May 2022 Photograph: Clumps and clusters.
If you have any themes for future contests, shoot me a Tree-mail. I'm really in need of ideas!

I've always liked the look of plants in tight clumps, from colonies of Sempervivum, bushes of Aeonium, and blooming clusters of Mammillaria.

Directions:
Submit a photo that matches the theme. You can submit as many photos as you want.
Have fun!

-Plants beginning to clump
-succulent colonies

I encourage you to like the picture(s) you like the most. You can like your favorite, or if you like all of the pictures, like all of them! I highly encourage you to give pictures Acorns.

This theme will end at the end of May, and a new one will be up in June.

Have fun,
Evan.

Oooo can't wait to get some in for this contest! Great topic!

Glad you're excited!
It's technically not a contest, to keep things fun, and not that competitive.
Forums like the British cactus and succulent society have photo contests where a winner is chosen. Then, the winner picks the next contests topic.

A full sixpack of clumps and clusters here...

Today's repotting project was this Mammillaria (10" pot, half height)



The pumice will look less radioactive in a few weeks.

Oreocereus growing nearby



This Mammillaria has a good groove going on



And P. scopa is just starting to do its thing



Does a twofer count? Many more heads to come here, this is just the start



And a side view of my ever-prolific medusa



I remove about a dozen heads at a time, twice a year, and this is what remains.

I have a lot, show some mammillarias for now..

Euphorbias...





Agave

Not sure if you can consider this a clump, more like a bush..

Sempervivum NoID


Clusters of Sempervivums in redwood frame

Nice!

I do like clumping cacti. Here are some of my favorites shown from yesterday and this morning.

Escobaria sneedii - I thought it would be another year before the cavity in the rock was completely filled, but at the rate it's growing this year it will be measured in days -not months - 'til that process is complete.



Escobaria vivipara var neo-mexicana. Even sunken down in the container it's really appealing to me. Not every one of this native will make a clump like this, but a lot do. The single barrels are nice, but I love the clumps and they can be truly spectacular for a day when they bloom.



Parodia leninghausii 'Golden Ball Cactus' . I find the cluster of little golden balls at the base of the column really appealing. I'm hoping some day it will encircle the entire base of the column, but not too many new ones have shown up this spring. Instead it's in the process of making a nest of buds at the top of the column. That process hasn't been a quick one in the past, so I try to watch for chances of hail in the forecast and move it under cover if needed.



Mammillaria plumosa. Just sitting so far this spring. No sign of growing, increasing or blooming, but also no signs of health issues. Taking a vacation maybe. I'd like the puff balls to almost fill the container.



Echinocereus triglochidiatus ssp mohavensis 'Inermis'. This is another in a stone planter. It's a small fellow, but it would be further along except an offset with offsets of its own developed rot last year. I saw the injury and watched it, but eventually had to carve it away from the rest of the plant. There's a new offset erupting on that side this year, so hopefully it will continue to increase.

Interesting that you got the last plant as 'inermis'. Inermis should mean spineless. Technically, it means "unarmed" in latin.

Aeonium2003 said: Interesting that you got the last plant as 'inermis'. Inermis should mean spineless. Technically, it means "unarmed" in latin.

@needrain
Here's a what the inermis form looks like:
http://www.llifle.com/Encyclop...

Yes, the plant in the picture isn't completely lacking spines, but it's definitely not as spiny as yours.

Aeonium2003 said: @needrain
Here's a what the inermis form looks like:
http://www.llifle.com/Encyclop...

Yes, the plant in the picture isn't completely lacking spines, but it's definitely not as spiny as yours.

Only young growth has spines. It will shed those as it grows and ages. It nearly always has a few spines on the new growth, but not many on the plant overall and occasionally it will be bare of any spines. The seller is reliable so far as I know, and knowledgeable. Which is no guarantee of course. I know another seller/grower who is also very knowledgeable and it's not unheard of that they diverge from one another occasionally. So far as I know, they don't know each other but they might. For someone like me, I just have to be aware and place some deference and trust to those who would be considered experts by training and experience - either/or or both. I could always drop the end description and leave it E. triglochidiatus, but the name that came with its purchase is the one I've used in full. Do you think I should drop 'Inermis'?

Edit to comment further. Mine often looks quite a bit like the Llifle photos, but mine has never not had a few spines on emerging growth like the photo from Valentino Vallicelli seen on the Llifle page. I just figured there was a natural variation lurking in the gene pool.

There are (at least) two "inermis"es in Echinocereus, and many more elsewhere. Those two are

E. troglochidatus f. inermis (formerly E. coccineus)
Mojave Hedgehog Cactus (Echinocereus triglochidiatus subsp. mojavensis 'Inermis')

E. inermis (aka E. knipellianus)
Peyote Verde (Echinocereus knippelianus)

In neither case are the stems always spineless all the time. The name is meant more in a relative sense, I think, compared to their extra-spiny close relatives. Fewer and wimpier spines, if not necessarily none at all.

This tracks with other such identifiers, like esculenta and edulis ("edible") which I most definitely would not ever take in a literal sense without some real confirmation. In the case of Euphorbia esculenta, for example, the name has something to do with animals grazing on it I think, and not humans turning it into sautéed vegetables. However in the case of Dudleya edulis, I can safely say the leaves are most delicious and best consumed fresh off a plant a month or two after the winter rains.

Perhaps a better Latin name for the not-quite-spineless cacti is subinermis (like almost spineless) and yes indeed there is also an E. subinermis in the mix. I believe Donald has one of those, or had one, and his plant inspired me to get one of my own. Which is not spineless but close. Giant yellow flowers.

Alicoche (Echinocereus subinermis subsp. subinermis)

That would be the purple one . I think the triple digit heat coming up will finally make it turn green until late summer early fall. Maybe not. It's really reluctant to shed it's purple outfit. Currently it's purple and growing buds. The first photo is E. subinermis in front of the E. triglochidiatus and second are the beautiful yellow blooms (they really are). Both relatively slow growers for me.

Again, an inspiration, I love seeing the plant in flower, whatever color the stem.

They are just beautiful, I prefer the purple color than green

I have orders from headquarters (AKA Sedum folks) to post my clumps of Sedum spathulifolium here. It grows like weeds here (as you can see it's a race for growth with the weeds). I just ignore it and let it do its own thing.

Come summer it will bloom with little yellow flowers. It is an attractive ground cover but not stepable in my opinion.

Yes DEFINITELY not steppable
Large and cute cushions though! 10/10