Ortegocactus macdougallii

[Phil Hocking]

The attraction with this cactus is the unusual grey-green body colour more than the flower. It is quite unique I think. I might try one again if I see a good one, but I'm very good at killing them so I tend to pass them by.

Somerset Phil

[iann]

Check out Neolloydia matehualensis, Phil. Very much like an Ortegocactus stretched upwards

[pirex]

I have 2 ortego's for yeeeeeeeaaaaars; they still survive my lack of attention, but never flowered.
Paul

[Phil Hocking]

I've never seen one of those before. I knew there had to be another one, that's why I said 'quite' (as in fairly) unique rather than full on 'unique'! Now I have two to look out for.

Somerset Phil

[David_L]

My seed of This species from Ludwig Bercht, sown last week is just up. Have some time to wait I'm afraid before they will make flowering size! I have one other small plant saved from a lovely flowering clump that succumbed to root mealy.

[Roy]

Hi Pirex,
I too have had one for a long time. Just looking it now it has one aborted flower bud on it.
My friend and I were patting ourselves on the back three or four years ago because we didn't have any of the brown marks on the stems then that winter they both started. That was a little peculiar as they were different ages. Reading the article on them in the journal it would appear that those brown marks occur in habitat and are a natural development.

[attachment 5025 mc.jpg]

[Vic]

Yes Roy no brown marks on mine yet but I presume that's because they're still fairly young plants. I have a four headed plant which flowered really well last year but no signs this year as yet although it's still in the same position high up on a shelf in full sun (when we get any!!), it is producing another offset though but not from the base but from an aerole. I have a seedling which has a flower bud coming through although it's in a less sunny postion. This is one of the few genus/species that I add a small amount of limestone chippings into the potting mix.

[Guest]

I have one, I give it the same treatment as Ariocarpus (limestone chippings in the compost) and it lives on the top shelf.

No flowers though, it is in a 3" pot.

[iann]

Ivor Crook showed some excellent photos of this at a recent talk, with extensive brown marking on all plants. The brown just happened to exactly match the brown colouring of lichen growing on the same rocks while the body colour matched the rocks themselves.

[Vic]

Very interesting Ian! Just checked my plant again and the offset is growing from the axil rather than the aerole, the head it's growing from is a peculiar shape - almost cristate but more so deformed. There is some brown colouration appearing at the base of one head.