Cleistocactus tarijensis/baumannii.    7/1/21
Graham Charles, the English cactus expert, pointed out to me some years ago that the two "species" appear to be just variation in one species. Baumannii has darker spines and identical flowers. The flowers of this genus don't open very widely, hence the name. "Kleisto" is Greek for "closed." (I actually got to use this fact once when we went to a Greek restaurant. There was a note on the door: "κλειστό" (= closed). The Greek alphabet is not a mystery to us science types.) The flowers, which are continuous from spring to fall, are hummingbird pollinated. If I want to see a hummingbird, I pull up a chair nearby and wait for a bit. You can get real close - less than 3' (1 m) - to the hummingbird. The things are fearless.   (020/112)   

<<Prev       Index       Next>>