Ah, don't bother, just curiosity, thinking that possibly in this part of the world, we may have misled by some local sellers here.

From what I understand, there are many Dorstenia hybrid impostors in cultivation, due to the random volunteering they do. This would be more likely in big collections where many plants are blooming at the same time and the volunteers are sprouting everywhere.

These plants are not well suited to our climate, insufficient warmth and winter rain. They are fun to play with and the volunteering means there is always a backup plant for when mama eventually melts down. The ones at the Huntington are only watered by humans and the temperature inside there is considerably warmer than the outside.

The Dorstenia everybody wants is gigas. It has a spectacular form in old age. From Socotra, likes/requires warmth. It can be grown from cuttings but without the same form (and most of the plants you will see will be from cuttings).

Then I am in luck! My Dorstenia gigas leafed out well over the Summer, watered daily in full sun. It has a nice caudex too, not too visible here.
Now I hope to see some blooms one of these days!

I am still looking for D. Gigas, and Dorstenia Lavrani, I like Lavrani a little bit more than Gigas.
While in search for Gigas and Lavrani last week.
I bought a D. Lancifolia, D. Haworthii, and D. Lavranos, the first one can be easily confirmed. The last two I am not very sure, as the leaves somehow look like D. Crispa. Not yet arrived, my challenges in keeping Dorstenia is half will went dead during repotting.

Weedy Dorstenia every where, maybe almost 100 of those, started with 1 Crispa and 1 Foetida, the volunteers are like 1 foetida verus 20 Crispa. Interesting fun in keeping Dorstenia is that their leaves will have different color, different shape and different sizes, depends on light and water.




Reason for loving D. Foetida, fat and odd shaped belly.

You have quite a few of them going there.

Ursula, do me a favor and take a side view picture of your big Dorstenia before you take it in for the fall, or maybe when you do that. When it is all leafy and full.

I would be curious to see the stem and I think it would also be nice to add that picture to the database. As you see fit, of course.

Baja, will do!

My little Mini Starfish (Stapelia, or Ceropegia, paniculata) is doing its late summer show. Six flowers open right now, the most it has ever had it once, and enough to produce a light but noticeable stinky smell, at least when I carried it indoors for a minute.



It will continue blooming off and on well into fall, and will be indoors by the end of it, so it's good that the smell is pretty faint!

My Black Bells (S. leendertziae) just produced its first ever bud. I have had the plant for almost a year and a half, so I'm super stoked about that. But I'm also glad that it will be doing its blooming while it's still outside, since it is supposed to have a much stronger stink!

Cute blooms! now glad we don't have the scratch and sniff photo this time.

Wow! So pretty, it looks like Daisy.

In its native habitat in Namibia its soil would be sparkling with tiny raw diamonds!

That is a great bloom! Never heard of that genus, had to look and see if that was a new name for Lithops. Looks just like a Lithops bloom.

I would call it for short a Mesemb before I trip over the name! 😄

I noticed it doesn't have a nickname. I guess that's what happens when some plants hog up 3, 5, sometimes more nicknames. That leaves a few plants with none. No fair! LOL!

I know some nicknames are repeated several times in different cultivars, which turns out to be the common name. Then when you upload the photo someone says it is not the right cultivar

Blooming cacti with a freebie green beetle 🪲

I failed to take a decent picture when the bees were swarming it but the beetle moved way slower. Does anyone recognize the bug?

Baja_Costero said: I failed to take a decent picture when the bees were swarming it but the beetle moved way slower. Does anyone recognize the bug?

Not good, considered a pest:
https://thebugagenda.com/shiny...

Or this?
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wik...

Cotinis mutabilis is called mayate in Mexican Spanish, from a Nahuatl word. Does not seem like much of a concern. I think that's it!

looks more like the fig eater since it likes cacti. Glad it is minor pest.