Ralph is correct that as it stands the top part says ".... king", which doesn't make much sense. My wife suggests that the second character has lost the small stroke to the right that would have made it say "jade" instead, and that the complete top phrase is probably "beauti...

A good looking plant, even without flowers - and would be made even better by Phil's suggested surgery.

Well, I don't grow these particular species, but I suspect that they will be pretty robust, fast growing ones given plenty of space and water, though I guess that being variegates may slow them down a little. They may not be that cold-tolerant, but other than that I doubt that they will be easy to k...

My Dioscorea elephantipes looks like it is just starting to die back after a long period of growth. It doesn't care about seasons - just does what it wants to whenever it feels like it!

Looks like a Rebutia (or whatever they are called now) of some sort. But it looks a bit bloated /stretched - maybe too much feed/water and probably not enough light.

So, mystery solved – one is Aylostera albopectinata and the other is Rebutia albopectinata !

I would also go for a formosa/bruchii form rather than Acanthocalycium violaceum. The latter tends to have a more "shaggy" look, with an overall light uptilt to the spines. The spines on the plant in question seem to neatly radiate outwards. Also, not sure that A. violaceum would get to 30...

The plant I have had in the past also had much shorter and broader leaves, which sounds more like yours Ralph. I say "had in the past" as I have tried to grow this plant twice, as I find it quite attractive. However, for me it has always become plagued with the dreaded "black spots&qu...

The last plant looks like it might be a Peniocereus, but I don't know enough about them to suggest a species name.
What makes me a bit suspicious about the Arrojadoa marylanae is the bluish tinge to the stem, which I don't recall from seeing photos of this plant. Could it be a Pilosocereus instead?

Tony R wrote: ↑Tue Mar 17, 2020 10:58 am How good it is to have Paul, our resident specialist and expert on agaves, active on the Forum.

Not only that but he increases our knowledge of the English language - I just had to look up "asperous" in the dictionary!