I recently had a holiday in Argentina, not a plant hunting trip but we did see some cacti while we were there.
Near Iruya (pronounced Irooja) in northern Salta we found a few clumps of Blossfeldias on cliffs near the town in two different localities. These were at head height and presumably there were many more clumps at different heights. The plants in the photos were c.2km out of town on the road to Humahuaca. In the first photo you can see some tiny seedlings nestled in the moss. Everything was absolutely bone dry but once there is some rain the moss should stay moist for quite some time allowing the seedlings to get a toe hold on the cliffs.
I enjoy growing the 'slow growing' cacti from seed, I think I'll try some Blossfeldias sown in some moss this year.
BCSS no.33806
Turbinicarpus, Lophophora, Ariocarpus, Lobivia and Gymnocalycium
Tony Roberts
Treasurer, Haworthia Society
Chairman, Tephrocactus Study Group
Moderator, BCSS Forum
Kent
(Gasteria, Mammillaria, small Opuntia, Cleistocactus and Sempervivum are my current special interests)
Great photos! It's always interesting to see seedlings in habitat. Its so rare to see habitat photos of that stage, yet for a lot of species it's a stage we're often more familiar with than the grand old plants often shown in books.
Thanks Nick, it's a lot more arid than I had imagined. I like the first pic where you can see how the body of the cactus had expanded into the moss, whereas now it's dry it's almost completely flattened!
A little update, here are my Blossfeldia seedlings from this year's sowings. I'm pleased with them. They are no different from Aztekium or Strombocactus in speed of growth. I'll leave them in the bag for as long as I can. I didn't sow them in moss as it turned out, didn't have any to hand at the time
BCSS no.33806
Turbinicarpus, Lophophora, Ariocarpus, Lobivia and Gymnocalycium
