By Eric Driskill – Euphorbia hedyotoides is a root-succulent shrub found in Alluadia forests between Amboasary and Fort Dauphin in southern Madagascar. E. hedyotoides was described by Croizat as Euphorbia decariana in 1934, however, N. E. Brown described it in 1909 as …
By Eric Driskill – Cacti in the tribe Rhipsalideae are all epiphytic (grow in trees) or lithophytic (grow on rock). The tribe includes four genera: Hatiora, Lepismium, Rhipsalis and Schlumbergera. Using an anagram, Britton and Rose named Hatiora in 1923 to honor …
By Joe Merkelbach – The plants that are called Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter cacti are quite different from the plants most succulent collectors prize. Rather than striking sculptural shapes usually compact in form, the holiday cacti are prized for their brilliant …
By Leo A. Martin – Schlumbergera (described by Lemaire in 1858) are sometimes called Thanksgiving or Christmas cactus, and rhipsalidopsis (described by Britton and Rose in 1923) are often called Easter cactus, because of when they bloom. Both require special attention here in Phoenix, but can be grown and flowered successfully. They are not so tolerant of forgetfulness …
By Eric Driskill – Isolatocereus was originally described by Michel Scheidweiler in 1837 as Cereus dumortieri. In 1909, Britton and Rose placed it in Lemaireocereus, and about 33 years later, in 1942, Curt Backeberg described the genus Isolatocereus, where it remained until 1961. For another 30 years, it was placed in Stenocereus. In 1991, Gibson recommended that it be …
By Eric Driskill – This monotypic (having only one species) genus is found in limestone soil throughout the Chihuahuan Desert of northern and central Mexico in Coahuila, San Luis Potosi, Guanajuato, Zacatecas and Hidalgo. Leuchtenbergia principis was listed in Appendix I of the first CITES list (1992), but downlisted to Appendix II in CITES 1996. …
By Barbara Wedler – Leuchtenbergia principis is a very interesting-looking cactus. It is a monotypic genus, which means that there is only one species in the genus. It is not a large plant, as its mature height is about 24 inches, but it is quite showy, with long, blue-green tubercles and papery spines. The tubercles are the reason for its two common names: agave cactus …
By Chris Deem – In a place that has no name, somewhere in central Mexico, two cactus plants grow. One is old and one is young. They stand in time like a mirror’s reflection. One is past, one is future – these are no ordinary cacti. The old one stands 18 inches high. It is a majestic mass of blue-green tubercles. From areoles on the tops of its …
By Chris Deem – From what primordial myth did such a creature first appear? A horrifying, scaly creature with wings, breathing fire. Its eyes red, its blood boiling mercury and sulfur, bringing death and destruction. A dragon. I wonder if its discoverer had such thoughts when first he saw a Lobivia cinnabarina. …
By Pat Mahon – A cactus that has been recorded by the ancients and used since 5,700 years ago is now considered one of the most controversial species of plant in cultivation. In today’s world, all participants of the United Nations, the entire United States and its territories, along with several other countries around the …