It was an Echinopsis before it was an Acanthocalycium. And a Lobivia before both

The spination reminds me a little of Lobivia aurea, I guess there are a few with these very heavy spines but its not the look that springs to mind when you think of these genera.

These were sown January 2006.

It may already be dead. I soap-bathed the plants when I got them and I just sprayed with insecticide. They'll get Provado'd as soon as they have settled into their new pots.

I wouldn't normally use green and tenuissima in the same sentence. Except I just did! Its variable but not usually green. Black, brown, just maybe very very dark green, but who knows, maybe yours were grown in a cupboard, maybe they are very young. Photo as always has a much better chance of an ID. ...

We have old saying in home country: "beware of gifts bearing strangers".
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How are the Avonia babies coming along?

Astrophytum asterias seedlings, one gaining more flecks as it matures, one going nearly nude.
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You can't see so well with the flowers wide open but the outer petals have distinct red tips.
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Overcast but surprisingly warm and humid today. This Copiapoa from Bob must think it is back home. I had C. montana in my head for some reason but the label says C. marginata.
[attachment 5525 marginata1.jpg]

That would probably be a second flush of flowers, David. Over virtually the whole of the range of M. tetrancistra (I'm not sure about Sonora in Mexico but probably there too) winter is the rainy season (usually light rain just a few days a month, but very variable from year to year), April to July i...