Adding photo to facilitate ID

Adding photo to facilitate ID - Thank you.

Hi, Greg! I'm in New York City.

Thank you - These are just some cuttings people have given me, which is why I don't know their names. I love succulents and have about 30 varieties (mostly cacti) - Nothing big because I live in an apartment; just a little of this and a little of that.

This post was edited by LatinLady on Fri, Apr 25, 14 at 23:33

From you 1st pic:
Front row, the middle one, Opuntia subulata?
2nd row: Chamaecereus silvestrii, aka Echinopsis chamaecereus, and other names. Opuntia microdasys in the middle, and on the right, Gymnocalycium mihanovichii friedrichii. This last one, you can call G. mih..., or G. fried.... Some people use one name for the pink flowered ones and the other name for the green flowered ones. The color on the body of the plants can vary from dark green to bright red to a combination, which gave rise to another common name, the Plaid Cactus.

Don't stake your reputation or bet the farm on any cactus Latin binomial (Echinopsis chamaecereus, for instance). They change with new information, and are accepted or rejected on whims it seems. If you obsess with the "correct" name for your plants, you will become combative, insecure and worried. The plants won't care. Enjoy them, and accept that sometimes plants grown from seed from unknown sources might be hybrids.

3rd row, Opuntia papyracantha. Good luck getting one more than 4 sections tall. 2nd plant, Opuntia microdasys monstrose, then the other form of Gymnocalycium mihanovichii friedrichii. Again, google Gymno with both last names and make your decision.

4th row Opuntia monocantha?, Mammillaria elongata and finally, what you think is Lepsmium is probably Hylocereus, maybe H. undatus. If it is, you should find a new apartment with 20 ft. tall windows and an extra 500 sq. ft. just for this one.

Good luck with your new addiction, and like I say, if you get close with a name (the right genus), sometimes that's all you can get. If RoRo or others come by and give different names than I have, accept their names. Close up pics of any un-ID plants would be helpful. My ID skills are wanting. I'll go out and take a few pics.

I just got home after a month and noticed my Rhipsalis cruciforme (Lepismium cruciforme) with a ton of bloom, such as they are. The fruits are much more noticible.

Dzitmoidonc,

Thank you so much for taking the time to help with this. Yes, I agree about not getting hung up on names and have noticed that the latin names change and even genus family designations change. I just like to know what I have in order to research their growing habits and growing needs.

That last plant is not a Hylocereus...I do have 2 pots of Hylo...very well tamed because I took an unruly plant and hacked it last fall. I like keeping some Hylo around just to see if it does anything interesting and as root stock for my wild mad horticulturist-wanna-be experiments.

The Lepismium cruciforme is more delicate with ridged edges, ever-so-slightly spiraling leaves, "hair" at each node, and will eventually bloom. I just received mine in trade 1/2 year ago as a single stem and it grew 2 others during the winter. It's still a baby. I just noticed one root peeping out the bottom and think it's time to get it out of that starter pot into the next size so it can expand its horizons. ** See photo showing Lepismium side by side with Hylocereus. The center of the photo shows Lepismium, the right shows Hylo.

Thanks again for your help...Much appreciated.

Another closeup to facilitate ID - Thanks.

Dzitmoidonc,

The last one in the 2nd row, which you've identified as Gymnocalycium mihanovichii friedrichii, has not grown ONE single root during the entire winter. I have several "Moon Cactus," but still Googled the plant to see if this brown/red one grows on its own in soil - It does. Why doesn't mine have roots?

The color makes it appear to be dead but it's alive and solid, not hollow & dessicated. I really need to understand why it doesn't have any roots...does it require a host, like the colored red/yellow/orange "Moon Cactus" does? Should I lance and graft them onto Hylocereus? I know how to do that...I've successfully grafted many moon cactus pups.
** See closeup photo.

I received it together with the greener variety pictured, kept them both in the same pot all winter, treated both the same and the green one has rooted. I just transplanted into separate pots. The spines alone tell me they are two different Gymno varieties. The color has remained consistently the same as when I first received it. The soil looks different, but it is the same succulent mix...I just watered the green one. Since the other has no roots, I only watered scantly.

Thanks again.

This post was edited by LatinLady on Sat, Apr 26, 14 at 11:08

OK, so here's the ID we have so far. Please feel free to chime in if something is not correct - Your input is greatly appreciated.

BACK ROW
1D: Opuntia monocantha 2D: Mammillaria elongata 3D: Lepismium cruciforme

1C: Opuntia papyracantha 2C: Opuntia mycrodaisis (Monstrose or Forma Contorta?) 3C: Gymnocalycium mihanovichii friedrichii

1B: Echinopsis chamaecereus (Peanut Cactus) 2B: Opuntia mycrodaisis 3B: Gymnocalycium mihanovichii friedrichii

1A: Euphorbia? 2A: Opuntia subulata 3A: Echinopsis Barrel Cactus
FRONT ROW

I have posted additional photos above in order to facilitate ID.

Thanks again.

Latinlady, I went to find my camera, found out instead I had left it in a rental car. I'll find out Monday if was turned in to lost and found. In the meantime, I got another one, but I am taking really crappy pics. Bear with me. This is my L. cruciforme. Sort of a smaller plant with very fuzzy aeroles. I've seen the green ones, but most of them also had hair. Maybe some don't. The blooms are all over, but best seen at the top. Small The close-ups were blurry. The plant in front is Am. konjac bloom.
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This is Rhipsalis (Lepismium) monocantha. The color of the bloom is what the shot is about, this is the color. Some of the neatest Rhipsalis flowers.
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This is Lepismium paranganiense, I think. For a Rhipsalis, this is a pretty good size for the bloom.
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This is a Selenicereus innesii. One of the smaller of the genus.

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Beautiful...Thank you for sharing.

Update:

I moved to the Caribbean 11 months ago and brought my sorry, three legged Lepismium?? with me. It's grown a bit but is still a tiny thing. Maybe now we can better ID it???

My Cactus & Succulents · More Info

It hangs happily on a porch, receiving 5 hours of morning sun, then indirect sunlight the rest of the day. I noticed most of the tips and edges have turned reddish since relocation. It also has little white 'beards' all along its stalks. However, it has never flowered. Perhaps it needs more sun?

And, by the way, what's up with this Tanzanian Zipper?

My Cactus & Succulents · More Info

My Cactus & Succulents · More Info

I received it as a cutting with 3 others that died within a week. This one looks the exact same size it looked two years ago! It's still alive but never grew one root and appears to be in a perpetual snooze. Any ideas how I can jolt this one to life?
Or perhaps it's time to throw in the towel. If anyone has this succulent, please consider a trade with me...click on my username to get to my profile, where you'll see my trade list. I'd love to own one that actually does something.

Peace!

- Maria Elena

Maria Elena

I thought Tanzanian Zipper - Euphorbia anoplia - is fatter? Obviously, I am not sure...I have this one that came with a name tag (yeah, labels may be - and often are - incorrect):

I believe there may be different varieties or perhaps they grow differently given climate, care, etc. Yours is a gorgeous little fatty! Thank you for sharing.

My little guy was a little fatter when I first got him and now he's a skinny little runt. See OP photos. I have to admit I've somewhat neglected him, watering him very sparingly these past two years because he has no roots. I think I'm going to have to euthanize this one.

Rina

With nothing to lose, I have decided to slice the rootless bottom off, allow to callous over, dust with cinnamon, and repot. I'm not holding on to it another year...makes no sense!

This is the way it looked 2 years ago...front left. It hasn't done much but bend since then. It's firm to the touch, not hard or soft at all, so I don't know why it hasn't rooted.

My Cactus & Succulents · More Info

I posted it under 'C&S Addicts Annonymous' just for fun and to laugh about my obsession with this puny little thing. I hope others join in. I want to see what other C&S 'addicts' are obsessing over.

All the best to you!

Maria Elena

It looks somehow deflated from original, I agree there is nothing to loose...

I just noticed that my plant is growing a baby - and it looks 'skinny-straight' like yours - so maybe it is just a youngling?

I google photos and just about all are shown chubby as mine...found this old thread on gw:-here-

Rina,

I did uproot the Tanz Zipper...now we know what the issue is. The part that was buried under soil was dead and had no white center whatsoever! It's no wonder it didn't grow roots...it couldn't.

I have chopped off the bottom, about 1/2" to healthy tissue. It was no longer wet after an hour, so I just went ahead and repotted it.

I think this is a good little experiment for me. I'm hoping for success and will be certain to post an update once I have one.

Maria Elena

Remember this post? Well the tiny Tanz died. I still don't have an ID on the lepismium??? I did grow a tiny flower today, so perhaps we'll have better luck with ID.

Sorry, problems loading photos ...

Some arms are spiral, some straight, some fuzzy nodules, some not. the old growth looks poor & pitiful. It's beginning to take on character in full caribbean sun. Any ideas... I guess I keep it because it was just one puny cutting two years ago.

Thanks!

So, is the above plant NOT a Rhipsalis (Lepismium) monocantha? What is it?