Description
“Thelocactus setispinus var. setaceus ”, a.k.a. Hamatocactus setispinus var. setaceus , is one of the local or morphological form of “Thelocactus setispinus” distinguished from the type species for having somewhat thinner hooked central spines. The differences with other “Thelocactus setispinus” are in reality very minimal and they grows at the same locality and under the same condition, so nowadays most botanist agree on the fact that both should all be included in the “Thelocactus setispinus”, nevertheless non-botanists prefer to have a name for all their plants if they distinct enough to warrant one.
Habit: It is a typically solitary cactus that sometime will offsets from it’s base. This species produces a lot of fragrant yellow, orange-eyed flowers at the top of the stem. An attractive blooming machine.
Stem: Globular to cylindrical, yellow-green to dark bluish green of flabby texture like Echinocereus, up to 15 cm tall, 10 cm in diameter; distinctly ribbed.
Ribs: About 13 high and 1-2 mm wide, very evident, thin, wavy on the margin, straight or more or less spiralled.
Roots: Long fibrous.
Areoles: roundish, 5-8(-14) mm long, 2-7 mm wide, 15 mm apart, with short wool and finally naked: Areoles typically bear extrafloral nectaries.
Spines: Both radials and centrals, white or yellowish and brown radials 12 to 16 (10-30 mm long), central 1 to 3 one of them hooked, longer than the radials, usually more than 40 mm long. Tubercles absent.
Flower: Silky yellow with orange to darker red throat , 3 - 7 cm across, 3,8 - 5,2(7) cm long. Inner perianth segments oblong, acute, widely spreading. Flowers-bud pointed, covered with imbricated naked scales (whithout wool or bristles in the axil). Flower-tube narrow, funnelform.
Fruits: Red and fleshy, nearly naked, globular to ovate, 8-11 mm long, that dry and fracture basally at full maturity.
Seeds: 1,3-1,7 mm long and 0,5 -0,8 mm diameter, black tuberculate, hilum large basal, circular.
Phenology: Summer grower.
Blooming season: It flowers very well, even when quite young, producing lots flowers in succession all Summer.
Origin and Habitat
Rio Grande City, Jim Hogg and Starr County, Southern Texas, USA
Cultivation and Propagation
This species is easy and well worth growing. Require little care once they have reached a nice flowering size. Thelocactus setispinus is suited for any rich, well drained soil in full sun throughout the year (But do better with some light shade in summer).
Pot culture: grow best in a well-drained container filled with a porous cactus soil mixture that doesn’t contain too much humus. To insure robust plants water and fertilize during the aestival growth cycle, this plant need plenty of water (indicatively to about once a week) But needs to be avoided wetting the bodies of these plants while they are in sunlight. A wet cactus in the sun light can cause sun burning which can lead to scars or even fungal infections and death. Care must be taken to prevent sooty mould forming on the sugary secretions from near the areoles.
Frost Tolerance: In winter keep completely dry at 5°C this usually aids in maintaining a healthier plant, but it is hardy as less as -12 to -7°C depending on the origin. (Temperature Zone: USDA 9-11)
Propagation: Seeds or cutting. Seeds are the typical way of reproducing. These cacti will easily grow from seeds and some from cuttings. Seeds can be sown in the spring or summer in well-drained pots of soil for cacti and sow the seeds thinly on top. Cover them with a bit of fine quartz grit. Moisten and lay a piece of glass across the top. The pots should be set in a warm greenhouse until they start to sprout after which the glass should be progressively removed so they can receive full light and air. It isn’t good to keep the glass over the seedlings. The seedlings well developed can be planted separately in small pots.
Cuttings made from pieces of the stem of any size can be detached and laid aside for a few days to allow a protective “skin” to form over the cut. They can then be planted in pots. Place them in a spot where they’ll receive sun and do not water until the soil becomes fairly dry. After a while the soil can be moistened regularly but never kept constantly saturated.
Bibliography
Major references and further lectures
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Edward Anderson “The Cactus family” Timber Press, Incorporated, 2001
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James Cullen, Sabina G. Knees, H. Suzanne Cubey “The European Garden Flora Flowering Plants: A Manual for the Identification of Plants Cultivated in Europe, Both Out-of-Doors and Under Glass” Cambridge University Press, 11/Aug/2011
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David R Hunt; Nigel P Taylor; Graham Charles; International Cactaceae Systematics Group. “The New Cactus Lexicon” dh books, 2006
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Brian Loflin, Shirley Loflin “Texas Cacti: A Field Guide” Texas A&M University Press, 26/ott/2009
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Albert Michael Powell, James F. Weedin “Cacti of the Trans-Pecos and Adjacent Areas” Texas Tech University Press, 2004
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Del Weniger “Cacti of the Southwest: Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Louisiana” University of Texas Press, 1969
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“Rare Plants of Texas: A Field Guide” Texas A&M University Press, 2007
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Nathaniel Lord Britton, Joseph Nelson Rose “Cactaceae: Descriptions and Illustrations of Plants of the Cactus Family” Volume 3, 1922
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Christopher Brickell “RHS Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers” Dorling Kindersley Ltd, 01/set/2010
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Campbell Loughmiller “Texas Wildflowers” University of Texas Press, 2006
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Urs Eggli, Leonard E. Newton: “Etymological Dictionary of Succulent Plant Names.” Birkhäuser 2004
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Pierre C. Fischer “70 Common Cacti of the Southwest” Western National Parks Association, 1989
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Alfred Richardson “Plants of Deep South Texas: A Field Guide to the Woody and Flowering Species” Texas A&M University Press, 2010
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Hiroshi Hirao “Colour encyclopaedia of cacti” Japan 1979 (Japanese language and script)
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Willy Cullmann, Erich Götz (Dozent Dr.), Gerhard Gröner “The encyclopedia of cacti” Portland, OR: Timber Press, 1986
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Hans Hecht “BLV-Handbuch der Kakteen” BLV-Verlagsgesellschaft, 1982
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E Haustein “Der Kosmos Kakteenfuehrer (the Kosmos Cactus Guide)” Balogh Scientific Books 01 December 1998
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Alwin Berger: “Kakteen: Anleitung zur Kultur und Kenntnis der wichtigsten eingeführten Arten.” Eugen Ulmer, Stuttgart 1929
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Ulises Guzmán, Salvador Arias, Patricia Dávila: “Catálogo de cactáceas mexicanas.” Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexiko-Stadt 2003
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Karl Schumann: “Gesamtbeschreibung der Kakteen (Monographia cactacearum).” J. Neumann, Neudamm 1899
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George Engelmann, Asa Gray: “Plantae Lindheimerianae : an enumeration of F. Lindheimer’s collection of Texan plants, with remarks and descriptions of new species, etc.“ 1845
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