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Her Majesty the Copiapoa: a series of exclusive photos enhances the beauty of this extraordinary cactus

il fiore tra le spine — Fri, 16 Jun 2023 08:03:36 +0000

The gray stem, the black thorns, the compact and perfect shape in its “simplicity” make the Copiapoa, in particular of the species of the cinerea group, a real masterpiece of Nature. Among cactus enthusiasts these plants represent a real jewel, to the point that, unfortunately, around and to the detriment of the Copiapoa a black market has been created for years that moves millions of dollars all over the world. A market that involves the extirpation of specimens in habitat – in spite of the laws for the protection of the species – subsequently destined for illicit trafficking, with serious damage to the environment and for the entire Copiapoa genus. More reason, when buying a specimen of this cacti it is essential to rely on specialized nurserymen, avoid online auctions and, above all, observe the plant carefully. The expert eye almost always knows how to distinguish the specimen grown from seed and the one taken from the wild.

And if it is true that the Copiapoa grown in their habitat have colors and thorns capable of fascinating even those who are not fond of cacti, it is equally true that with correct cultivation even specimens obtained from seeds can become splendid and incredibly attractive plants. Just to enhance the beauty of the stems and thorns of these plants, I have elaborated some photos of my specimens, cutting them out and making them stand out against a black background. The results are exceptional, as shown in the gallery contained in the following article. (…).

I won’t dwell here on the correct cultivation of the Copiapoa, since you can get very detailed information at this link, where you can find the cultivation sheets of the various kinds of cacti. Suffice it to recall here that the specimens of the cinerea species have the particularity of producing a gray wax to protect the stem, with the primary function of limiting transpiration and helping the plants to bear long periods of drought. And if it is true that it is above all in their habitat that these plants produce large quantities of wax, it is equally true that with targeted cultivation and good experience it is possible to obtain excellent results even in “captivity”.

Also for this reason, the illicit trafficking of these plants – as well as criminal – is senseless, also considering that a specimen extirpated from its habitat has little chance of surviving for long once it enters a private collection, perhaps on the other side of the world (the Copiapoa are native to Chile). With regard to an important operation to combat the clandestine trade of these plants, you can read the article I wrote some time ago on the Atacama operation, which saw Italy as a protagonist, for better or for worse. Find the article at this link in the italian versio of the website (you can translate it with the internal translator).

The purpose of this brief article is rather to show the Copiapoa in all their splendour, highlighting their strengths, i.e. shape, color of the stem and thorns. This explains the choice of “isolating” (ie “cutting out”) the photos of some of my specimens and placing the image on a black background.

Let the photos do the talking: click on the image to enlarge it.

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Correlated articles

Cactus cultivation cards
How to repot cacti and succulent plants
Substrates for cacti and succulents
The correct soil: the materials you can use

© The texts, videos, photos and graphic elaborations of the site “Il fiore tra le spine” are original material and are covered by copyright. It’s forbidden to reproduce them in any way.

L'articolo Her Majesty the Copiapoa: a series of exclusive photos enhances the beauty of this extraordinary cactus proviene da Il fiore tra le spine.

From mid-April the cactus blooms come to life: a stunning photo gallery

il fiore tra le spine — Fri, 30 Apr 2021 14:50:26 +0000

Mammillaria, Turbinicarpus, Ancistrocactus, Echinocereus, Lobivia. These are just some of the many kinds of cacti that bloom in the month of April, in late spring. In this time of year, with the increase in temperatures and with the first waterings, it can be said that the cactus blooms really come to life to follow one another continuously until summer.

In this photo gallery we see some of the blooms of these days in my greenhouse. (…)

Different kinds of cactaceae have early blooms, such as many Turbinicarpus, many Ancistrocactus, Stenocactus, some Mammillaria. However, it can be said that most of the species begin to open flowers in the month of April, starting from the second half and throughout the month of May, when the Astrophytum with their golden yellow flowers are added. Most of the blooms, in April, belong to the genus Mammillaria. The species belonging to this genus that bloom in this period are really many. Their blooms are always abundant, very showy: if in fact the single flowers are small, the flowers that open at the same time are very many and form the characteristic “crown” at the apex of these plants. Among the most generous species, certainly M. hahniana, M. senilis, M. lasiacantha, M. chionocephala. Very generous are also the Turbinicarpus, which give their blooms throughout the months ranging from March to late September. Equally generous are the Strombocactus disciformis, re-flowering almost all year round.

Cactus cards, to know everything about the various kinds of cacti.

Below is a rundown with some of my blooms from this period. To make cacti bloom in all their abundance, you can read this specific article.

Useful links

How to repot cacti and succulent plants
Substrates for cacti and succulents
The correct soil: the materials you can use

© The texts, videos, photos and graphic elaborations of the site “Il fiore tra le spine” are original material and are covered by copyright. It’s forbidden to reproduce them in any way.

Mammillaria senilis

Mammillaria polythele cv un pico

Mammillaria hahniana

Mammillaria sp.

Mammillaria perbella

Mammillaria humboldtii

Mammillaria bocasana

Mammillaria chionocephala

Lobivia ferox

Strombocactus disciformis

Copiapoa sp.

Astrophytum hybrid red flower

Gymnocalycium monvillei

Echinocereus apachensis

Echinocactus texensis

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Blooming cactus, a roundup of images and how to make artistic photographs

il fiore tra le spine — Thu, 03 Dec 2020 15:00:00 +0000

Looking for photographs for some upcoming articles, I came across some old shots of my cacti in bloom. With a good digital camera and the right perspective, able to bring out the natural shadow in the background, cacti in full bloom are truly unbeatable “models” for artistic photos. You only need to find an illuminated area, place the plant so that the background is almost completely in the shade, so as to be black or otherwise shaded, and that’s it. There are also those who place a cloth or a black card behind the plants, but if you can simply get the natural shade it is even better because it can give the photo those dark shades that a completely black background is not able to provide.

Let’s see everything in detail in this article and especially in these photographs. (…)

From my point of view, I believe that as regards the blooms, the Gmynocalycium are among the best subjects due to the delicacy of the petals and the shades of white, closely followed by the Echinocereus and the Rebutia. Also very beautiful are the flowers of the Notocactus (Parodia), large and bright in color, and those of Mammillaria and Astrophytum. Here is a selection of some artistic photos from my archive. If you want to learn more about the flowering of cacti and succulents, you can find a specific article at this link.

If you want to to learn more about the cultivation techniques of cacti and succulent plants, you will find some articles at the homepage of my site.

© The texts, videos, photos and graphic elaborations of the site “Il fiore tra le spine” are original material and are covered by copyright. It’s forbidden to reproduce them in any way.

Thelocactus bicolor

Leuchtenbergia principis

Gymnocalycium anisitsii

Gymnocalycium saglioni

Parodia sanguiniflora

Gymnocalycium stellatum

Parodia sellowii

Turbinicarpus macrochele

Astrophytum asterias

Notocactus roseoluteus

Rebutia sp.

Echinocereus pulchellus

Mammillaria albilanata

Mammillaria giselae

Mammillaria luethyi

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From the Anza-Borrego park in California, stunning photos of Ferocactus in their habitat

il fiore tra le spine — Sat, 16 Feb 2019 09:15:46 +0000

The genus Ferocactus is among the most appreciated and cultivated by cactus enthusiasts. It is the thorny cactus par excellence, with strong and long thorns, often hooked, and with age it can reach considerable size even if cultivated in pots. Let’s see, in this wonderful gallery of photos taken by Ben Grillo, how these plants grow in their natural habitat. (…)

Ferocactus thrive in the southern United States, especially California, Arizona, Nevada, Texas, Utah, New Mexico. Some species grow in Mexico, especially in the Baja California peninsula. In this second photographic contribution by Ben Grillo, a cactus lover who lives in Oceanside, California, we can observe how Ferocactus acanthodes grows in nature, one of the most interesting and variable species among those belonging to the Ferocactus genus. The photos were taken by Ben in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, a protected area located in Southern California.

For more information on the Anza-Borrego park and Ben Grillo you can read the first photographic contribution at this link.

Ferocactus acanthodes, photograph Ben Grillo (click to enlarge)

As can be seen from the images below, Ferocactus grow in clayey and stony soils, relatively poor, and in full exposure to direct sun, i.e. not sheltered by rocks or other plants. In one shot we can see a dead specimen and in another shot a large specimen collapsed to the ground. In other images, some Ferocactus living in ravines among the rocks. If you are interested in learning more about the distribution of cacti and succulent plants in nature and knowing from which part of the world this or that plant comes, this post may be useful, with maps of the distribution of succulents in the various continents.

Ben Grillo’s reportage will end with the next post, dedicated to Agaves and other succulents and to splendid views of the Anza-Borrego state park.

© The texts, videos, photos and graphic elaborations of the site “Il fiore tra le spine” are original material and are covered by copyright. It’s forbidden to reproduce them in any way.

All photographs courtesy of Ben Grillo

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Echinocactus polycephalus: an extraordinary series of photos to see how it grows in habitat

il fiore tra le spine — Sat, 09 Feb 2019 08:07:47 +0000

Observing cacti and succulent plants in their natural environment is very useful. It allows us to get to know the plants we grow and allows us to understand in what conditions they live in their habitat, so that we can then try, as far as possible, to create optimal conditions for their correct growth.

Comparing with other growers and investing in some targeted travel is undoubtedly the best, but there is also a lot to learn from photographs. For this reason, very gladly, I publish a series of extraordinary contributions made with the beautiful photographs taken by my friend Ben Grillo, whom I sincerely thank for his contribution to this site.

Ben Grillo in Anza Borrego park (click to enlarge)

Ben is Californian and resides in Oceanside. He is a “tattoo artist” but also a photographer. He is a great fan of succulent plants and, as he himself says: “I spend much of my free time roaming the desert (mostly Anza-Borrego or Joshua Tree) taking photos and studying the plants”. The photos I post in this series of posts were taken by Ben in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park in Southern California. The park extends over a large desert area (over 240,000 hectares), particularly in eastern San Diego County, with some areas in Imperial and Riverside counties.

Let’s start these reports with a truly remarkable species: Echinocactus polycephalus, undoubtedly the rarest Echinocactus, slower in terms of growth, and more difficult to cultivate. Compared to its “cousins” grusonii, platyacanthus, texensis and parryi, the polycephalus is less known and cultivated, also due to its particular needs in terms of irrigation (here in Europe it is advisable to wet the polycephalus at the end of winter, in January and February, and suspend irrigation in the hottest months).

In its typical form, Echinocactus polycephalus may appear similar to E. parryi at first glance, but if you observe the two species carefully the differences emerge clearly. E. polycephalus, moreover, with time shows its marked tendency to bunch up (from which the name given to the species derives) and has thorns characterized by a color that from red tends with age to pink and then to greyish. This applies to the type species, which grows in southern Arizona and, a few kilometers further west, in eastern California. Further north, in Arizona, the xeranthemoides variant thrives, characterized by yellow spines and a more glossy surface than those of the type-species.

In the next posts, the reportage will continue with habitat images of Ferocactus, Echinocereus and a mix of other succulents, as well as breathtaking views.

I believe that, beyond the indisputable beauty of the images and landscapes, Ben’s photos can be of help to many growers, especially those who are passionate about “wild” cultivation, that is the technique that aims to reproduce the soils as well as the general living conditions the plants have in their habitat.

Thanks again to Ben Grillo for his collaboration, I take the opportunity to report his interesting Instagram profile, where you can find photos of plants from his collection and images taken during his travels.

© The texts, videos, photos and graphic elaborations of the site “Il fiore tra le spine” are original material and are covered by copyright. It’s forbidden to reproduce them in any way.

All photographs in this article are courtesy of Ben Grillo

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