Contents of the Spring 2010 Northants News

Multiflorum ?                                                              Andrew Dowsett       

Cacti continue to surprise me! On looking at my plants this June, there seemed to be quite a number of buds on a plants of Gymnocalycium baldianum. On closer inspection I discovered five flower buds on one areole.

Now I knew that Weingartia and Myrtillocactus often had two or three flowers from an areole, but at the time had not heard of this in Gymnocalycium. Was this a rare occurrence? Well I decided to contact John Pilbeam, who I know is an experienced Gymno grower of this free flowering genus, to see if he had encountered this at all. He replied that he had never seen so many buds on an areole. Subsequently I learned that two flowers is not unusual in this genus.

I thought this might be of interest to other members so I asked Trev if he would like to take some pictures and include an item in the mag. If you are reading this he has kindly done. Thanks Trev!

By way of a postscript this plant was purchased from Southfields last year, so you never know what might turn up.

Andrew

ED: Thank you, Andrew for bringing us this intriguing feature. When Andrew contacted me I thought immediately of a Rebutia that had multiple flowers from one areole. That was a long time ago and I have never seen similar since. Weingartias frequently have two (or even three) flowers on areoles. I thought of G. multiflorum and surely that had multiple flowers on areoles. Consulting Graham Charles’ new book on the genus indicated otherwise. Not only was it now called G. monvillei but the multiflorum only referred to the number of flowers.

While I had the book in my hand I started to look carefully at the pictures for multiple flowers (or fruits) from one areole. In some cases there was just a possibility and I would like to tilt the picture for a close look. In some there were so many flowers crowded at the apex of the plant it was difficult to tell. Anyway, nowhere did I find any definite evidence.

G. baldianum has rather unusual (for a Gymno) red flowers. Never think that the flowers of Gymnos are only white; most are, but there are also yellow, green, purple as well as the red baldianum. All the pictures in Graham’s book show baldianum flowering from the centre and the unusual areole on Andrew’s plant is on the shoulder of the plant. If you want my theory I suspect that just below the surface of this spine cluster is an offset and it is this which is flowering from the apex and producing this rare occurrence.

 

Dear Auntie G

 

Dear Auntie G

I am a new recruit to the cactus hobby and have recently joined the N&MK branch. I have noticed many Mammillarias which have a special society and many beautiful species. In a garden centre I noticed some different, but un-named, plants which my books tell me are Mammillarias, (flowers born from axils and not from the areoles). However the flowers do not match any species that I can find. I read that early botanists described new species from cactus nurseries that had imported plants from the wild. Back issues of Northants News show that you are a source of information in Middle England. Is this a new species?

Ms Phreke

Dear Ms Phreke

I do not see any Phrekes on our membership list so assume your name is an alias. I can see that you are on the path to being a true Mammillaria bore. I am sorry but it has to be said. Anyone who knows that the flowers of Mammillarias are from the axils and not the areoles is a lost cause and will never understand that there is life outside the Mammillaria enclave. Other beautiful cacti and, even better, a vast array of the other succulents exist for us to grow.

However as resident agony aunt (and no one else on the committee will touch this honoury post with a bargepole) I suppose I must reply. Your Mammillaria is indeed a new species, at least to me. There are no other species with black flowers listed in all my vast library of Mammillaria reference books; so it must be a new species. Congratulations.

You must squash your Mammillaria species nova between two bricks and deposit the remains in an herbarium. Then provide a (new) species name and Latin description in some recognised journal. Can I suggest M. nigriflora (black flowered) as the species? Or maybe M. anglica: a new Mammillaria discovered in England.

Good luck with your discovery. We have never had a plant discovered and named by anyone in the branch.

Your Auntie G

Ed: You are reminded that opinions expressed by contributors are not necessarily held by the Editor or Committee.

This article was submitted by Auntie G and is showing some smidgen of prejudice and just a nuance of cynicism. Moreover her style suggests that she has become overly contemptuous and sarcastic.

To the editorial board of NN the image shows a Mammillaria with attached dried Helichrysum flowers. This is standard garden centre practice to make cacti more attractive to the buying public. Should we in the Cactus Society object? There is a clear case of misrepresentation; trade descriptions, etc. – it is a cactus but the flowers are not… We in the BCSS know this happens.

Auntie G will be reported to the ethics and PC sub-committee of the NMK committee to see whether she is still fit to continue as our flag-ship agony aunt. Her attitude does not seem to promote the importance of cactus, and especially Mammillarias, to our members.

Glossary

Areole: Unique (more or less) to the cactus family. This is the spine cluster which bears offsets and flowers except (mostly) in Mammillarias.

Axil: The slot between tubercles (the bits that stick out). Mammillaria flowers come from here and sometime hairs which are important in naming species.

Tubercles: Bits that stick out from cacti and have areoles on the tips.

 

 

 

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