Having passed the autumnal equinox I hadn’t expected any more flowers from my lophs – nevertheless two of them decided to bloom this week, one for the first time.
Lophophora williamsii (SB 854; Starr Co, Tx) flower
My grafted Lophophora williamsii (SB 854; Starr Co, Tx) has been flowering abundantly all summer. Several fruits have already ripened and more are budding; still the plant took the opportunity to squeeze in yet another flower before going dormant. The flowers of this plant are quite large, approximately 2.75cm (~1.1'') in diameter.
Lophophora williamsii var. caespitosa flower
The Lophophora williamsii var. caespitosa graft has been growing profusely but never felt like flowering before now. The flowers are small, less than 2cm (~0.8'') in diameter, compared to those of L. williamsii (SB 854; Starr Co, Tx), and the midstripes are a slightly darker shade of pink.
Lophophora williamsii var. caespitosa
The scion used for this graft was taken from the plant shown in the blog profile. Unfortunately this plant later caught rot and died.
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1 day ago
My 15-year old Lophophora seems to be putting out its first flower - at least I think I see a bud in the making. I have no idea what triggered the blooming. Do Lophophoras bloom when they reach a certain age, or do they need a trigger, like a colder season?
ReplyDeleteI think the primary factor is age. In my experience the plants will continue to flower quite freely, once started.
ReplyDeleteFrom November through February my plants are kept completely dormant by withholding water (they live all year long in my living room, so the temperature doesn't fluctuate much). In the growing season they are watered quite often and fertilized once in a while, i.e. the plants are grown like most other cacti. So I can't think of any other special triggering factors.
My plant has now put out two flowers, one of which is visible in my blog.
ReplyDeleteThe flower looks different from the one on this post. It has darker petals with a stripe running through its length. The pistil too looks different. All in all, the flower looks quite similar to your pictures of the L. williamsii var. jourdiana flower.
Yes, the flowers can be quite variable. Do you by any chance have locality information for your plant?
ReplyDeleteI'm afraid not. This plant was grown from seeds that I purchased from a Swedish company called SuccSeed. They did not have locality information in the catalogue at that point, but they do have it now, at least for some Lophophora seeds they sell.
ReplyDeleteHow soon after your loph flowers can you expect a fruit? I have one Clumping Caesipitosa graft that has just finished flowering for the first time since i got it. I'm hoping to get a fruit from it.
ReplyDeleteIf the plant is in good growth you can expect flowers pollinated early in the growing season to set fruit later the same year. It is an interesting question though, exactly how long does it take from flower to fruit - I'll mark up some of my newly pollinated flowers and see if I can procure some more accurate information.
ReplyDeleteI just posted a more precise answer to the question “How soon after your Lophophora flowers can you expect a fruit?”
ReplyDelete