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Jan 29, 2024 7:23 PM CST
Thread OP
N. California (Zone 10b)
What do you think? Does this sp. ever look like that?
Thumb of 2024-01-30/Hortica/0ea7fc
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Jan 29, 2024 8:32 PM CST
Name: Rj
Just S of the twin cities of M (Zone 4b)
Forum moderator Million Pollinator Garden Challenge Plant Identifier Garden Ideas: Level 1
Looks like the pic has been around since 2019
As Yogi Berra said, “It's tough to make predictions, especially about the future.”
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Jan 30, 2024 1:03 AM CST
Name: Stefan
SE europe(balkans) (Zone 6b)
Wild Plant Hunter Plumerias Overwinters Tender Plants Indoors Cactus and Succulents Sempervivums Bromeliad
Adeniums Bookworm Sedums Tropicals Fruit Growers Foliage Fan
Real. Even grows upside down. There are some well groomed plants out there.
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Feb 1, 2024 7:58 PM CST
Moderator
Name: Baja
Baja California (Zone 11b)
Cactus and Succulents Seed Starter Xeriscape Container Gardener Hummingbirder Native Plants and Wildflowers
Garden Photography Region: Mexico Plant Identifier Forum moderator Plant Database Moderator Garden Ideas: Level 2
If it is real, which I think it is, it's a Mammillaria (or maybe a Cochemiea after the recent renaming, but probably not) and a pretty spectacular old plant. It looks like a cell phone picture, not the latest model and possibly suffering from compression artefact, or digitally zoomed.

In my attempts at AI images (pretty limited and pretty bad) the model does not appreciate species to species differences in cactuses, let alone differences between genera. I don't think they were trained on a library of botanical images, and so the depictions of cacti mix different features that don't typically occur together in nature. Cactus-like and maybe good enough to fool someone who hasn't seen 10 or 50 different kinds of cacti in bloom.

In this case, the things that say Mammillaria to me: the flowers in a ring below the apex of each stem, the tubercles, the wool, the shape of the stems and their dangling habit (in old age). I have a Mammillaria which has yellowish spines (when young) that similarly age to gray or white not long after those areoles flower. I have seen pictures of Mammillarias growing on top of other plants, or on rock faces or whatever, and some of them will tend to dangle.
Last edited by Baja_Costero Feb 1, 2024 9:09 PM Icon for preview
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Feb 2, 2024 10:44 PM CST
Name: TK
Ontario, Canada (Zone 6b)
Region: Ukraine Cactus and Succulents Sempervivums Adeniums Bromeliad Tropicals
Aroids Orchids Hibiscus Sedums Container Gardener
Looks like the big Mammillaria I used to have. It only had three "stems" though. But very similar. Smiling
Слава Україні! Slava Ukraini! Glory to Ukraine!
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Feb 3, 2024 1:56 PM CST
Name: Stefan
SE europe(balkans) (Zone 6b)
Wild Plant Hunter Plumerias Overwinters Tender Plants Indoors Cactus and Succulents Sempervivums Bromeliad
Adeniums Bookworm Sedums Tropicals Fruit Growers Foliage Fan
This one is a subspecies of spinosissima called pilcayensis. And it is one of the few larger creeping and hanging mammillarias. Another famous species is matudae. Both are "cliff dwellers" like Baja says, but can also be grown upside down. I think the most famous south american equivalent is cleistocactus winterii(idk the relevant name)
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Feb 3, 2024 2:39 PM CST
Name: Stefan
SE europe(balkans) (Zone 6b)
Wild Plant Hunter Plumerias Overwinters Tender Plants Indoors Cactus and Succulents Sempervivums Bromeliad
Adeniums Bookworm Sedums Tropicals Fruit Growers Foliage Fan
So apparently there is a fig tree growing downwards in a cave in Italy at a place called Bacoli....
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Feb 3, 2024 9:26 PM CST
Name: Donald
Eastland county, Texas (Zone 8a)
Raises cows Enjoys or suffers hot summers Region: Texas Plant Identifier
Here's a link to the fig tree Stefan mentioned. https://www.reddit.com/r/inter... With a photo. There were quite a few of the tree to found on Google Images. Thumbs up Stefan.
Donald
Last edited by needrain Feb 3, 2024 9:29 PM Icon for preview
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Feb 3, 2024 11:52 PM CST
Name: TJOE
Indonesia
Adeniums Cactus and Succulents Composter Container Gardener Fruit Growers Keeper of Koi
Plant Lover: Loves 'em all! Enjoys or suffers hot summers
Hey, you guys have given me the idea of making/growing an upside down fig tree Rolling my eyes.
If they look healthy, do nothing
Last edited by Kaktus Feb 3, 2024 11:52 PM Icon for preview
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Feb 4, 2024 12:50 AM CST
Name: Stefan
SE europe(balkans) (Zone 6b)
Wild Plant Hunter Plumerias Overwinters Tender Plants Indoors Cactus and Succulents Sempervivums Bromeliad
Adeniums Bookworm Sedums Tropicals Fruit Growers Foliage Fan
Kaktus said: Hey, you guys have given me the idea of making/growing an upside down fig tree Rolling my eyes.

Id try the cactus. Seems more worthwhile. You may need several layers of steel mesh though. And probably the sturdiest hanging pot you can find
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