A few Epithelantha & some ID needed plz

[Tina]

This is a very old plant of epithelantha micromeris pachyrhiza from a very mature collection, I've had these for 2 years now & have finally got around to some repotting but the labels are missing on a few of them so some help please.
These 3 are labeled
epithelantha pachyrhiza

epithelantha micromeris unqispinus

epithelantha micromeris bokei

Lost label plants

Yellow- smaller plant, I wondered if it was ruficeps

This one -no label


Before the repot, the pots were disintegrating

[MatDz]

Not helpful at all, but what a lovely score! Especially this clumping E. micromeris unqispinus (I would be tempted to chop the main head off just to make it more coherent visually, but please don't do that!) and the fluffy no-ID one at the end.

[TomInTucson]

I too have a considerable amount of trouble of distinguishing the species (and their variable subtle characters) in this genus. My advice, FWIW, would be to read this small book:

[Herts Mike]

Amazing plants.

[Tina]

Thanks all, I have found my ariocarpus etc book which has quite a good section on them, shame its mostly habitat picts as compared to cultivated plants they are very different.
Did I show this little & large comparison.
I'm going to have to get rid of some ariocarpus now, as I want a 'white spined section' now I have realised how nice these are.

[Tina]

Mat,
I couldn't cut the epithelantha pachyrhiza especially the main head, its 15cm tall and quite chunky, with the crest its also a good plant for a show.
Alice van den bonn said these often 'go crested when the get old'.

[MatDz]

Mat,
I couldn't cut the epithelantha pachyrhiza especially the main head, its 15cm tall and quite chunky, with the crest its also a good plant for a show.
Alice van den bonn said these often 'go crested when the get old'.

It absolutely is a lovely plant, just triggers my mild OCD with that one odd head in the middle, same as the second one, E. micromeris subs. unguispina

[Tony R]

Nice!
Certainly worth taking a few offsets off the edges of several of them to root down, to maintain the clone, just in case!

[Tina]

Certainly worth taking a few offsets off the edges of several of them to root down

I did that 2 years ago & in the winter the mice took them all, never to be seen again.
I did ask a friend re - ID and his main thought was 'cuttings' .
I think No2 could loose a few especially as it is a nice looking plant but I'm in semi hibernation until it warms up again .

[Ali Baba]

I did that 2 years ago & in the winter the mice took them all, never to be seen again.
I did ask a friend re - ID and his main thought was 'cuttings' .
I think No2 could loose a few especially as it is a nice looking plant but I'm in semi hibernation until it warms up again .

Mice do seem to like Epithelantha especially the seed pods in my greenhouse at least. The sudden disappearance of fruit on the Epithelantha is a sure sign that I have mice in the greenhouse.

I have a crested bokei which appeared in a bunch of seedlings. It’s rather ugly and I keep meaning to compost it, but it shows that not just old Epithelantha develop crested growth.