Hello there! This is my first post to the forums and I like to share my luckiest find: A Black Dinosaur Plant/Crested Blue Candle (Myrtillocactus Geometrizans Forma Cristata) for only 5 dollars (!!!) at my local Home Depot. These little guys can run up to $125+, easily more, so I was very excited to find this one right here at home for so cheap! I know he looks a little green here, but I promise he is much more blue/gray in real life :)
What are some of your luckiest finds??

Rarest?
Rebutia pygmaea


Rebutia steinmanii

Rebutia fulvisetta



Austrocylindropuntia vestita

Lithops, aloinopsis (these ones are all dead, some survived)


Any eriosyce(red one is dead)






Euphorbia obesa+ hybrids






Medusiod euphorbia + suzanae(also medusoid i think) and..debilispina




Armatocereus laetus

I also got a bunch of echinocerei, but they are not as rare, more like borderline very uncommon
Most of these plants have been more or less consistently rare.(for me, or for other places).

These two cacti -- a Pine-cone Cactus (Tephrocactus articulatus inermis) on the left, and a Lobivia arachnacantha on the right -- are my luckiest in-store finds, got them both from a local nursery. I've seen the paper-spine form of the Tephro at the big box stores maybe once or twice, but never this type. The Lobivia, this is the only one I've seen anywhere!


I've also got a couple of plants that I bought online because nurseries just don't carry them, ever (at least, not those here). One is a Haworthia truncata hybrid; the other is my 'Desert Diamond' agave, got it in July 2018 as a tiny pup.

Thank you both for sharing your plants here! They're wonderful finds and I am delighted to have them on this thread!!

skopjecollection said:Rarest?
Rebutia pygmaea

• Pygmy Crown Cactus (Aylostera pygmaea)
• Uploaded by skopjecollection

Rebutia steinmanii

• Pygmy Crown Cactus (Aylostera pygmaea)
• Uploaded by skopjecollection

Rebutia fulvisetta



Austrocylindropuntia vestita

Lithops, aloinopsis (these ones are all dead, some survived)


Any eriosyce(red one is dead)

• Quisquito Don Rodolfo (Eriosyce heinrichiana)
• Uploaded by skopjecollection

• Quisquito Don Rodolfo (Eriosyce heinrichiana)
• Uploaded by skopjecollection

Euphorbia obesa+ hybrids

• Baseball Plant (Euphorbia obesa)
• Uploaded by skopjecollection

• Euphorbias (Euphorbia)
• Uploaded by skopjecollection

Medusiod euphorbia + suzanae(also medusoid i think) and..debilispina

• Euphorbia (Euphorbia debilispina)
• Uploaded by skopjecollection

• Euphorbias (Euphorbia)
• Uploaded by skopjecollection

Armatocereus laetus

I also got a bunch of echinocerei, but they are not as rare, more like borderline very uncommon
Most of these plants have been more or less consistently rare.(for me, or for other places).

The lithops don't look completely dead. The ones on the upper left look over watered. Tops are dome shaped, you want to keep the tops as flat as possible. The ones on the left, you have a few different types in there. They look good in the store but not a good thing to do with lithops. Different lithops have different care requirements and different growth cycles. I found with watering these timing is everything. Even with the ones on the bottom left. I have 2 of the same type of plans in different pots. They both like different care. Don't understand why but they do. Maybe that's why there so hard to grow. Each one is a little different.

Anyone know of good sites to order rare lithops or similar plants?

Hallow said:
The lithops don't look completely dead. The ones on the upper left look over watered. Tops are dome shaped, you want to keep the tops as flat as possible. The ones on the left, you have a few different types in there. They look good in the store but not a good thing to do with lithops. Different lithops have different care requirements and different growth cycles. I found with watering these timing is everything. Even with the ones on the bottom left. I have 2 of the same type of plans in different pots. They both like different care. Don't understand why but they do. Maybe that's why there so hard to grow. Each one is a little different.

They died. This was taken from last june....
lol

These plants were in a batch I got last year from Mexico City... some choice succulents from Mexico.




Just for fun, here's a second picture from mid-March (2 weeks ago) to show what 7 months of growth looks like:

Hallow said:Anyone know of good sites to order rare lithops or similar plants?

Do you know about this nursery:

https://plantsforthesouthwest....

They have a lot of lithos in the catalog.

Availability list here.

https://lithops.com/plant-avai...

A noid Euphorbia hybrid:
2018

2019


Euphorbia obesa
2016

2019


Gasteria glomerata


Euphorbia leucadendron



Adenium obesum 2018 growth file photo


Adromischus cristatus


Haworthia truncata


Euphorbia obesa x polygona
2016


2019


Tephrocactus


Sulcorebutia arenacea


Astrophytum myriostigma

mcvansoest said:

Do you know about this nursery:

https://plantsforthesouthwest....

They have a lot of lithos in the catalog.

Thank you for the dangerous info already one in mind. "Welwitschia miriabilis"

Those are really cool. I tried to grow them from seed, but I probably did not water them enough... Those are cool plants - if you are into propagation you will need to get two - a male and a female, but depending on size, it can take a good long time for those to get anywhere near flowering size.

There is a website by a Danish botanist who did his degree on Welwitschia propagation strategies who has great info and great images of plants in habitat.

I think especially in the current situation we need to treat ourself to something special now and then. Good for morale!
I have not mail ordered from them them, but have bought from them, when they had a booth here a few years back during one of the local cactus club show and sales. They have very good and nice stuff.

mcvansoest said:There is a website by a Danish botanist who did his degree on Welwitschia propagation strategies who has great info and great images of plants in habitat.

http://www.bihrmann.com/caudic...

tarev said:

Adromischus cristatus

I love your Adromischus Cristatus!

I very recently got one myself, a Key Lime Pie (Adromischus Cristatus (Haw.) Lem). They are truly funky little plants, they remind me of frog hands!

Born2Bloom said:

I love your Adromischus Cristatus!

I very recently got one myself, a Key Lime Pie (Adromischus Cristatus (Haw.) Lem). They are truly funky little plants, they remind me of frog hands!

Thanks! Yes they are quite cute File photos when it blooms...checking the date, happens in September here, once it starts to gradually cool down from the searing heat of summer. I just keep this plant positioned outdoors in part sun/shade, near our fountain. It can easily get too dry roasted here during our long hot and dry days. It is by the side of our house as well, so that in winter it gets some reflective heat during the mild winter season.

mcvansoest said:Those are really cool. I tried to grow them from seed, but I probably did not water them enough... Those are cool plants - if you are into propagation you will need to get two - a male and a female, but depending on size, it can take a good long time for those to get anywhere near flowering size.

There is a website by a Danish botanist who did his degree on Welwitschia propagation strategies who has great info and great images of plants in habitat.

I think especially in the current situation we need to treat ourself to something special now and then. Good for morale!
I have not mail ordered from them them, but have bought from them, when they had a booth here a few years back during one of the local cactus club show and sales. They have very good and nice stuff.

I've grown one before and it died. It was a little plant. But since then I have more experience and I think I am ready to try it again. What makes me nervous is there not a cheap plant to experiment with. My first one I paid $45.00 for. I didn't hear back from the company yet if they have any to sell.

Funnily enough, regarding the adromishus, up untill 2 years ago, they were rare as heck. Now, you see whole trays with some 20 ish plants in them....
I had both, cristatus and maculatus...

Hallow said:
I've grown one before and it died. It was a little plant. But since then I have more experience and I think I am ready to try it again. What makes me nervous is there not a cheap plant to experiment with. My first one I paid $45.00 for. I didn't hear back from the company yet if they have any to sell.

Yeah, their natural environment is super super dry, but with an aquifer so they get these really deep tap roots, so people thought you should keep them super dry, but that appears not to be the case. You just do not want these to get cold and wet very much.

The danish site that Baja posted has lots of info.

Good luck.

Baja_Costero said:

http://www.bihrmann.com/caudic...

Great! I ordered some seeds and going to give it a try. Thanks