Mystery Selenicereus

[Mr. Bowser]

So, I got these pencil thin cuttings from "Bob Smoley's Garden World" labeled as "Selenicereus Hamatus".

There are a few problems with this identification:

1) S. Hamatus is supposed to be around 2 cm thick, the cuttings I got were pencil thin, which is probably due to cutting from a sickly mother plant

2) S. Hamatus is supposed to have conical tuberles between the areoles the cuttings I got have no tubercles, which also may be due to cutting from a sickly mother plant.

3) S. Hamatus is supposed to have 4 ribs, the cuttings I got have 6 each

So what type of Selenicereus did I really receive?

Can it even be identified in such a miserable condition?

Should I post a comparison of the cuttings I got next to Mutant's awesome TRUE Selenicereus Hamatus in the 'bitches and gripes' forum?

[Mr. Bowser]

What Selenicereus Hamatus really looks like

[Evil Genius]

Its possible its Selenicereus grandiflorus but i am hardly educated about all the Selenicereus. There are quite a lot of them, including hybrids.

[Mr. Bowser]

Thanks EG, looks like it could be grandiflorus or hybrid. I'm guessing it might be easier to id after its grown a bit fatter/healthier. Maybe graft a few sections to pereskiopsis or pereskia to give it a jump start

[GoOnThen]

I looks like what I have which I think is grandiflorus

I thought this would be quite easy to propagate but I haven't yet got it dialed in. I have them in a shaded area at the moment and they seem to be improving. I have also had some pieces under lights with my other grafts and they just are not doing any thing other than going red on there tips.

This is the best pic I can find of mine it probably doesn't help much but after I went trawling through all of my photos I was going to post something

Cheers

Got

[Mr. Bowser]

Thanks for sharing the photo, looks like the S. grandiflorus in the middle of the shot, and S. anthonyanus on the right? Nice grafts btw!

I put them in coco coir / grit mix with some filtered light to root. Considering your experience I'll probably give them some more shade! Hopefully they like their new home

Thats an awesome shelving unit thing, I'd really like one for my place!

[Jox]

Don't worry just yet Mr B,

I have just collected some cutting of S. hamatus & there a very good chance you have this spp. The mother plant I collected from was huge, most of the plant looked just like it should, fitted the description perfectly.....hooks, noobs, ribs etc. The new growth coming from the bigger, older pieces did vary a little but you can still key it out as S.hamatus, but some of the new growth coming from the main stem or from clumps of aerial roots look like brand new baby plants & they look very different from the adults (very similar to yours).

Edited November 21, 2012 by Jox

[GoOnThen]

Thanks for sharing the photo, looks like the S. grandiflorus in the middle of the shot, and S. anthonyanus on the right? Nice grafts btw!

I put them in coco coir / grit mix with some filtered light to root. Considering your experience I'll probably give them some more shade! Hopefully they like their new home

Thats an awesome shelving unit thing, I'd really like one for my place!

 

Sorry Bowser I missed your reply.

I just looked at my photo again and I didn't realize how small it was it really cant have helped much at all.

Mine have actually started to take off now and the one under lights are really putting on some growth that you can see daily. I thinks it has something to do with root mass but most of all I would say its the daytime temperature and they have had some regular fertz recently as well.

The tiered stand is great for small pots but it is overflowing now so I will have to get my apprentice to make me another one

Jox that is what I saw in your first photos that you put up. I thought there was a grandiflorus growing on the tree as well. It is interesting that some of the new growth shows different characteristics to the rest of the plant.

Cheers

Got

[Mr. Bowser]

Thanks for posting the pics Jox! That thin new growth looks exactly like the little cuttings I got. Guess its kinda like how baby looking growth in trichos looks pretty similar across the genus.

I'll have to wait until they are rooted with healthy growth before making a proper ID!