First Frailea flower open this year

[ragamala]

[el48tel]

First of many?
Will we see the progress?

[ragamala]

A shame my camera missed this earlier when it was more fully open. I am not holding my breath, re the next...

[Keith H]

Fcataphracta.jpg

Wow, thanks for posting. One day perhaps I will see some of mine open their flowers, what is the secret?

[ragamala]

Fcataphracta.jpg

Wow, thanks for posting. One day perhaps I will see some of mine open their flowers, what is the secret?

Being lucky! I'm no expert, only just returned to growing Fraileas after a 20 year absence, and of course all my old plants had died, along with my memory of their flowering habit. My first impulse was to repeat the normal suggestion that temperatures and high sunlight were the key to flowering, and stress how wonderfully clear the light is here on the Fylde coast, but in this case the plant is under (Coolglass) shading, and in a coldframe with very open ventilation.

However, the plant did experience high heat levels (too much for some of my seedlings ) earlier in the year when the coldframe was not opened and not shaded. I am wondering whether an exposure to high temperature and sunlight earlier than the actual flowering date is a help. Global warming may tell.

Machado says

"Fraileas don't often open their flowers, but you stand the best chance of seeing them with their gorgeous, golden flowers open in the heat of high summer, after a watering early in the day so that the humid­ity is high, and even better if the weather itself is thundery and sultry. "

( http://frailea.com/Articles/CactusWorld25_1.htm , and see also http://frailea.com/Articles/CactusWorld25_2.htm )

I must say that s few days ago the weather fit this suggestion.

[Keith H]

Fcataphracta.jpg

Wow, thanks for posting. One day perhaps I will see some of mine open their flowers, what is the secret?

Being lucky! I'm no expert, only just returned to growing Fraileas after a 20 year absence, and of course all my old plants had died, along with my memory of their flowering habit. My first impulse was to repeat the normal suggestion that temperatures and high sunlight were the key to flowering, and stress how wonderfully clear the light is here on the Fylde coast, but in this case the plant is under (Coolglass) shading, and in a coldframe with very open ventilation.

However, the plant did experience high heat levels (too much for some of my seedlings ) earlier in the year when the coldframe was not opened and not shaded. I am wondering whether an exposure to high temperature and sunlight earlier than the actual flowering date is a help. Global warming may tell.

Machado says

"Fraileas don't often open their flowers, but you stand the best chance of seeing them with their gorgeous, golden flowers open in the heat of high summer, after a watering early in the day so that the humid­ity is high, and even better if the weather itself is thundery and sultry. "

( http://frailea.com/Articles/CactusWorld25_1.htm , and see also http://frailea.com/Articles/CactusWorld25_2.htm )

I must say that s few days ago the weather fit this suggestion.

Thank you.
Off to live on the high shelf with the Arios me thinks.

[Terry S.]

If you watch the development of flowers on fraileas, you will see that most of them never develop proper petals. They are producing cleistogamous flowers that have never been destined to open up. Occasionally a proper flower with petals will develop and such flowers will normally open up in a bit of sunshine. So the production or not of a complete flower is determined very early in the development of a bud. Some species, e.g. F. asteroides, are more likely to produce petaloid flowers than others.

[el48tel]

If you watch the development of flowers on fraileas, you will see that most of them never develop proper petals. They are producing cleistogamous flowers that have never been destined to open up. Occasionally a proper flower with petals will develop and such flowers will normally open up in a bit of sunshine. So the production or not of a complete flower is determined very early in the development of a bud. Some species, e.g. F. asteroides, are more likely to produce petaloid flowers than others.

Does that mean that seeds are almost guaranteed from Frailea?

[ragamala]

If you watch the development of flowers on fraileas, you will see that most of them never develop proper petals. They are producing cleistogamous flowers that have never been destined to open up. Occasionally a proper flower with petals will develop and such flowers will normally open up in a bit of sunshine. So the production or not of a complete flower is determined very early in the development of a bud. Some species, e.g. F. asteroides, are more likely to produce petaloid flowers than others.

Yes that corresponds with my recent experience. So would you agree with what I was trying to suggest in rather clumsy fashion that it is conditions at bud development time early in the season - heat/light and/or humidity - that are more likely to trigger flower development or not? If so which conditions are significant in development?

[Terry S.]

ElTel - you will be flooded with Frailea seeds, just one plant needed and no work to do.

Ragamala - yes it has to be something that happens early in the bud's development. However I have no idea what is required to encourage them to produce petaloids and am not aware of any research on the subject. Any takers for a BCSS research grant? I suspect that there is also a genetic component because I think that certain species or individuals are more likely to produce petaloid flowers with the capacity to out-breed.