In my December 29 post, I mentioned that my thelocactus macdowellii bloom had not opened fully because there had not been enough sunshine? Well, between then and this latest Arctic blast, we actually had some sun, and it did open.
And then I was tickled to discover that on one of the other specimens in that pot, I have about six more blooms to look forward to. I suspect there are others under this flower, too, but I’ll have to admit I forgot to look.
Thelocactus are native to Central and Northern Mexico and Texas. The macdowellii variety was introduced in the 60s and with its nice white spines and bright green body, you still have a nice-looking plant to enjoy while it matures to about five years old before blooming. However, once it does start blooming, you will discover it is one variety whose blooms last longer than just one day, and that’s a plus.
Thelocactus are grown from seed since they do not produce plantlets. My cluster is simply three seedlings that I did not separate. Being presented with large pink flowers in the greenhouse in the brown month of January will make that five-year wait worth it.
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