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Escobaria vivipara buxbaum |
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Written by bruno
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Thursday, 04 June 2009 |
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Escobaria vivipara keeps puzzling botanists because of its green fruits and its big flowers (right), so different from those of the other Escobaria.
It has long been considered a Coryphantha until Buxbaum, in 1951, placed it in Escobaria based on accurate studies of the morphology of the flower and the seed.
Its complex is composed by globose small stemmed plants often cespitose, ranging on a extremely wide area, from North Mexico to Canada.
Different forms of Escobaria vivipara have been collected in different habitats, from typical desert to high mounta in, where it can survive temperatures of 20 degrees below zero.
Several varieties or subspecies have been introduced over time, among which E. vivipara var. radiosa Hunt (picture left), E. vivipara v. neomexicana Buxbaum, E. vivipara var. arizonica Hunt, E. vivipara var. rosea Hunt ed E. vivipara var. bisbeana Hunt.
It is quite clear that inter-specific relationships need further clarification, in the meantime growers can enjoy the delicate beauty of the spines, better if together with its magnificent pink purple flower, spreading as much as 6 cm in diameter.
Alas they are not that easy to grow....
See all pictures in the new gallery Escobaria
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Last Updated ( Saturday, 07 November 2009 )
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