Opuntia humifusca (compressa). An untidy grower, but very hardy, lots of flowers and abundant fruits which last all winter.

Mammillaria crinata? Chris43 should know!

Bill G

See also Bill Maddams article on Mammillaria sp. GX919 in the J. Mamm. Soc.49 (2009) no.9 pp 100 - 101. He thinks it's a new variety of M.mammillaris (perhaps a new sp?) from the Canon Chichamocha, Dept Santander.If it's somewhere you can get to please let Bill Maddams know about your trip.

Bill

Hi Chris, Chris and Tony. Basically I'm amazed that any cactus could have survived last winter in a unprotected rockery - the worst winter(I'm told) for 30 years in Provence. Well subzero much of the time with repeated periods of snow, ice and rain. Many of the plants are completely unmarked and loo...

I agree with Roy, avoid carbendazim (which Wikipedia says is now banned in over 50 countries). The benzimidazole group of compounds ( carbendazim is one) tend to be mutagenic.

Bill

Perhaps it is the effect of the very cold winter - but many Opuntias on my Provence rockery are covered with flower buds. Opuntia scheeri is not known as a free-flowering plant but it's smothered in buds!

Ancistrocactus scheeri

Coloradoa mesae-verdae

Pediocactus simpsonii indrianus

Pediocactus knowltonii