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mutant

Stenocactus thread

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This not so well known genus is one of my faves and it might be The fave if I did not deslike the #1 fave attitude, since I love so many kinds of plants in different wayz. lol

They used to call them Echinofossulatus, but I think this name sucks

'Stenocactus' means 'narrow cactus' and indeed Stenocacti have characteristic narrow and wavy ribs, some times over 50 of them which is pretty unlike other cacti and most of the times this is more or less visible on the cactus surface. This makes them pretty distinguishable as for their genus and if you read up a bit, you will know when you see one.

So Stenocacti deserve to be more well known, as well as having their own thread. Additionally, for the freeks that tend to crowd fora like this, a trivia info / tip, is that given the flower shape and slow, spherical at first, elongated later body shape, there is a small possibility they might be able to cross with some turbinicapri with similar flower shapes.

http://postimage.org/'>P1090303.jpg

http://postimage.org/'>P1090297.jpg

http://postimage.org/'>P1090322.jpg

http://postimage.org/image/kadmp0xhb/'>P1090320.jpg

Stenocacti are known to have hybridised widely in cultivation, probably in nature too, and often, if not almost always is its difficult to tell different species. The Sagittarius in me always saw this as more of a positive thing, rather than a bad thing.

Because if you can spot un-named stenocacti cheap, you needn't buy them at 3 times the price as named stenocacti that 70% of the times will be the wrong phenotype from what you expected anywayz. But its more than this.

This is genus is indeed varied but sometimes you got a plant that fits a species, well pretty much, like S. lamellosus family, [grows faster, tend to be more elongated than spherical early on, has awesome and pretty biggy carmine coloured flower , distinct from other white purple striped ones . S. multicostatus is also sought after as it has the largest number of ribs, and prettey sparce and relatively weak spination reaveling its ribs- often some the most handsome Stenocacti, irregardless the flowers, are those that the body surface ribs, so characteristic in the genus are prominent by the lack of spination or their sheer number alone [multicostatus is reported to have upt o120 ribs!]

So the multicostatus gene is perhaps seen in specimens with sparce spination and large number of ribs. If you ask me, get those specimens and make plants from their seeds. It might be the key species to the genus beauty.

Moreover, if you you like the taxonomy and identification game, Stenocacti offer a wide range of characteristics, always maintaining the spherical shape and flower shape and style - the strip in the petals, which is common to some turbinis btw. What is interesting is that , like with turbinicarpus, there are some species that produce smaller flowers. Also some have so dense spination and/or fluffy areoles that the body is hidden.

other varied characteristics include awesome variety of spines: from transparent radials to blackish, to yellowish, some times softer, almost papery, other times hard and solid, wide and - blade like most of the times , but with a variety of peripheral or more needle like , sometimes they are pretty long, in general a very pretty genus phenotype.

They got beautiful flowers too - and they often flower twice a year! [ like Turbinicarpi]

what more could a cactus lover expect from a tiny plant?

- well you understand why indeed its a valid question to woner if they indeed hybridise with Turbs. Especially when they hybridise so well in species level themselves, which actually makes them wonderful to experiment with alone.

Cheers

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Mutant you got me onto adding these to my collection after seeing photos of yours flowering.

I still haven't got mine dialed in yet I am wondering if I am using a mix that is two open/free draining. I am giving them a lot more water now and they seem a bit happier.

I am having the same issues with my Gymo's. I think I have gone a bit to far with these as well and I think a lot of them are actually thirsty all of the time. Once I get them into my greenhouse I might re pot them all into a bit richer mix and see how they go.

Cheers

Got

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Yep Stenos are happy to be watered generously when they are at their most active [heck, even lophophoras and arios like that too!], even at the end of the season Stenos seem to like their soil not to dry a lot, but water needs to be cut eventually - should know, I have killed several stenos AND gymnos by letting wet in late automn early winter.

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More flowers. Stenocacti, along with the Turbinis and some Mammis are the first ones to flower in the begining of the growing season, announcing the begining of spring here!!

P1090304.jpg

I consider this and others in next photo phenotype cf crispatus till I get a better clue, or even zacatecasensis [?] but you dont really know, maybe they should get bigger? I also got a supposedly true zacatecasensis, the bigger one the following photo

P1090596.jpg

next on , is again one I am pretty sure its right as Stenocactus lammelosus. All the species charcteristics are there. df

P1090581.jpg

P1090478.jpg

while the following one, seems to be more like a multicostatus-oid, well not one with 120 ribs, but it seems nicely close to the described phenotype.

P1090582.jpg

Especially pretty is this last one, that besides the curly and long softish blade spines, its got narrow petals in the flowers and , is it my impression, but the petals curl themselves too?

P1090577.jpg

cheers

Edited by mutant
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Okey, this is definately a multicostatus.. Now who's gonna count the ribs? :P

P1120852.jpg

Edited by mutant
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My stenocacti

post-12824-0-11546500-1419285653_thumb.j post-12824-0-90647400-1419285676_thumb.j

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post-12824-0-90647400-1419285676_thumb.jpg

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Stenocactus lamellosus

P1130145.jpg

P1130158.jpg

P1130230.jpg

P1130166.jpg

P1130156.jpg

P1130146.jpg

^^^^

love it when this happens

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post-9913-0-25862300-1429573949_thumb.jppost-9913-0-68199600-1429574008_thumb.jp

 

post-9913-0-25862300-1429573949_thumb.jpg

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love these guys I have been collecting alot of them recently
I'll stick some pics up of my stenocacti when I get home I didn't know there was a thread on these :)

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Cursive , with some luck you might see purple flowers in that one, could be a lamellosus..

Myco, please do share pics of Stenos!

Edited by mutant
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Oooh good to know! I think it does from memory. I didn't pay it much attention (for some unknown reason) when it was in flower.

Are they self-fertile/same species fertile?

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no they 're not self-fertile, but they hybridise freely if you have 2 or more.

btw, when in flower, they need to be placed in the sunniest spot available, so as to fully open its flowers

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Thanks man! :)

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P1130296.jpg P1130297.jpg P1130299.jpg

P1130303.jpg P1130304.jpg

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P1130330.jpg P1130333.jpg P1130334.jpg

for all we know, the middle one, seems like a true lamellosus, while the left one seems like what could be a lamellosus hybrid, encorporating the stripe in the petals, but not loose the purplishness of the flower

Edited by mutant

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finally got a chance to get some pics from my collection :)

little clump

DSC_7123_zpskkp35dfx.jpg

The big mumma :P

DSC_7116_zpsyjxbupax.jpg

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variegated

DSC_7126_zpszrjiqkdt.jpg

crest

DSC_7130_zpsolamumo9.jpg

and the rest of my little collection

DSC_7128_zps4ejj5ewc.jpg

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wow a clumper, never seen one... few species can do that.

awesome specimens

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Thanks Mutant, :)

Yeh I had never seen any clumpers before I got those 2
the big one is huge to i'd never even seen a single one as big as the main head
even with the good old lighter for scale the photos really dont do it justice its big haha :P

Edited by myco
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Came outside to find these little beauties this morning!..
post-11385-0-27615000-1439169587_thumb.j
post-11385-0-00894400-1439169637_thumb.j
post-11385-0-29509600-1439169677_thumb.j
The plant came labeled just as stenocactus.
I was hoping you might be able to id the species mutant?

Edit: after looking into it seems to be a multicostatus.

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post-11385-0-00894400-1439169637_thumb.jpg

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Edited by Psyentist
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well according to some book I am inclined to trust, which describes several species of Stenos, Stenos in horticulture are hybridised...

you species looks like some specimens I have grown and I would place them in the status of Stenocactus cf crispatus...

most of the times you need to grow out the specimen more, then be able to describe or try to, yr specimen

its definately not multicostatus, it needs certain flowers and more than a lot ribs !

I should scan and share those notes at some time, an english book from a UK expert

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you can pride on the fact you got a steno with little spines so the body shows and its a beauty in that way!

the most astonishing factor IMO with the bofdy pheno of stenos is when you realise how many actual ribs its got... the less/ sparcer the spination, the most evident the body is... but then again, stenos have got such an array of beautiful , different spines!

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maybe crispatus X lammelosus, really this could even be a f7 cross with multiple species as contributors...

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Thanks Mutant!

I wasn't sure of the id, that was just from comparing a few pictures on the web.

Seems to be quite a confusing genus, stunningly confusing though.

The other I thought it close to was Stenocactus wippermannii.

But it doesn't really matter, all I know is I've a lovely little cacti.

Thanks for the reply mate.

All the best!

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http://www.cactus-art.biz/schede/ECHINOFOSSULOCACTUS/Echinofossulocactus_wippermannii/Echinofossulocactus_wippermannii/Echinofossulocactus_wippermannii.htm

it seems wippermanii is synonym with crispatus ;)

cactus art seems to have fucked up the names though, as it also feats non S.lamellosus specimens as also synonyms with crispatus..

I had bought some specimens of cactus art which were mislabeled too...

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