In 124 pages, the book, in German and English, offers updated information on the genus Austrocactus.
The following ten species are accepted by the authors:
Austrocactus bertinii
Austrocactus colloncurensis
Austrocactus coxii
Austrocactus ferrarii
Austrocactus hibernus
Austrocactus intertextus sensu Spegazzini
Austrocactus longicarpus
Austrocactus philippii
Austrocactus spiniflorus
Austrocactus subandinus
Besides the detailed description of each species, there are 148 pictures (including 23 full-page), 10 distribution maps, 10 figures with pictures of seeds (super-macros in colour by Dr. Detlev Metzing) and an identification table[ key?]. Detlev Metzing contributed the chapter on the seed morphology.
The photos show the plants in habitat but also in the authors' collection and, of course, there are images of landscapes. Two chapters are devoted to the cultivation and propagation of Austrocactus.
The book will be available from 15 September. Contact address: elisabeth@cactus-de-patagonia.de.
The price will be € 12.50 + € 5.00 / shipping. PayPal accepted.
A few days before that date, for visitors to the ELK, it will be possible to buy the book on the stand of Lisi and Norbert.
Having obtained their first book on Patagonian cacti principally for its take on Maihueniopsis and Pterocactus I've become quite taken with Austrocactus in part because of their book (together with some early successes with impulse seed purchases). Self published, it's a great work at an unbeatable price so I would anticipate good things from this new book.
The only downside is that I was planning on buying more seed next winter but increased interest in Austrocactus means it may sell out faster!
Phil Crewe, BCSS 38143. Mostly S. American cacti, esp. Lobivia, Sulcorebutia and little Opuntia
Very good. I've been looking for more info.
I've had several A. intertextus from Succeed come up and are growing quite nicely, but I really don't know what they are, having only a photo of a very fierce looking plant on the Succeed website to go by. With a little search I could only peg them to be a different name for A. coxii.
Thanks for the heads up on the book - now ordered.
I have been trying my hand with this genus. Curious little things. Some grow nicely in my hands but I have not optimised the seedling growth for others yet and I think the baggy method makes some types a bit 'leggy'. These fatten up later leaving a collection of misshapes - maybe I need to take cuttings and restart? I don't have much joy germinating A. bertinii.
The outdoor cacti.
Wirral (Chester and District branch) - Collection mostly South American cacti.
The leggy growth from seed is natural Mal. My early experience with Austrocactus in the 1960's (that came as Austrocactus DVV 1 and 2) were that the long gracilis/spiniflorus types start off thin and leggy and soon flop over onto the soil where they then root down again like strawberry plant runners (or Stenocereus eruca, the "creeping devil") springing up rejuvenated from where they re-rooted. They are best therefore grown in a wide pan where they can flop down onto the soil and re-root. If you don't let them sprawl and root down they never seem to achieve the same vigour if just kept vertical in a small pot.
Yes, apparently some will happily grow under rocks and pop up on the other side. Their juvenile/mature growth patterns is partly why they've been misidentified in the past with plants being named twice.
Phil Crewe, BCSS 38143. Mostly S. American cacti, esp. Lobivia, Sulcorebutia and little Opuntia
Presumably the globular seedling in the left of the trays are colloncurensis, whilst the leggy ones are longicarpus.?
But I have grown from Succseed, with both globular and leggy plants from the same packet.
The globular seedlings I grafted on pereskiopsis, but I have in the past had mostly grafting failures with "Thinner" seedings.
