When Caudiciforms Lose Leaves

by | Jan 30, 2025 | Cactus Are Cool

Caudiciforms are plants of the succulent persuasion that store water in their caudex for prolonged periods of dry weather. If you have an adenium, commonly known as a desert rose, then you have one of these plants, sometimes called fat plants because of their...

The Carlsbad Caverns Trip

by | Dec 19, 2024 | Cactus Are Cool

You may have read the previous post about my trip up Guadalupe Peak, “Guadalupe Peak; the Highest Mountain in Texas,” December 15, 2024. My fellow trekkers and I stayed at the Whites City Inn which is conveniently located on the way to Guadalupe Mountains...

Guadalupe Peak: the Highest Mountain in Texas

by | Dec 15, 2024 | Cactus Are Cool

I climbed the highest mountain in Africa in 2007, so I thought it only fitting that I climb the highest mountain in Texas, too. Just like with Mount Kilimanjaro, no one wanted to climb Guadalupe Peak with me, either. I kept putting it off, thinking I would find...

Aloinopsis Aloides is Blooming Now

by | Nov 22, 2024 | Cactus Are Cool

I have had this  Aloinopsis aliodes long enough that it dates back to when I was negligent of keeping good records and dates. So I don’t know how old it really is, but if it goes back far enough that I didn’t write down the date of purchase, well, it must...

A Different Ariocarpus

by | Nov 7, 2024 | Cactus Are Cool

My newest ariocarpus is Ariocarpus fissuratus Godzilla,a new variety most likely from Japan. The Japanese are real fans of ariocarpus and adeniums and have done some amazing things developing new varieties of both. Godzilla is a very green plant with nubby skin on its...

Flowers at Night?

by | Oct 27, 2024 | Cactus Are Cool

I had been watching my Ariocarpus bravoanus for several days anxiously waiting for it to bloom. Then on Tuesday (October 22), there it was! You can see some of the plant in this picture. The next day the Ariocarpus agavoides next to the bravoanus also opened. You have...