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Dragon Fruit – Hylocereus undatus

25/02/2012

Lois 1. Cactus and Succulent , 3 Comments

Date of Purchase: February 24, 2012

I saw the dragon fruit plants for sale in the plant nursery along Police Rd. I thought it would be nice to have one of these plants as 2012 is dragon year:). The big ones were too expensive, so I bought the small one. The seller said it was suitable to Melbourne climate. The fruit will be white inside with tiny black seeds.

Actually I never taste dragon fruits, but it doesn’t matter. I just want to add the plant to my cactus collections. Hylocereus undatus, the Latin name for Dragon fruit cactus and the other name is pataya. I read somewhere that the plant originally grow wild around central America. Later on the cultivations of the plant for fruit production are popular in Vietnam and Hawaii.

Hylocereus undatus is still related to epyphyllum. While epyphyllums have flat stems, Hylocereus stems are three sided. The plant will grow quite large with climbing and sprawling habit, and it needs strong support. The large flowers are white with beautiful fragrant and only bloom one night. For this reason, hand polination is needed to make sure the blooms will produce fruits.

Flower Buds??

Update July 6, 2014:

Last year (2013), the cold and wet winter damaged the plant. The base and some of the branches were soft and rotted, I was afraid that it was not going to make it. The main stem that support the whole plant is now kind of hollow. Amazingly it recovered and now it has grown quite high, more than 2 meters tall with many new stems on the top. I put a large garden umbrella to protect it from too much rain, wind and cold weather this winter. Hopefully it will grow flowers in Spring.

What is left of the bottom part of the plant

What is left of the bottom part of the plant

Dragon Fruit Plant

Dragon Fruit Plant 2

Epiphyllum crenatum – Flower and Fruit

21/02/2012

Lois 1. Cactus and Succulent , 2 Comments

This Epiphyllum crenatum was bought last year in the market. It had three large white flowers with soft and delicate scent. The uneven crenated stems are large, kind of different from the other epis that I have. Now two of the blooms have turned into fruits. The red maroon fruits are round and smooth.

I picked one of the fruits and I cut it open to see how it looked like on the inside. It reminded me of dragon fruits though it was much smaller. The flesh was juicy with the same colour as the skin and it had tiny black seeds. It tasted kind of sweet and sour. Not the most pleasant taste, but it was palatable. Dragon fruit which is commonly known as Pitaya (Hylocereus sp.)  is said to be related to Epiphyllum.

Epiphyllum ‘Andromeda’ and E. crenatum

14/11/2011

Lois 1. Cactus and Succulent , Leave a comment

Epiphyllum ‘Andromeda’

The ‘Andromeda’ Epiphyllum is flowering this year. When I bought it last year, it was very small with no flower.

Last Friday, I bought a new Epiphyllum crenatum with three flowers. The crenated/wavy toothed margins of the stems look rather different from the other Epis that we have. According to Wikipedia, Epiphyllum crenatum is one of the most important parents to create cultivated hybrids.

Flowering Succulents

14/10/2011

Lois 1. Cactus and Succulent , 4 Comments

Kalanchoe pearl-bell, pumila and blossfeldiana are flowering nicely. Today and also in the last few days have been sunny which is good for the pigface plants. Without sunlight pigface flowers will not open at all. It is even worse during rainy days, the flower buds will just rotten away before they have a chance to show off their beauty.

Here some of the photos that I took recently”

Kalanchoe ‘Pearl Bells’

Orchid Cacti 2011 – Early Blooms

29/09/2011

Lois 1. Cactus and Succulent Leave a comment

Firstly, greeting from another green Katydid in our garden…….. Few days ago, I found this one among the foliage of the Michelia yunnanensis while last year I saw some in the bushy leaves of the red Camellia which was not very far along the driveway. It seems that quite a few bugs love the Michelia bush, I also spotted some black and red stink bugs before.

Two of our orchid cactus (jungle cactus) collection, the early bloomers are flowering now. The yellow one is still a mystery. When I bought it last year the label was Gold Coin, but the flowers are definitely are not that of gold coin. Some one suggested that it could be E. floribundum x , but E. floribundum is more white in colour. The one that we have is yellower, it is more like Fruhlingsgold. This yellow orchid cactus has sweet delicate smell.

The other early bloomer orchid cactus is Disocactus nelsonii which is also known as Chiapasia/Chiapsis nelsonii. This one has luminous mauve colour. Very pretty colour and bloom prolifically.

Fruhlingsgold??? Yellow Orchid Cactus – unknown sp

Disocactus nelsonii – Chiapasia nelsonii – Epiphyllum nelsonii

The rest of the jungle orchid cactus flowers are still in buds right now. Hopefully they will be better this year. Oh yes, a little note on the AFL grand Final 2011 this weekend. Collingwood Magpies against Geelong Cats! Hopefully Collingwood will make it. Go Magpies Go!!!

Autumn Joy, Donkey’s Tail and Few Others…

09/09/2011

Lois 1. Cactus and Succulent , , 4 Comments

Sedum telephium ‘Autumn Joy’

One of the very popular plant from the Crassulaceae family is Sedum. As succulent which is also known as Stonecrop plant, sedum is juicy fleshy and it comes in many different colours and shapes…. around 400 different species. Many of them are trailing and pretty, so they are very suitable to be planted in hanging pots and baskets. Some are plump and rounder, some have flatter leaves or come in rosette. Most of the flowers are star shape.

Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’

Sedum telephium “Autumn Joy’ is quite popular lately. People grow it for the flower display in autumn. When the clusters of flower are still in buds and green, they look a little bit like broccoli. The plant will die down in winter and leaf buds will start to grow when the weather is warmer in spring. It is better to plant this sedum species in the garden in a sunny spot.

Sedum morganianum ‘Donkey Tail’ or Burro’s Tail is an odd looking succulent. The plump leaves grow in long strands and the small cluster of reddish flowers grow on the tip of each strand. The leaves are very brittle and can easily come off the stem. This succulent is best grown in a hanging pot as the leaf strands can grow very long.

Sedum rubrotinctum ‘Aurora’

Sedum rubrotiinctum is the most popular sedum species. It is commonly known as Jelly Bean plant. It comes in some different colours and it will be very pretty to be grown in a pot in a sunny spot around the house. Just like donkey’s tail, the rounder leaves are very brittle and easily fall off the stem with a slightest touch.

Sedum confusum

Sedum confusum can be grown as ground cover or in a pot. The small rosette leaves will have copper colour tinge when they mature. It will have star shape yellow flowers. The slightly trailing and compact growing habit make this plant suitable as gound cover and it will grow very nicely in a hanging basket.

Sedum nussbaumerianum

Sedum nussbaumerianum is less popular. It will be green if grown in shady area but will have yelowish copper colour in the sun. A nice species to be planted in pots. The flowers are small and white in colour.

Powdery Sedum allantoides var. Goldii

Sedum allantoides ‘Goldii’ is one of the largest sedum. The fleshy leaves are grey green and covered with white powdery substance that will stain your clothing (especially if it is dark colour). But don’t worry as it will be easily come off if you clean it. It will be good to plant in in the garden along the border. The whitish grey green colour is a sharp contrast to other colours. The flowers are soft yellow with long stems.

Note – November 20, 2013: I just saw a succulent plant by the name of Cotyledon orbiculata ‘Delight’. The appearance of this plant is very similar to the above Sedum allantoides ‘Goldii’. There is a chance that the plant above is actually Cotyledon and it is not Sedum at all. ???

Succulents are getting more popular every year as they are very hardy to grow in milder climate. They do not need a lot of water to waste and will tolerate neglect and poor sandy soil. Can be easily grown from cuttings.

Fuzzy Kalanchoes

20/08/2011

Lois 1. Cactus and Succulent , , Leave a comment

Kalanchoe succulent plant belongs to the large family of crasulaceae. It has up to 200 different species. Many people grow kalanchoes for the bright and colourful flowers, but others appreciate the beautiful foliage. I like the fuzzy and hairy ones that have large leaves. It is a fact that most of the unusual and strange succulents are native to Madagascar Island. Many others are native to southern parts of Africa and Asia.

Kalanchoe beharensis is also known as Elephant Ear.  The leaves are triangular in shape with irregular lobes. The green leaves are fully covered with fine hair to make them look smooth and velvety. Kalanchoe beharensis will multiply quickly in well drain, warm and sunny spot of the garden. If grown in a pot, it has to be large enough as the plant can grow over 1 meter high (ours only grow up to 75cm high), and can be quite heavy.

Kalanchoe baharensis aka. Elephant Ear Kalanchoe

Kalanchoe hildebrandtii ‘Silver Spoon’ is another unusual succulent. The leaves grow as big as a dessert spoon. They are silver colour, fuzzy and fleshy. During the warm weather the plant will bear tall orange colour blooms. This plant with woody branches will quickly grow bushy to form a nice and compact shape. It needs well drain soil and is very hardy and can tolerate mild frost.

Kalanchoe hildebrandtii ‘Silver Spoon’

Kalanchoe orgyalis ‘Copper Spoon” has large brown copper colour leaves on the top side and greenish gray colour underneath, but the leaves tend to be slightly green if grown in the shade. I find that this plant is less tolerance to frost. It grows slower compared to silver spoon and can grow up to 1 meter high. The brown copper colour and the furry smooth leaves are very eye catching. It is best to be grown in well drain soil and away from frost.

Kalanchoe orgyalis “Copper Spoon’

A little fact about Cactuses/Cacti and Succulents: 

“All Cactus plants are Succulents….. but not all Succulents are Cacti…………..”

Jade Plant – Crassula ovata in Full Blooms

05/06/2011

Lois 1. Cactus and Succulent , Leave a comment

This time of the year again in early winter when the jade plants are flowering. The small white flowers almost cover the whole plant. It brightens dull winter days.

For those who believe that jade plants bring good fortune, this is a bit of information from White Lotus Fengshui.com :

The Jade Tree is also called the Money Plant. It is an auspicious plant because its succulent dark green leaves resemble pieces of jade or coins, therefore represents earth or metal energy, which adds nourishment and stability.  Earth chi helps relationships. The jade plant also signifies wood energy or growth. 

Placement:

East for family harmony, health, initiation of projects, scholarly pursuits Southeast for wealth luck

West for creativity or children luck

Northwest for the luck of mentors and helpful people 

To go to previous entry on Crassula ovata:

https://kiyanti2008.wordpress.com/2009/11/01/crassula-ovata-the-fat-plant/

Euphorbia obesa – Our New Babies

02/06/2011

Lois 1. Cactus and Succulent , , 3 Comments

Our search was finally over. Now we have not only one but two more Baseball Plants which is the other name for Euphorbia obesa. They are still small, and it will take a while for them to grow, but I am very excited.

I used to have two of them that I bought long long time ago, but one of them died last year. The other one that is still alive has grown quite big for this kind of cactus. It is about 20 cm high. We bought one of the new little ones last March in Victoria Market, and the other one which is better in shape was purchased two days ago in Garden World. In Victoria market at that time only one Euphorbesa obesa available there and the shape was not perfect but we bought it anyway. It is a surprise to me that they are finally available in Garden World. There were only three of them. One was quite large and beautiful but it was much too expensive and the other two were small. I decided to buy one of the small ones. A little bit pricey still, but it was worth it for such a rare cactus plant.

Euphorbia obesa do not multiply, so the only way to grow it is by seeds. This is one of the reasons why this cactus is dear beside the fact that it grows very slowly. We will never know the young baseball cacti is male or female until they flower. They say that the male E. obesa usually grow taller than the female.

To go to my last post on Euphorbia obesa:

https://kiyanti2008.wordpress.com/2010/08/30/euphorbia-obesa-rot-in-peace/

Sunrise Cactus

30/05/2011

Lois 1. Cactus and Succulent , 6 Comments

The name of Sunrise cactus comes from the fact that the flowers will start to burst open in the morning when the sun rises and will close again when the sun goes down. So if you keep the plant indoor when it is flowering and it is too dark, the flowers will never open.  This flowering jungle cactus is also called Easter cactus, Spring cactus and it’s botanic name is Rhipsalidopsis gaertneri.

Sunrise cactus is a distant cousin of Zygo cactus (Schlumbergera truncata, Crab Claw cactus).  The easiest way to tell the difference between the two is by looking at the stems and the flowers. Sunrise cactus stems are rounder in shape while Zygo cactus stems look a little bit like crab claws. If you look at the pictures of the two different stems, the left one with rounder stems are Sunrise cactus and the right one is Zygo cactus. Sunrise cactus flowers are star shaped and only open during the day, while Zygocactus flowers are irregular tubular in shape and keep on open during the night. The pictures of two different flowers, left is Sunrise cactus and right picture is Zygo cactus.

Both these jungle epiphytic cacti are native to mainly the rainforest of Brazil, so they both need very similar growing requirements. I have them, but from my very own experience, Sunrise cactus is harder to grow compared to Zygo cactus. Sunrise cactus is more sensitive to sudden changes of location. For example if your Sunrise cactus is already happy and thriving in one location, it may not so if you move it to other place. All of sudden the stems will all droopy in the new place. I don’t really know why, but maybe in the new place the amount of light and humidity is not exactly the same.

This time of the year, it is the end of autumn here in Australia, and my Sunrise cacti have plenty of ripe fruits. I have already picked them and later I will try to grow them. I know it will be easier to transplant few stems, but I am curious to try growing them from seeds.

  • Sunrise Cactus, Rhipsalidopsis gaertneri, Easter Cactus, Spring Cactus
  • Flowering time: Spring
  • Pot, Containers or hanging basket only
  • Best temperature 10 – 34 deg Celsius (50-75 deg F)
  • Need high humidity
  • Indirect sunlight
  • Growing media:  cactus mix (but I use 1 part of orchid barks and 1 part of potting mix)
  • Tap water is better as rain water can be too acidic. Avoid using water that is too cold.
  • Need longer cold dark nights during the winter time for the plant to flower well.
  • Propagation by transplanting stem cuttings or by using seeds.

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