Cactus / asterias

I repotted this asterias early spring in this year.
The plant has set well and been in flower.
The current size is 19 cm diameter and I expect more than 20 cm.

Cactus / asterias fruit

A fruit of variegated asterias has been ripened.
I pollinated with an other variegated asterias 2 months ago.
I will collect seeds soon.

Cactus / asterias cultivar

I bought seeds of Astrophytun asterias cv K Sato chyou-nou hakuten kabuto and sowed on 18th October 2003. The meaning of the cultivar name is astrias with extra-thick white flecking created by Mr K Sato.
When the plant was small it was an ordinal asterias but  it turned the appearance lately as the given name.
The current size is 12 cm diameter.

Cactus / variegated asterias

This is the 2nd flowering for the variegated asterias in this season.
It will be several more flowerings until winter.
I will pollinate and collect seeds.

Cactus / seeds harvesting time

My main collections are Astrophytum and Ariocarpus.
It is the seeds harvesting time for both genera.
I pollinated Ariocarpus last autumn and last spring for Astrophytum.
The photo is Ariocarpus retusus v major cv Daruma Royal with fruits.

Cactus / Astrophytum hybrid

The photo is a grafted Astrophytum hybrid, senil x super kabuto.
The body color is abnormal because of  the hybridization affected but it seems flowering function is remained as normal.

Cactus / ruri kabuto

I grafted 12 of very young ruri kabuto seedlings last year.
The purpose of the grafting is the collection of seeds.
You can expect the flowering within a year if you grafted.
The ruri kabuto on the photo is 1 year old and has many flowers because of grafted.

Cactus / Hakujyou banjyaky

This cactus is similar to the yesterday's one.
Since white lines are on ribs, it is called as hakujyou.
I also grafted an off-set in August.

Cactus / fukuryu banjyaku

I grafted a small off-set last August, 4 months ago.
The scion has grown well and is in flower.
Banjyaku is an Astrophytum hybrid, ornatum x myriostigma.

Cactus / aselliformis

This Pelecyphora aselliformis is also propagated from the cutting.
It is easy to propagate aselliformis from seeds but seedlings tend to keep very thin body.
The best way to get a normal shaped aselliformis is cutting, I think.
You graft a young seedling and rooting off-sets.
Off-sets are normal shape, not thin.

Cactus / strobiliformis

This Pelecyphora strobliformis propagated from cutting had 2nd flowering in this season.
It seems the rooting of Pelecyphora is quite easy.

Cactus / hanazono kabuto

Although this aserias is still small, it has shown hanazono character already.
I believe this one will be a very good hanazono kabuto when the plant reached to a mature age.
I have to wait some more years.

Cactus / super kabuto

Super kabutos show various appearances.
This one has large and thick flecking.
The flower is the first one for this plant.

Cactus / asterias

I thought the color of flower was wine red when it was a bud but I recognized it was not when the flower was opened.
I was disappointed a bit.

Cactus / asterias

The photo is an Astrophytum asterias,  ruri-kabuto x super-kabuto which I created.
This is the 2nd flowering in this season.
The clear contrast of white flecking over azure body is attractive.
It seems the size of body is small even if it was a mature plant.