A camouflaged cuckoo

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iann
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A camouflaged cuckoo

Post by iann »

One of these things is not like the others. In this pot of Lithops salicola 'Sato's Violet', there appears to be a different red mutant. Pesky things, Lithops seeds, they get everywhere.
bacchus-0526.jpg
Cheshire, UK
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rodsmith
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Re: A camouflaged cuckoo

Post by rodsmith »

From Mars, perhaps? :wink:
Rod Smith

Growing a mixed collection of cacti & other succulents; mainly smaller species with a current emphasis on lithops & conophytum.
Terry S.

Re: A camouflaged cuckoo

Post by Terry S. »

I guess it's 'Red Olive'?
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iann
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Re: A camouflaged cuckoo

Post by iann »

Terry S. wrote:I guess it's 'Red Olive'?
Certainly looks that way.
Cheshire, UK
rthr
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Re: A camouflaged cuckoo

Post by rthr »

Hi Ian. I've seen the odd red 'violet' before and it's possible your mutant lies at the extreme end of the colour range for this salicola cultivar. Crossing 'Bacchus' with 'Malachite' can also produce a number of vibrant reds, but they're usually small weaklings and need more coddling if they're to survive to adulthood. I find that unlike 'Bacchus', whose epidermis is infused with the purple pigment all over (including skin shielded by the old leaf sheath), 'Red Olive' tends to be more photoreactive and typically has green sides until they're exposed to light.
Catherine
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iann
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Re: A camouflaged cuckoo

Post by iann »

Hi Catherine, I probably also assumed it was just a particularly red 'Bacchus' until this week. Up close though there isn't really any confusing the two species.

I had a poke about in the top dressing but couldn't see any strong differences between the non-tanned bottoms of each cultivar, which were paler but not exactly bright green. That's just what I could get to easily without digging everything up.
Cheshire, UK
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