BCSS - Forum

I agree with Tony.

Thanks Tony, Mike.
Then T alexanderi is going on the label.
The large one came as T. fiambalensis, by the way.

Coincidentally, I'm seeing Martin tomorrow, so I'll see what he has to say too...

There was some Tephrocactus ‘fiambala’ seed offered by the society a few years back from which I got one to germinate and grow on. It has very large segments with black spines a little like your plant. It’s actually going to flower this year so if I get to see it I’ll post a photo.

Hi Ralph,
Some comments from my good French friend, Thomas Guerry:

Hi Tony,

I agree with you, Ralph's plant is a Tephrocactus alexanderi

T. recurvatus is characterized by curved spines and small segments (even if a few forms of T. alexanderi also have small segments) as you said, but another interesting feature of T. recurvatus is the large contact area between the segments : when making a cutting of recurvatus, it is hard to cut the segments as the diameter of the contact area between two segments is roughly half the diameter (or more) of the segment itself. For T. alexanderi the contact area is far less large, whatever the size of the segments.

It is also very easy to distinguish these two species by seeds because they are very different, but in cultivation it is very difficult to get seeds of T. recurvatus !

Hope this will help,

Thomas
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Tony

label printed.

Please pass on my thanks to Thomas.

Fero - you can stick a label in yours too! Thanks again for such a nice plant!

Ralph

So what did Martin say?

Martin reckoned it was Tephro alexanderi, the form which used to be called
Tephrocactus alexanderi ssp. bruchii