I have a Soerensia that has flowered for me for the 1st ever time this year and would like to attach a species name to it. It came labelled as 'Soerensia Rausch 129'. Using the Rausch acronyms 'R' and 'WR' Ralphs field number database throws up:
Field number: WR 129
Collector: Walter Rausch
Species: Trichocereus bruchii v. rosarioana
Locality: Famatina to Velasco, La Rioja, Argentina
Altitude: 3000m
Date:
Notes: short stem
Does this sound right? Apologies for the picture quality but the only picture I have of the plant flowering was taken on my phones camera.
looks good for rosarioana - I have one (without a field number) that looks very similar. I bought it precisely, as lobman says, because its a small growing and therefore (hopefully) earlier-flowering Soerhensia. Its not quite as big as yours and hasnt flowered yet - so I am encouraged!
Regards,
Pete
BCSS Macclesfield and East Cheshire
12x8 greenhouse : main interests Echinopsis (incl. Trichocereus, Lobivia etc) hybrids and (because everyone needs a bit of challenge in their lives) Stapeliads!
This one seems longer spined and deeper flower coloured than yours, but may be simply a different clone or collection since no collection number is given.
Peter - my plant is in a 5 inch pot now and was bought in 2004 from a branch meeting. I would imagine that one could reach flowering size much faster than mine has with better care.
Dave - are Soerensias quite thirsty plants? As you can see my plant is prone to marking and I wonder if it is due to a lack of water rather than cold.
Almost all my Soehrensia's are bedded in Mathew so maybe their roots go deep for moisture since at least the top of the centre raised bed dries out quickly being about 2ft deep. I think I have the same plant as yours but it is behind a tall cerei so has not grown at the same pace as the others and is just budding for the first time, but only about 4" across and 2" high (all my other Soehrensia's are around football size, so may have more extensive roots?
I can't recall ever rotting a Soehrensia and usually they will go through our normal winter in a cold greenhouse without marking. I only had one mark slightly this last winter, but I forgot to cover them in the severest weather and it stayed cold for days on end. I think if I had placed a sheet of newspaper over it or fleece it would have been OK though.
I suppose it depends when it marked? in summer it can be sunburn under glass. In winter it is often not just cold but humidity in our climate which a sheet of newspaper over them on very cold nights seems to stop.
DaveW
Nottingham Branch BCSS. Joined the then NCSS in 1961, Membership number 11944. Cactus only collection.
I had my ‘R129’ from Gordon Foster at Oakdene nursery back in about 1988. It was labelled ‘Soehrensia formosa v.rosarioana’
The flowers on mine have rounder petals and the plant has much longer spines. It’s fairly shallow-rooted but seems to enjoy plenty of water during the growing season. It gets repotted every four years or so.
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Interested in hardy cacti, specifically the few that will thrive outside in the UK.