Viewing comments posted by Macrocentra

My personal favorite of the bell peppers. Mild heat with a slightly smoky flavor.

My fiance lives in the East Bay Area of California. These seem to be a popular species around the area. We've spotted several growing along residential streets in full sun, and they're all lush and healthy. The color of their blooms adds some lovely interest along the roads. They look lovely intermixed with other species as well.

Definitely on my wishlist as a tree candidate for our own yard in the future. I really love the color.

Opuntia microdasys is native to Mexico and parts of Arizona. It's a relatively small Opuntia species, with a lower growth habit, making it an excellent option for smaller gardens or container culture. It is a fairly forgiving species, making it a good choice as a first Opuntia.

The thick, oval-shaped pads grow in pairs, hence the common name "Bunny Ear cactus". Newer pads have a reddish color, gradually switching to green as they mature. While this species doesn't have long spines like most Opuntias, it is covered in tufts of short, fine white or yellow bristles called glochids. The glochids can be quite irritating, difficult to remove, and are easily dislodged at the lightest touch. Gloves are recommended when handling this species.

This plant prefers to be kept outdoors in higher temperatures, but its relatively small size allows it to be more easily brought inside to overwinter if frost is a risk. While the plant requires high temperatures during the growing season, it should ideally be given a "cool-off" period over winter with lower temperatures (around 50-55 F), whether being grown indoors or outdoors. Allowing a cool-off period will increase the chance of summer blooms.

O. microdasys can successfully be grown indoors in containers if sufficient sunlight is available, though they'll be slower-growing than outdoor specimens. I keep a few specimens indoors year-round in my brightest windows.

Like other Opuntias, O. microdasys is very easy to propagate through cuttings. Remove a pad at its joint, allow to heal, and plant. The pad will root quite easily.

My personal favorite in the Opuntia group, O. macrocentra is native to southeast Arizona, southern New Mexico, and western Texas. This plant grows as a low-growing succulent shrub, reaching around 3 feet tall and 3-6 feet wide. This makes it a more manageable species than some other members of the group. It is often called the Black-Spined Prickly Pear, due to the long dark-colored spines that grow along the tops of the individual pads. Another common name is the Purple Prickly Pear, as the plant takes on a lovely purple and magenta coloration in response to cold or drought. Warmer temperatures cause it to switch to a blue-green coloration. The purple colors really make this species stand out, making it a great option for an accent plant.

The plant produces edible dark red fruits, and bright yellow and red flowers, adding a lovely color contrast with the pads.

Like most Opuntias, O. macrocentra is covered in tufts of shorter, finer spines called glochids. These cover most of the body of the plant, and are easily dislodged and difficult to remove. It is recommended to wear protective clothing when working with the plant, as the glochids are very irritating.

The plant is easily propagated through cuttings. Simply remove a pad at its joint, allow to heal, and plant!

I grow my O. macrocentras in containers, and they do quite well. They've been my fastest-growing container-grown Opuntias.

E. purpusorum is native to Puebla and Oaxaca, Mexico and is considered rare. It is an excellent species for container culture, in part due to its smaller size compared to many other Echeverias. Rosettes are typically solitary and reach up to 3.5 inches in diameter.

Leaves are typically olive green in color, with irregular mottled red spots that become more vibrant with greater light exposure, though they can be quite variable, having a more greyish and sometimes even whitish coloration. This species is slow-growing.

A variety of similar-looking hybrids of E. purpusorum exist, including: E. 'Dionysos', E. 'Belle Etoile', E. 'Ben Badis', E. 'Fabiola', and E. 'Shamrock'.

A fairly common hybrid with beautiful pastel coloring and tightly packed rosettes. E. 'Lola' is a hybrid produced by Dick Wright of California, by crossing E. lilacina and E. 'Tippy' (1980). The leaves typically display a pale blue-grey coloration, with a peach to pink-violet blush given adequate sunlight.

'Lola' is excellent for container culture, and is particularly eyecatching when planted in groups or allowed to offset. Offsets produce quite readily. In my personal experience, this plant seems to be a bit more tolerant and forgiving than other Echeverias, and handles indoor conditions better than others (assuming sufficient sunlight can be provided).

E. 'Lola' and E. 'Derenceana' (E. lilacina x E. derenbergii) are often confused, as these hybrids look nearly identical (including blooms). While very difficult to distinguish when young, subtle differences are more noticeable in adult plants. Adult 'Lola's have a larger rosette, while 'Derenceana' stays smaller, with more upright/compact leaves.

A lovely cultivar of Echeveria nodulosa, featuring carunculated leaves.

Very little information is available about this form, but it appears that it is likely a cultivar originating in Japan. It has a similar growth form and coloration as E. nodulosa, though it appears it may maintain a smaller rosette (~3-4 inches across seems to be the most commonly reported).

The majority of photos that can be found of the 'Maruba Benitsukasa' show plants with a darker and more widespread maroon coloration than E. nodulosa, but I'm unsure if this is another characteristic of the cultivar or due to lighting conditions.