Adromischus help please

[Tony R]

That's a lovely cooperi, Kathy. Probably the clone that Stuart Riley would call Burgundy.
Here are some of my clones this morning - not coloured up too much yet this summer as have been grown at floor level in the greenhouse this winter.

Front right is Burgundy which goes completely red or maroon in bright light anf front left is GM099 which goes dark purple almost black in strong light.
A. cooperi may be one of the commonest 'beginners' adros but it is still hard to beat in its many guises.

[wildedges]

A. cooperi may be one of the commonest 'beginners' adros but it is still hard to beat in its many guises.

This was my first one and got me into them.

[KathyM]

It's a classic! It makes me feel nostalgic because it was one of the first plants I owned as a kid and I often planted it in cactus gardens, etc, and gave them as gifts or entered them in flower shows. I like to grow unusual forms of a common species. If going for an unusual species, it might be fiendishly difficult to grow, but getting an unusual form of a species I know well always seems less likely to go horribly wrong.

These are 3 different Adromischus cooperi that can be bought from good old Wilkinsons - the regular one, the all maroon one and an extra spotted one.

Adromischus cooperi forms

I've got a couple of the festivus types too, not from Wilkinsons. These 5 are all the ones I have managed to get so far.

Adromischus cooperi festivus

[KathyM]

That's a lovely cooperi, Kathy. Probably the clone that Stuart Riley would call Burgundy.
Here are some of my clones this morning - not coloured up too much yet this summer as have been grown at floor level in the greenhouse this winter.

Cooperi clones.jpg

Front right is Burgundy which goes completely red or maroon in bright light anf front left is GM099 which goes dark purple almost black in strong light.
A. cooperi may be one of the commonest 'beginners' adros but it is still hard to beat in its many guises.

The GM099 is lovely. I don't suppose I'll find one in Wilkinsons. I wonder if we've got different maroon clones? Yours seems to have a spotty pattern on leaves before they colour up, but mine never has a spotty pattern, and kind of has a gradient from green to red when it isn't fully maroon. It would be interesting to know how many different maroon clones there are.

[wildedges]

These are 3 different Adromischus cooperi that can be bought from good old Wilkinsons - the regular one, the all maroon one and an extra spotted one.

I keep seeing the purple ones being sold on ebay for £3-4 plus postage for a single, unrooted leaf, labelled "Rare species" or whatever. There must be good money in shredding plants from Wilko

[el48tel]

Said it many times ..... I'll say it again about eBay .... caveat emptor

[Apicra]

To start with the original question, the controversial Adro on the left in the first photo has leaves too thick (vertically) to be A. triflorus or one of its mimics, hence my suggestion that it is a hybrid. I don't think KathyM's first plant is the same clone.

Yes, A. cooperi is a lovely species and all the samples make nice plants, although they tend to fall apart before filling larger pots. See: http://adromischus.cactus-mall.com/cooperi.htm. Forms with red unspottted leaves are probably sports that have originated in cultivation and may not be stable.

Perhaps the nicest is a larger form which has been given a cultivar name "Darley Giant" by Brian Fearn:

Adromischus cooperi 'Darley Giant' in 2.75" pot

Best wishes,
Derek Tribble

[wildedges]

Yes, A. cooperi is a lovely species and all the samples make nice plants, although they tend to fall apart before filling larger pots. See: http://adromischus.cactus-mall.com/cooperi.htm. Forms with red unspottted leaves are probably sports that have originated in cultivation and may not be stable.
Best wishes,
Derek Tribble

Are the plants shown in the photos in your link likely to be one plant or a group of plants?

[Apicra]

Hi Wildedges,

In habitat, plants are generally spaced quite far apart, so it is likely that both photos are single plants.

BTW, the second photos of a smaller-leafed plant, is taken at the same place where Gerhard Marx collected GM099 and as shown by Tony. Here is what that same collection can grow like in California, under Steven Hammer's care:

Adromischus cooperi GM099 in CA.

Best wishes,
DT

[KathyM]

That's a magnificent plant, I really love that clone. One day I will acquire some clones that aren't from Wilkinsons. I don't imagine I will ever grow a big specimen and I only have a small greenhouse so small plants do have the advantage that I can fit more in.

I got a free tray of Adromischus plants that have fallen to bits at the Bradford branch meeting last night so I'm excited about having some new leaves, but I don't think anyone else in the branch found a pot of leaves very exciting.

What's likely to happen with all-red clones if they're unstable? Will it be like having, say, a variegated or cristate plant where it sends out normal growth that needs removing?

These are 3 different Adromischus cooperi that can be bought from good old Wilkinsons - the regular one, the all maroon one and an extra spotted one.

I keep seeing the purple ones being sold on ebay for £3-4 plus postage for a single, unrooted leaf, labelled "Rare species" or whatever. There must be good money in shredding plants from Wilko

I don't know if there are multiple red clones and some are particularly choice. It may just be that it's the exact same clone I got. I think I saw Cactus Shop selling maroon-leaved plants for a few pounds at the cactus mart at the weekend, so it might be worth checking their website if you don't spot one. I got mine last summer but I haven't seen them in Wilkinsons recently.

When my first plant started turning maroon I did actually buy another that I've used to take cuttings, but I didn't think of ebaying leaves so looks like I've missed out on £40! I took a picture of them side by side first to show the colour difference, so this shows the boring green leaf colour you have to look out for.