Anyone have an interest in O. polyacatha?

Hi Mark, That plant is in the hardy cactus garden at Smith College. Most of the plants there do amazing and flower well. Its built right up against a brick wall of the greenhouse facing South baking in the sun all day. I didn't say anything to them but close to half the cactus there are improperly named. I love their garden though and have many pictures, would make a good thread of its own.

I surely will be posting pictures of my plants though they don't like much right now  ;D

Here's one of my favorite O. polyacantha varieties. It's var. schweriniana, likely not an 'official' variety but it fits for me. Basically miniature clones of polyacantha that grow in higher elevations. For those with small garden these work out well.

This one hasn't flowered yet, fingers crossed for this year. I do not really know but can't see why they shouldn't bloom as well as any full sized polyacantha just that the blooms will be small like the pads. Any polyacantha flower color is possible and I'm in for a surprise if/when my does.

This strange thing is occurring with one of my polyacantha x fragilis plants. What clearly looked to be a new pad is now all the sudden getting a flower bud crown on top! The smaller flower bud on the right is normal in size, the bud/pad is kinda wacky. What will it do?

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I've seen things like that before.  They can get wierd, I have seen flowers after they bloom go into odd shaped pads.

Very cool, thanks for sharing. :)

John, it was worth the wait! Emmons County polyacantha in Connecticut

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What a beauty, slightly frilled double layer of petals with creamy white edges transitioning to a slightly deepened yellow all topped off with nice bunch of ruby red filaments!!

Weiser wrote:

By the way that is the best photo of it I have ever seen! Simply Stunning!! Excellent Work Andy!!!

Thanks for the compliment but I can do better  ;D The lighting was nearly ideal as it was cloudy (a little too cloudy) but the backround is much too white which takes away from the flower. A few more buds to go so I'll keep trying.

John,I think I have a O. macrocentra O. polyacatha cross.  I thought it was a O. macrocentra, but now I now it to be a cross, has nice pink/rose flowers.  I will try and post some pics soon. :)

Here are the two before they flowerd, see the dark spines, these are both found where I had two O.macrocentra plantd before they froze.

And the other

Weiser wrote:

The dark long spines do show signs that macrocentra was involved and the even covering of spines across the pads shows the Polyacantha connection. These illegitimate offspring of inter-species cross pollination are not bad looking plants. Do you see more purple hues on the pads in cool weather?

It will be interesting to see which parent influences the flowers.

Looks like most of their trates are from the pollen donner connection, I have read this is true for most cross?

I see more purple but not much.

I will try and find pics of the plants before they died.

Here is some pics of the two in flower.
http://unkowndestination.blogspot.com/2012/06/hybrid-pricklypear-and-other-flowers.html

I guess i forgot to post a follow up picture of that weird bud/pad I posted about one year ago. Well here it is

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After the flower wilted it stayed around as a regular pad.

Very cool. :)