Dyckia retroflexa Pedra Branca - RS

This is something most of us look for when we discuss shape. A ball like plant with many,many leaves has this compact look. This is no larger than a soccer ball and even so it is a very impressive plant.

In nature this plant can assume a very beautiful and outstanding red-pinkish shade of color all over. This happen in times of no rain. This happens during El niño Summers. Beautiful indeed but the plant is suffering and the changing color is a way to fight this stressing waterless period.

This sort of crown shape to a compacted rosette is only present on South Brazilian Dyckia species. This phenomenon is found on Dyckias from Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul alone. The plants from Santa Catarina that present this crown type are all close to the Rio Grande do Sul border.

This many leaved rosettes are striking to any´s eyes. Also there seem to exist a clear association between this sort of crown shape and the flowers spike and the flowers them selves and the seeds. Those plants tend to present ling sturdy flowers spikes with many, many small yellow or pale yellow flowers, The seeds are numerous but extra small and the size and form of a comma . We see this association only in Dyckias from The Extreme Brazil South and no where else in the world.

Now being audacious or fool enough to deal with dreams......what about this shape and form with a Dyckia ferruginea or even a Dyckia marnier-lapostolei from Southwest Bahia? Hummm....yes! No one has ever tried and this is for sure. Don´t panic, do not go mad just one try.... Wouldn´t you? Hummm.... think it over...... Pure strain? If this pure strain is beautiful enough....maybe yet. Pure strain will be a work to the the fittest Public Botanic Garden. This is one of their main role! But if they continue to keep just everything from huge red wood to lichens they won´t succeed! Those Zoos keeping everything form flea to Chinese Camels is rapidly vanishing from the face of the Planet. Those Zoos and those famigerated Circus are and always were horrendous practices. In Circus just the Man!
It is not any beautiful watch a gorgeous animal doing pathetic things. The man get pathetic in those situations.

Today we have living Chinese Dragons! Colorful! Spitting fire and fumes! Huge lions all fake all much, much.much better and beautiful as beasts. Those monstrous Zoos are finishing. See Ulong the Chinese Panda Paradise ... four human being to each Panda. This is what a Zoo is for! Also the Botanical Gardens will discover they can not cope with everything.

We are doing better! We as a whole we are recognizing ourselves as brothers.. we will get there, we will... we shall be there.

I got moved when I watched That Canadian Circus Cirque de Solei. Humans are better to watch than any animal. I loved the the fake animal with people inside...colorful, beautiful and the people willing to show they were in there not the animal....Hummm..I saw..I swear I saw.. they were there..there spiting fumes and fire...I swear I saw living Chinese Dragons...they were there...

Mankind is getting better... sure. There will be a time for you come to Brazil and see all the pure strain Dyckias well preserved and cared by several specialized Botanical Gardens... those who ll live will see it...