Half bred Dyckia goehringii

In spite of being beautiful or gorgeous (Two Dyckia lovers just loved the this word!)
This plant is not Dyckia goehringii. Their mother ,yes it was but the father is unknown.
This is a result of a open pollination in a famous garden Guy in Rio. Seedling with the very same look I saw to exist in Southeast Asia. My! They travelled....

Below you see a real Dyckia goehring during a rainy moment

Up and below Dyckia goehring real thing.
They can be redder and this silver one is absolutely rare.
This is "Dodo" Dyckia. Happily I managed to get many clones form this plant.
You can see some in process here.

Black under rain

Rain is a kind of challenge to some Dyckia.
Dyckia are disguising creatures but under rain many of their masks fall down
Those remarkable white scaled Dyckias turn into pale drab Dyckias when under rain.
Some even loose their silver scales forever to rain or hosing.
The scaleless Dyckias as this beautiful black one seem to show their true color when under the rain effect. Her you see that deep velvety black Dyckia is in fact deep red/wine.
Dyckias confess when under rain.......their masks fall but...look again..it is still gorgeous.
These alluring plants.....

This alluring gorgeous Dyckia is a hybrid plant!

This fantastic plant was not this dark before..
The upper pic show it in its usual shade or its kid shade maybe it darkens a bit when turning to the adulthood ( That is when a Dyckia blooms. If a Dyckia has not bloomed it has not got into adulthood and its final mask is still to fall.))
This is its first winter as a grown up plant.
What darkens this Dyckia?
Well first of all the plant genetic characteristics.
Here guess that what triggered this dark shade of red wine color were some
very clear motives.
Cold, the cold specially cold nights and clear days seemed to favor this.
Also fertilizing at the very same strength of the hot days and plenty of humidity.
Those seem to be the triggering agents.
Sure the plant will not hold this color for longer and sure again this color will come back
during winter time.
Well this is all guessing..do no go on freezing your plants, Dyckias relish cooler nights but they do not enjoy freezing . They may survive to freezing but I do not want survivors. I want happy creatures.

Dyckia sp - Painel- Santa Catarina

Very little is known concerning to this marvel.
It comes from a very cold region here in Santa Catarina, in fact the coldest in Brazil
where snow is a trivial occurrence.
Wide leaved and bearing big teeth this plant looks
more a Northern plant than a Southern one.

Black and White

Two of the most beautiful Dyckia hybrids.
Both were anniversary gifts from friends in Europe.
They bought both from catalogue and by mail.
These friends live in Innsbruck , Austria.
the lower plant stayed bu the South window sill for three months.
It watched the perfect soft and dry snow flocks falling out there.
There they love snow and cold and the more the better. They must be crazy!
Each plant cost a small fortune I would never dare to pay.My friend´s mother, an old kind woman was asked when entering Brazil in Rio: Are those Plastic? Yes, authentic plastic!
She bravely answered.
That is all I know about this hybrids origin.
Now, tell me: aren´t my friends fine souls?
I love them. Without friends like should be boring....

Blaqck and White

Dyckia sp - Rio Grande do Sul

This is a nameless plant. So besides it is a Dyckia from Rio Grande do Sul, nothing must be said
and eves less concerning to the future Scientific most probably Latin name.
Most probably ´cause somebody may prefer honoring himself or herself or some colleague or a relative and a good opportunity of constructing science is lost.
We shall see.....

Dyckia eruca ( Proposal for a name.)

Look, I am mesmerized by this!
Look at this flower stick.
It seems to be a short one.
I never saw this plant before.
I know nothing about it.
Dyckia eruca is not a valid name. The plant is not described yet.
Eruca means in Latin burning as fire.
The plant came to be red as fire too.

The plant was found by Noeli and me . They were all destroyed by campers
who built a campfire just on the Dyckias.
The plant was vanished forever from the face of the Earth was not Noeli who insisted in bring down the mountain four burned to carbon leftovers of a plant. They were loose and burned completely. Noeli insisted. We imagine they were Dyckia tuberosa a far too common plant in that area. Se left three in my garden and took just one with her. Recently looking at this blog she said hers was beautiful too. The following day she was here inmy garden with her plant . So I have four plants and most probably are the only ones in all planet.
Two plants are blooming lets hope for that one from Noeli too.

Dyckia saxitalis

Dyckia saxitalis is a rock dweller from Goiás in Central Brazil.

Dyckia trichosthachia

Dyckia trichosthachia

This is a rare "capinzenta" (grass like) Dyckia fromEspírito Santo
Eastern Brazil.
For those who like them green these is a full dish.

Dyckia grandidentata

Dyckia grandidentata

No doubt this is a beautiful Dyckia but I do not see those big teeth the name suggests.
This individual here has much to grow and improve.
It gets deep red.
It is a strikingly beautiful plant.

Dyckia sp from Mato Grosso

I know almost nothing about this plant.
It gets big teeth and it is very succulent.
It is native to the Mato Grosso side of the Araguaia River.
This is a very rich in Dyckia species region and some
of the most striking species come from that area.

Dyckia monticola

Dyckia monticola
( monticola= mountain dweller)
Yes, species!
Normally it is seen totally green but some individuals are surprisingly attractive.
It flower is something the deserves remark.
This one was collected way up on the Northeastern Santa Catarina Uphills.

Yesterday and the day before yesterday it snowed in its habitat.
Here it is initiating a flower spike. I believe the plant feels a bit warmer here down the mountain in Joinville. Ten degrees centigrade must look as an anticipated spring to it.

Dyckia estevesii

Dyckia estevesii
Distic fan form
and the normal spiral form.
It seems almost nobody knew of this plant, this spiral plain normal form.
This is something science is learning little by little. Dyckias are surprisingly
rich of never seen before facts.
Not long ago all American plants should cross the Atlantic to be taxonomic classified.
Europe received them in a endless array of novelties.
They honored everyone they thought deserved and and specially the European rose pale faced guys.Most of our species have names just a very smart guy can spell.
But this is not so....

It seems Scientists get so used to that they rarely visited the place from where the plant came from. Non described species turned to exist only in the most inaccessible and remote areas of my country so the scientists still did not dare to get out of their air conditioned offices.
Going afield meaned to get face to face to the jaguar, the mosquitoes, the Indians, the snakes, the ordinary native settlers, heat, mighty rivers, high mountains, no road at all, running white waters, the Portuguese language, Brazilian people and more.....
So Scientists continued to rely to bush guys the job of collecting.
The bushman has to trans form his Portuguese words into something a bit more understandable and here the errors begin to be evident. Then the scientist will try to put these words int a death language words Latin that most probably he or she does not understand a word and describing turned into a play of keys. If this does not fits here it fits there and if not in any over there.
Taxonomic work was a job to be done inside the conditioned comfortable offices not far from home, scientist´s home.
Dyckias I guess are the plants the most allured and eluded scientists and science in the last decades. Dyckias have many many faces.
To get to know a Dyckia take years of observing in nature and in culture. Even is need to germinated their seeds and observe the results. Hybrids in nature are far more common than once was thought.
Science must be a bit more altruistic and brave concerning to Dyckias and Taxonomy must update itself we cross the Ocean in some hours and normally almost always sleeping, savoring a good wine or watching a most recent Hollywood release. Martius times were others and thanks God long ago passed by.

Dyckia estevesii

We and science will learn with this that Dyckias are surprisingly
more alluring than we once thought they were.

Dyckia fosteriana

This two plants are brothers
These two are cultivated Dyckia fosterianas from seeds of the very same collect
plant. The green one is more than extremely rare is an only one. It is this way. This scales were not washed away by rain nor hosing. In fact it never takes any rain.
It is not shadowed as well.

Dyckia fosteriana
No, this is not any hybrid! No, this is not collected! Yes, this is Dyckia fosteriana!
Where this came from?
This came from a plastic box! This is one amid hundred of other Dyckia fosteriana seedlings.
The parent plant , fosterianas are self fertile, is a deeply silvered one. In fact a
plant collected in Sengés, Paraná . Plants from this area are notorious silver to an extreme point.
So what is going on here?
Nothing strange to Dyckias! Dyckias are not a plant like the others!
They are very old plants it seems their time is over and it seems they know it.
They did anything in order to survive to all the changes in their environment for millions of years. Now they use those cards on the sleeves, kind of last play.

The silver scales help to protect the plant against the scorching sun. They reflect the sun and this way helping to prevent the plant from burning.
In habitat there is a struggle with other plants that produce shadow. Dyckias are sun lovers, extreme sun lovers. Maybe this is the way the species found the get enough sun rays.
In our eyes this a a mutation or a deformity or... Fact is we use to be observers of the obvious. We observe what really is there, present, visible. We should observe what is not there, hints, traces, tiny pieces long ago lost. Archaeologist of the living... living creatures are messages from the past.
We must open wide eyes and minds and really built science and education.
These are endless constructions.They are never over, they are ever new, renewed, new faced, deeper, better, fairer, much more trustable... but this has a price we all must pay
We must open not only our eyes wide open we must open wide our minds too.
Children must be taught to think, to argue constantly.
Ah, let us make questions:
Why this is it? Why this way? Why not the opposite? Why not the contrary?
Why are they telling so? What is this good for? Who is gaining from this?
Why not to dare? Why just accept as fact?
This world, this Universe is constantly changing, nothing is forever done. This construction never ceases, never over.
If my generation( I was born in 1954) was used to ask, to argue many, many, of our beloved ones were alive ( children, spouses, brothers and sisters, friends...)
If we accept, if we take for granted everything, if we teach our children how to swallow as final and true we will continue to die from cancer and many other infamies that should be present only in our nightmares.
A scientist, a Scientist, a SCIENTIST ought have eyes and minds wide opened.
We won´t reach the skies by bicycling....

Ah, isn´t this one here down beautiful?
Now that you know, isn´t it/
Yes, it is!

Dyckia gloriosa - This is a proposal for name!

Yes! I showed it before..
Isn´t it worth a hundred times?
Here by night and what a night. Light drizzle, five degrees centigrade,
coooooooold. Uphills is snowing....
Yes, Brazil.

At night , Dyckia monticola.

Dyckia monticola. True species. This is a reddish individual.
It can get even redder than this but the color is not true. It fades into green during
times of plenty. Some individual never change color and may be red or green.

Under The Nocturnal Cool Light Drizzel

This is a Dyckia species in fact this is a collected plant.
Nameless is a show plant. The color is vivid and it never fades way.
It is a true shade of a good Portuguese Port.
From behind it changes radically to a deep silver.
It looks a true brittle star an exploding star.
True species. This is all by night and drizzly night.

Dyckia sp from Rio Grande do Sul

Nothing seems to be as green as this beautiful Dyckia.
Its shade of green makes it a conspicuous presence no matter where.
Little is known with assurance about this pretty rocky lady.
It was found close to the little historical town of Piratini in
Rio Grande do Sul.
During hard times ( without water, too hot...) this plant shows a red purple rosette center.

Dyckia reitzii

Dyckia reitzii is this one. This is the type form from
Campo dos Padres in Santa Catarina.
There is another form known as rubra that comes from
Northeastern Rio Grand do Sul.
This area also is the home of a Dyckia reitzii solely silver.
Enlarge this picture and note the spination if your plant
does not have such spines your plant is another one but Dyckia reitzii.

Father Raulino Reitz died 1990 during during a ceremony in his honor in Itajaí , Santa Catarina.He was a very diligent man, virtuous professor, respected Catholic Father.
Himself a Santa Catarina native loved this land and all its natural beauties. He was brilliant as botanist and his taxonomic descriptions were superb as he was a master in Latin. He produced impeccable Latin descriptions.
He was fascinated by Bromeliads and was know as The Father of the Gravatás, a native word for Dyckias and Dyckia like bromeliads.
Founder of the Barbosa Rodrigues Herbarium in Itajaí-SC where we can find almost all
Santa Catarina flora descriptions and specimens as preserved material.

Dyckias are creatures of the light!

No doubt about it. Dyckias are not at easy under rain.
They pale, specially the silvered ones. These ones literally faint.
Cloudy rainy weather makes them quiet and some gets inconspicuous.
This one here is an exception, even under rain it continues to appeal and catch my eyes.
Do not get me wrong here, Dyckias love and need water. They hate totally dried substrate.
In fact they almost die. The tips of the leaves dry out, the plant looses its roots, wrinkles and do
a immense effort in order not to perish.
Some of the Cerrado plants endure months without rain but this is not the same as without water. They do need water, but it must just pass by.
The water need of a Dyckia as well as its relationship with water needs to be studied with care.

This beauty is relishing summer in David´s garden

Not even hurricanes fades me away. I am a Dyckia and not any Dyckia.
I am David´s! Here under Tennessee sun.

Big Beautiful and Bold

It is not any Katrina to get me down. I´m a Dyckia after all!

Big and beautiful and not in my garden

This impressive and beautiful Dyckia lives in United States. This Dyckia
is a plant produced from Brazilian collected seed.
It has survived froze, snow and one of the most terrible hurricanes
in the American Southeastern.
It looks closely to the Dyckia sp Cachoeira Dourada from Minas Gerais but I have some doubts.
This is a wish Dream Dyckia and the only one, up to now, that does not live in my garden and presented in this Blog.
Thank you David.

Dyckia encholirioides . They may get purple.....besides huge.

It seems that plenty of good food and many sunny days
develops this color on this imposing Dyckia.
Below you see it preparing for blooming when the spring time arrives.
September is the time for blooming in South hemisphere.

Dyckia estevesii - Not all of them are fan like.

The fan like Dyckia estevesii is a fantastic Dyckia, no doubt. No doubt?
No, no way! Many, many doubts!!!!

Do you know there is and was a no fan like plant right there? (There is the spot in wilderness where this marvel grows freely.)Well it seems so. ( Now more than just seeming.)
Do you wanna see it? Scroll down this post....
The plant is a ...like I say a grass like one ( a "capinzenta"!), a drab one.
This majestic fan like individuals are some ( and nowadays less and less and you may wonder why...) amid others.
People who cultivates the fan like "model" soon finds out the plant is not self fertile and when two are set side by side and continue being infertile they use to affirm the plants are clones from a very same plant.
Well, here we have to really observe the plant. First of all: what plant to observe?
But what do we know up to know?
Humm, almost nothing! Science had to be Light and it blowed the candle and turned off the switch of wisdom. So, being real we have a bit less than nothing.
The fan like "model" seems to be something triggered within the genetic code of the spiral normal "model" and produces the fan like plants. So the fan like are produced by the normal "capinzenta" ones. Alone or do they need some help? What help and who or what does help?
At which percentage appears the fan like plants? When? Always? What triggers this? Which plant is fertile and which is not and why or when?
Is the fan like "model" just a pollen producer, a pollinator plant?
Why was not mentioned there was another Dyckia living together, growing together? ( Like that American song. Burt Bacharach) Hummmmm.....
Knowledge and wisdom do not always run together like horse and carriage..... (also like another American tune... but you should be over fifty to know promptly)

Dyckia estevesii - what is going on here and what Science will do now?
What will be the next move?
It seems that Science is getting a blush face once more with Dyckias.
This is more then frequent and funny. This shows the human character of Science.
A paper and all the words written in there is a human piece, a human work and not something incontestable divine.
Next move?
Realize Botany is Human and commites mistakes.
What about discharging this horrendous name Dyckia?
These plants already had a name long before Columbus had been born:
Caraguatá or Gravatá.
Leave the name Dyckia to a small creek in German, a street or whatever if German are so fascinated by this guy. I do not believe so ´cause German exported princes and princess to everywhere possible, so many they used to produce.

The fan type Dyckia estevesii is an impressive plant.
Little or nothing is known concerning to its seedlings.
Plants in collections seem to be clones of the the very same plant. So
being self incompatible they never produce true seeds or fan like seedlings.
Also this leave disposition may be a comportment. The plant needs more observing.

Look straight here. We may have some hints and clues...

Dyckia estevessi is a gorgeous plant no doubt.
It is a real proof the shape matters.
A silver one seem to be a Dream not yet came true.
The plant is not self fertile.
Seeds count less for the plant clones itself easily.

This is another plant that grows with the fan like form and must
and should already have been studied.
It seems all seedlings initiate life as spiral normal plants and get
a fan like disposition as they get stronger.