Caryophyllales

Close-up of Mammillaria elongata 'Crest'

Mammillaria elongata ‘Crest’

Published by Daniel Mosquin on September 15, 2005

Much to the chagrin of zombies everywhere, this is not —and I quote–“BR-R-R-RAIN-NSss”, but rather a “brain cactus”. This is a morphological variant of the species Mammillaria elongata DC., or golden star cactus. The distinct morphology of this and other brain cacti, known as cristate or crested growth, is caused by an apical meristem gone […]

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Fallopia japonica in flower

Fallopia japonica

Published by Daniel Mosquin on August 26, 2005

My home is near a decommissioned “yard and garden waste dump”. This has one small advantage for me; whenever I want to photograph a local weed or invasive plant, I’m pretty much guaranteed to find it nearby–and in quantity. In the wider-angle shot, you can see three of southwestern British Columbia’s worst invasives on the […]

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The flower of Coryphantha vivipara

Coryphantha vivipara

Published by Daniel Mosquin on August 18, 2005

The specific epithet for Coryphantha vivipara (or pincushion cactus) refers to one method the plant employs to reproduce, albeit vegetatively: vivipary, or reproducing by producing buds which grow from the main body of the plant, drop off and become new plants.

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Cacti Beds at Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew – Cacti Beds

Published by Daniel Mosquin on July 31, 2005

An archival photograph from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew in Surrey, England. The date that this picture was taken is currently unknown, though its photographer was John Davidson.

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Flower close-up of a hybrid of Lewisia cotyledon

Lewisia cotyledon hybrid

Published by Daniel Mosquin on July 29, 2005

The species Lewisia cotyledon is native to southern Oregon and northern California.

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"The Grand One" - a former champion Carnegiea gigantea

Carnegiea gigantea

Published by Daniel Mosquin on July 2, 2005

Christopher Keller, a reader of Botany Photo of the Day, asked me if we could honour this particular saguaro cactus, “The Grand One” with an entry (for an idea of its height, note the person standing near the trunk). “The Grand One”, sad to say, may not survive recent fires north of Phoenix, Arizona.

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