower
• Ferocactus Flower
• Saguaro Flowers
• Prickly Pear Flower with Pollinator
• Orange Prickly Pear Flower
• Ocotillo
• Cow’s Tongue Cactus Flower
• Saguaro Flower and Hummingbird
• Hedgehog Cactus Flower
• Saguaro Flower
• Devil’s Tongue Barrel Cactus Flower
• Cholla Flower
• Bishop’s Cap Flowers
• Beavertail Cactus Flower
• Barrel Cactus Quartet of Flowers

Not all of these flower pictures were taken on our property, but most of them. All were taken within town limits of Wickenburg, AZ.

I show a lot of desert flowers here because they are so beautiful. This one is no exception to that, but it has a little story behind it.

A couple of winters ago, I removed a paddle from a prickly pear cactus growing on the hill east of our house and put it into a pot in the courtyard. Like a good little succulent, it took root and sprouted more paddles. When it got fairly large, we transplanted it to the side of the RV drive west of the house, where it still grows.

This summer, the cactus had this single flower bud. In the image above, you can see the little cactus in the inset where it sits next to the RV driveway. Click on the image to enlarge.

I planted another paddle in a pot in the courtyard last year and it is now also just about ready for transplanting. We’ll get to that one and several others when time and cooler weather permit in the coming days.