🌸 Desert.plants.passion / Neoporteria odieri

If I had an opportunity to walk through the the Atacama desert, that place where only a lone wolf lives, I suppose I would not even notice this beautiful plant, so small, almost always drawn into the ground.
To grow it in a pot and watch its beauty whenever I want is a real pleasure.
Neoporteria is one of my favorite genus of existing plants. Well, today's accepted name is Eriosyce but I suppose I just like word Neoporteria more, so I gave myself the freedom to use its older name.
If we separate plants, that are today joined together in genus Eriosyce, in one of those older ways, there would be four groups of plants: Thelocephala, Horridocactus, Neoporteria and Eriosyce.
I have to mention that it is good to know something about history of taxonomy of plants that we care for, because that allows us to understand them better.
SO, this plant would be in a Thelocephala group, where all plants are dwarf balls, mostly with short spines, interesting body colors (bluish, dark brown…) and with tap roots.
Tap - roots - plants are particularly sensitive to over-watering and water-logging, and that is the reason why I plant them in a clay pot. It is better to forget to water them than to give them water too often. Many growers graft them to avoid those is-the-soil-completely-dry? – should-I-water-it-or-not problems.

When I ordered this one I received it grafted. ☹ It was not highlighted on the list of plants, otherwise I wouldn’t order it. But I was patient and waited few years, and when it reached size of mature plant, I cut it of and hoped it will develop own roots successfully.
And it did.
😊
This year it flowered for the first time and gave me two seed pods! Wonderful !
I assumed it has developed the roots strong enough and I have repot it in a deeper clay pot. Now it is an equal member of my Neoporteria collection group.
Hope the seed will be fertile. We’ll see next spring.

Thank you for your attention!

Some of my other cacti & other succulents stories:

The Three Graces
OffshootBirth
How do I get so many seeds?! / Astrophytum myriostigma
Genus Rebutia
African Stars / First stapeliads flowers this spring

If you are interested in reading about desert plants from my own growing experience fell free to follow and enjoy!

@andrijana

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ewkaw (70) · 6 years ago

Pretty, silky flowers. But the body is just awesome! I like when the have the spines this way :) So nice..

Good luck with the seeds!

$0.00

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andrijana (51) · 6 years ago

I like those spineless or spines that are not harmful, too.

Yeaa...
You know those little opuntia with spines like fur? I didn't know what evil b** it is and I petted it once :p

I do not have them anymore. My place is forbidden to them! That are the most worst plants ever existing. Very human unfriendly. The wind likes to blow their small spines too. So unpleasant.....

I had one when I was in primary school. I got it cause it was cute. Lesson learned. Never again!

ludmila.kyriakou (64) · 6 years ago

Very unusual and beautiful cactus!
Is the flower fragrant?
Further successes!

Thank you :)
No, this one is not fragrant.

But still beautiful!

nikv (71) · 6 years ago

I always thought that grafted cacti couldn't survive if removed. That's interesting.

Only those without chlorophyll can't survive on their own.

This seems like it has chlorophyll, why would it have been grafted?

It is easier to grow it if it is grafted and it will grow faster, so it can be sold much earlier than it would be, if it is grown on its own roots.