Wowww... very pretty pics, Xuan, it is easy for cutting leaf for that cactus? My mother have it and I want try to rooting them while I'm visit my parents (in Indonesia) next Dec. Sarmassaeed, I never see cactus like that, very pretty. Cindeea, my favourite banana recipes are banana mffin, Indonesian banana fritters and banana foster Here's for banana foster: 1/4 cup butter; 2/3 cup dark brown sugar; 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract; 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon; 3 bananas, peeled and sliced lengthwise and crosswise; 1/4 cup coarsely chopped walnuts; 3 1/2 tablespoons rum; 1 pint vanilla ice cream ::> In deep skillet over medium heat, melt butter. Stir in sugar, rum, vanilla and cinnamon. When mixture begins to bubble, place bananas and walnuts in pan. Cook until bananas are hot, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove the banana pan from the heat, pour rum and continue to baste the banana slices with their sauce until the flames die down. Serve at once over vanilla ice cream. Eeemmm... very yummy ! Lisa

It's definitely an echinopsis, and there are a variety of ways it might have ended up out in the middle of nowhere. Animals might have moved the seeds around, which happens pretty often. Echinopsis has been in cultivation for a very long time, so there would be plenty of chances for it to escape from cultivation like that. There might have also been an old homestead out there at one time, and now this is all that remains. Here in the east that happens a lot. Many times I've found places where there's absolutely nothing left of an old house except the plants from the flower garden. There might be a now unmarked grave where you found it. People have been planting evergreen plants at grave sites for a long time. In my area it's usually yucca,periwinkle, and junipers. But out there, who knows? Not long ago I was reading on someone's website how they love echinopsis so much that they "stealth garden" with it, by planting it in out of the way places all over the desert. Maybe you found one of their plants, who can say? It's definitely very cool that you found it where you did and brought some back.

Anybody getting fruit? I got one dragon fruit in 20 years. It was very tasty! A neighbor has the same night blooming cereus but gets lots of fruit. I saw 2 blooms up high. It is growing on a palmetto about 35' high. Rain stimulates blooms this time of the year. And they have been getting some orchid food as I introduced a couple of orchids to the tree. Maybe the orchid food will create something new.

Did you take photos? I know -- not as dramatic as your "Annie" epi (named after your mother) that has so many flowers at once, although this one on Shirley's blog has quite a few. I wonder if it is the same variety? Here is a link that might be useful: Lots of flowers on very tall columnar cactus ... Tally, will mine get this tall?