By Eric Driskill – The genus Astrophytum is in the family Cactaceae and has four species. Its name is derived from the Greek “aster,” star, and “phyton,” plant. With the geometric shapes and patterns displayed by the various species, this is a very popular genus. Unique to Astrophytum is the presence of …
By Chris Deem – I am a member of the family Cactaceae. I live in Texas and throughout Eastern and Northern Mexico. I am an astrophytum. Astrophytums come in a variety of shapes and are very beautiful plants. These hard-skinned cacti are the epitome of the true cactus. Sadly, they are almost extinct in their natural …
By Chris Deem – Its origin is lost in the black reaches of time. Small and rare, the Astrophytum cacti known as asterias evolved and survived in the great Chihuahuan Desert. In 1843, a small asterias was exported to Europe. The little plant was grey-green. Hard, compressed and spherically shaped, it had no spines. Covering …
By Chris Deem – The 1920s were an interesting period in time. Young American girls drank gin, cut their hair short and danced with no knowledge of the Depression to come. In Egypt, the small tomb of a minor ruler revealed his short life, and his funerary goods stunned the world. In Mexico, in the state of Nuevo Leon, stood …
By Eric Driskill – Blossfeldia belongs to the subfamily Cactoideae and tribe Notocacteae. Blossfeldia was discovered in 1936 by Harry Blossfeld and Oreste Marsoner in northern Argentina. The genus was described by Erich Werdermann in 1937, honoring Blossfeld. Botanically speaking, Blossfeldia is very unique …
By Chris Deem – Everything about this place seems ordinary: old rocky hills and a seldom-used road. It’s just a dry, little nowhere place in northern Agentina, or maybe we strayed into Bolivia. Around here, it is hard to tell. It is just a dreary, empty place – no diamonds or gold, no tiny fern fossils or dinosaur bones. There’s …
By Chris Deem – When I saw it sitting there, it seemed a kindred spirit. It was in a competition of sorts. Every competitor on the long table was unique. Tall and small, some were bloated green, some were slanted and gray. Others cascaded purple. There was even a dragon. Scars and wires were welcome; it was art. Only their pots …
By Jonathan Watt – Borzicacti are a great addition to any collection because of their general beauty and bright orange or red flowers. Depending on the species, they can be erect or pendant-growing. The spines completely encircle the stems and are yellow or white. The genus as a whole is native to Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador …
In 1848, George Engelmann described the saguaro with the name Cereus giganteus. A saguaro seedling germinated that same year might have only reached a height of just over 2 feet by the time Nathaniel Britton and Joseph Rose described a new genus for the saguaro, Carnegiea, 60 years later in 1908. The …
A Saguaro’s Story by Chris Deem – July 18, 1799 – Somewhere in the Sonoran Desert – During a thunderstorm, a small white-winged dove carries the red fruit of a saguaro to her nest. One small black seed falls, unnoticed, under a creosote bush. Its chance of survival is less than 1 percent. It rains for three more days. …