Pyrrhic victory?!

[ralphrmartin]

I have this plant as Pyrrhocactus umadeave fma. JB64, but as Pyrrhocactus umadeave is pretty much impossible to grow, I am somewhat dubious of the ID. It certainly does not look like a mature Pyrrhocactus umadeave, although appearance can change with age. Does anyone have a better suggestion?

[iann]

Not P. umadeave for sure. Maybe something like E. chilensis. Very variable, but can can look like this and typically flowers about now, or at least soon.

BTW, P. umadeave isn't really difficult to grow., but it is difficult to germinate, quite slow, and doesn't achieve its special appearance if pushed. It also doesn't flower until it is fairly big, so quite a few years looking at a fairly ordinary cactus.

[RayW]

Iann; I am pleased to hear you say it is difficult to germinate, because I have 2 pots of JO 198 and 2 pots of KBA 43 this year in the propagator and so far only one tiny seedling to show for my efforts.

[iann]

Iann; I am pleased to hear you say it is difficult to germinate, because I have 2 pots of JO 198 and 2 pots of KBA 43 this year in the propagator and so far only one tiny seedling to show for my efforts.

Try large temperature swings from day to night. Very large, as in close to freezing at night and 20-25C, possibly as much as 30C, during the day. I don't think it is the only factor, but the only times I've had good germination is when I've been away and the pots have been in an unheated house, but under lights during the day. Under regular conditions I just get the odd sprout, maybe one in ten if I'm lucky. In theory, germinating in the greenhouse in early spring should work, but it hasn't for me.

[ralphrmartin]

Thanks for the tentative ID Ian.

I've tried sowing P. umadaeve seed umpteen times, and nothing has ever come up (despite success with most seed).

[DaveW]

Regarding P. umadeave germination. I had some seeds from Roger Ferryman and got no germination and he got little either when setting even more in the UK. However he was posted to S. Africa for a couple of years and said the same seeds came up easily there. Seemingly it depends on having the right climate and daylength then?

My first thought was your plant was E. chilensis Ralph = the totally red flowered form. Flower colour tends to vary along its range but in some places a mixture of colours can occur from yellowish white to red. Spines whilst commonly yellowish can be dark also.

A Roger Ferryman photo (by permission)

One I took in habitat towards the red flowered end of the range.

[iann]

If Roger says (probably) E. chilensis, I think it can go on the label

Young-ish E. umadeave in cultivation have relatively few and strong spines, but not the appearance of mature habitat plants. One day I hope to have a spectacular spiny ball, and maybe even a flower.

[Mal H]

Posted pic of these as youngsters in the 2018 thread on umadeave germination. viewtopic.php?p=268208#p268208
Potting up would help them look more interesting....

[ralphrmartin]

You could make a lot of new friends, with that many!