Echinopsis subdenudata, flowering again

Hello again! Today's Blog is a short one and it's about one single plant; the Echinopsis subdenudata, a common plant which you can find in most stores that sell cacti (at least here in Holland). Why and why now?! Well... This night on of my plants has flowered for the second time this year and... Well... Judge for yourself, but I think it's pretty! This is one of the plants that I haven't bought because I thought it was extremely beautiful. This is actually my wife's choice when we've bought some cacti in Amsterdam. And right now I'm happy that I've bought it, because it's one of the more pretty plants I have! I've written a Blog about it before, last year, when it was also flowering. Check it out over HERE!

Echinopsis subdenudata, flowering

Now let's give you a short description of this one... Like all the other Echinopsis species, E. Subdenudata is also from South America. Their natural habitat is the Tarija Department in Bolivia, but you'll also find them elsewhere (also in Paraguay for example). Their short stems can reach a hight of 8 cm and up to 12 cm in width. They have woolly areoles that only contain spines at young plants, older plants are completely spineless. As you can see on the photo, the flower reaches a size, bigger than the entire cactus. E. subdenudata is a popular cactus, because it flowers easily (and at an early age).

I have my own theory about this 'easy' flowering thing... A lot of North American cacti never flower in our living rooms. They need a cold place during the winter, just like in their natural habitat. They need a winter-temperature of around 10 to 15 degrees Celsius and human beings prefer a warmer place in the winter to watch television...

There are many South American species, on the other hand, that aren't used to cold winters. They like a winter-temperature around 20 degrees Celsius, just like us! And.... This was my theory... Hey! I'm not a pro and I'm always open for critics.

 Echinopsis subdenudata

Another little thing of great importance is that some cacti need more sun than others, which is a serious thing to think about. With less sun than the plant actually needs, it'll grow, but it'll grow less well. It won't be 'happy' (wait! Now I look like a plant-hugger! I don't do that... Cacti have spines and... Well... Ok! My Peyotes don't... But I also don't hug them! ). Try to grow 2 similar plants under different conditions and you'll see what I mean.

What more can I say? Echinopsis subdenudata flowers at night. Too bad... But! In the morning you'll still be able to see them (which is the reason why these photos are kind of dark). And... You'll also smell them.

Time for my Gandalf-pipe, some German aromatic tobacco and a beer! Can't wait to see the Hobbit! Yeah... Nothing to do with the rest of this Blog, but I'm almost done, reading the book and up till now (haven't read the last 4 books of LotR), I like this story more than Lord of the Rings! All those pipe-smoking dwarfs in Bilbo's little hobbit-hole. Fantastic! Ok... I'm flying from subject to subject again. Time for a good smoke... Have a nice weekend!

Gandalf pipe

By the way, something completely different now; if you have the time, listen to THIS interview with Daniel Quinn. Answering questions about world's problems in few time is kind of hard, I imagine, but he's doing a great job! Cheers!