Dyckia hb Brittle Star....You´ll be always by my side....

Dyckia hb Brittle Star 

...original clone blooming by the very first time in Brazil

 ...and I guess I never told you

 I am so happy that you´re mine...you´re always on my mind

You´ll be always by my side.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSI8TSl17Gc 

Dyckia fosteriana-fosteriana and Dyckia Brittle Star getting ready for love

Star of Brazil a myself made plant and the epitome of all hybrid Dyckias 

and a Bill Braker masterpiece Dyckia Brittle Star.

This is a unique, single and only one moment as

Both plants are extra rare.

Star of Brazil is this one only.

Notice the influence of  the fosteriana on Brittle Star.

From here I intend to bring up Dyckia hb Steve Ball a friend of Bill Baker and also a friend of mine.

It was thanks to Steve this plant is with me.

My eternal gratefulness!

Also I hope I can make Dyckia hb Miracle too from this match, also Dyckia hb Dreams.

Here I will tell the story behind this:

One Day I got an email saying something quite close to this. I am Steve Ball and I was Bill Baker´s friend and neighbour. I keep almost all of his plants and I admire your plants as this gives me inspiration.Would you like me to send you some including the genuine and original Brittle Star and the even better looking Bill Paylen?

I got dizzy and immediatly replied thanks but I can not afford them as I do not have the money to pay for.

I was so rude! I understood that when Steve answered: Who said anything about money? It is a gift!!!

But I can´t sand you any living plant, it is forbiden by law here in Brazil and it would take ages for your plants to get here, something close to 60 days, I even complained.

You do not need to send me anything, its a gift and I promise the box will arrive to your door in a week or so!

Now I almost fainted! I called out loud for Raquel and she stayed looking at me searching for bad sings as I have some health concerns of my own. I said to her, please read this and tell me I understood. Raquel speaks and reads English and German and she said: It does seems you´ve got a friend from the Milk and Honey Land. See, miracles do exist!

 Oh, Lord Almighty... time stood still! Days were longer than months...and when I was thinking I had dreamed and a week later: the Brazilian Post Office yellow cargo stopped here: Mail for constantino, the post man yelled out loud and added: from the United States!!!

 I garantee you can not feel even close to what I felt and the postman said: sign here, its everything prepaid  already. I see you are happy, he added... He simply could not even make the slighthest idea....I was floating in mid air.Raquel and the three chow-chow dogs following me ...all around me. I thing when we are happy angels also want to be close to us.......one week only...a heavy large box....trembling hands and my heart trying to get out of my mouth....I had to sit down and deep breath...the box on my lap my hands on it.

Raquel, I said...this is not happening...tell me this is true, she handed me a razor for me to open the box.....

...full, full of marvels..the box was full!

..and from it came first Dyckia hb Bill Paylen...my eyes went fogged...then Dyckia Toothy Wolfgang...Dyckia Tarzan...Dyckia Son of Tarzan.......and then...and then there it was looking at me: Dyckia Brittle Star...

I may live a thousand years I will ever remember that day...and one day when Iáll be able to talk to angels  I shall tell them this over and over and over till they get bored...

Thanks!

Dyckia ferruginea

Dyckia ferruginea

The rusty one. Now we know why.....

Dyckia sp Lagoão-RS

Dyckia so Lagoão Golden

This is  one of the most beautiful of our Southeren species.

The plant gets greener during  the winter when less and weaker light  is present.

Its underleaf endument is richily colored by a rose pinkish hue tha it unique among Dyckias.

Dyckia hb Luar do Sertão..moonshine over the bushes

Dyckia hb Luar do Sertão

Moonshine over the bushes

Made by myself and I have it as a perfection or almost that.

Notice the pinkish spines.

Dyckia delicata cyanophylla...simply the best!

Dyckia delicata cyanophylla

 Simply the best, 

better than all the rest.
Better than anything,

anything I've ever seen.

This is just like a dream,

hope you know what I mean...

A refugee from paradise

and since then

Gods have searched in vain

They have thrown their dice

When?

Dyckia hebdingii in wilderness..

Dyckia hebdingii in nature

Just one single plant, maybe more than 100 years old.

This species never sprouts! This is all done by crown divisions so

all these crowns are in fact the very same plant, same individual.

This picture was not taken by me.

Also notice no rossete  isd perfectly uprigthed and this helps the plant not to hold water

in its center and propitiates the fungus development.

this plant can endure some mild frosts without  any harm in fact it 

is not at easy when living under a perpetual Summer.

It need some freezing cold chilling to show up its vigor and beauty.

Dyckia sp gloriosa

Dyckia sp gloriosa

I am repeating this but I think this is worthwhile.

This plant is native to Northeastern Santa Catarina uphills.

I found this in wilderness just half an hour trip from my garden.

It was living at exactele 1001 meters high from sea level.

This plant is a show to any eye. Colorful year around its leaves are just like ribbons

that lay down on the substrate forming a disc of colorful leaves. 

The underleaves are contrasting silver.

Nothing compares to this beauty....

The Dyckia Royal marriage, indeed!

 Dyckia hb Bill Paylen

Their blooms are due to open simultaneously....

Dyckia hb Brittle Star

Dyckia sp magnifica

 Dyckia sp magnifica

Native to Santa Catarina continue to be one of the rarest  Brazilian Dyckias.

It stands cold well bellow freezing.

Dyckia ferruginea

 Dyckia ferruginea

Native to Mato Grosso. 

Its  Latin name comes from the flowers buds and the flower stem appearence, rusty.

..all anxious for blooming...

Dyckia hb Bill Paylen

 Dyckia hb Brittle Star

Dyckia hb Tarzan

Dyckia marnier-lapostollei var. estevesii

Dyckia marnier-lapostollei var. estevesii

This species has many regional varieties as it is found distributes  in a huge are within Central Brazil. Meanwhile this is the only variety to be named.

Always produces weak flower stems.

...me Tarzan you Jane and you are Son of Tarzan.... Dyckia hb Son of Tarzan by Bill Baker

Dyckia Son of Tarzan

Its delicate scales must be protect from waterings and the rain

otherwise bald areas may be created.

...me Tarzan you Jane.... Dyckia hb Tarzan by Bill Baker

Dyckia Tarzan

...a Bill Baker beauty about blooming.

Dream, dream...dream...

 Dyckia hb Bill Paylen

Two of the most beautiful, famous and most wished hybrid Dyckias.

When we cross two  hybrids the resulting plants may be splendid and no two are equal.

Each plant an only one and unique in all universe. They may be  very similar to one another,

as we see here, but each singular. I do suspect these two plants here are brothers and descent

from the very same already hybrid parents.

We can notice hints of Dyckia marnier-lapostollei, fosteriana, brevifolia, dawsonii...all in a very amazing and  well known display.

Now imagine what would we have with a crossing here and also including some Dyckia delicata blood....hummmmm...

Dreaming....nothing exists that was not dreamed before!

Reality is a dream you can touch...

Dyckia hb Brittle Star

Dyckia hb Toothy Wolfgang

Dyckia Toothy is a Bill Baker creation

and a masterpiece no doubt.

Here in my garden thanks to

Steve Ball.

The Californians made Dyckia be desired and admires

around the globe.

The Dyckia Royal marriage!

Dyckia Bill Paylen

These are  among the most spectacular, desired and sought after hybrid Dyckias

of all times. They are Bill Baker´s masterpieces!

They are blooming here in my garden thanks to Steve Ball a Bill Baker´s friend and 

plant club collegues...a gift to kings!

These plants here are spectacular and in pristine conditions and both are about blooming.

Some of the most unique hybrids came from Thes two plants alone, Dyckia Bucksaw Ripper,

South Bay, Arizona... Now imagne the two together..

Californians were the first to keep and hybridize Dyckias and the most spectacular hybrids are there or originated from those in there.

Now a tribute to Bill Baker and a thanks to Steve Ball is about to happen here...here in Brazil, the Land of Dyckias.

this here is a roll of miracles, like bids in a rosary they  hpped one by one under the wish of a superior power we may call....God.

- I did not buy these plants!

- They were gifts!

- They got to Brazil in seven days..a record!

- They made in without  problems.

- They loved the climate and my treatment.

- They a pairing blooms...

 Dyckia Steve Ball is about to exist!!! About to come out my mind...out from God´s best wishes of luck to me...

Thank you Steve!

Also, both  these plants will  have some flowers polinated  with Dyckia delicata pollen.

Dyckia Brittle Star

 

Dyckia marnier-lapostollei X Dyckia brevifolia

Here the regional marnier-lapostollei used was one native to Our 

Federal District of Brasília. It was found in the Southwest extreme point of

our Federal District almost  into Goiás State.

Notice the pronounced triangular shape of its leaves is transferred to this hybrid.

Dyckia hb fosteriana-fosteriana White Snow

Dyckia hb fosteriana-fosteriana Snow White

Almost all the best known Dyckia hybrids have a bit of Dyckia marnier-lapostolei or Dyckia fosteriana

in their veins. This is a pure Dyckia fosteriana but results from two different regional varieties of fosterianas.

It is an increadible white plant all by myself made in my backyard.

 

Dyckia sp noelii

Dyckia sp noelii

This is species and under the process of description.

Noeli is the name  of the woman and plant lover who found the plant in nature

We suspect this plant is a Dyckia dusenii affinis in spite Dyckia dusenii lives some 300km North from this beauty home.

This is native to Santa Catarina Northeast uphills.

It is used to freezing cold winters and also some severe frosts when the temperature

go down below freezing.

Leaves are true colored year around and the underleaves are much endumented.

What means an endumented underleaf in a Dyckia?

This is a very useful trick when the dry times come.

The plant uplifts its leaves protecting the growing point.

doing so it  shows the silvery endumented underleaves to the Sun and also inable the plant to get humidity from the dew with much more efficiency.

In nature nothing is for nothing! Every detail has a practical meaning...

Readers, followers and friends:

I am having problems with my PC and I can not post any pictures til all the problems are fixed.

Until there you can visit old posts. They are many and I am sure you

Dyckia enthusiasts will find interesting informatiton and images.

I hope everything will get back into normal soon.

Thanks.

Constantino Gastaldi

Friday, July, o8th 2011.

Dyckia goehringii.....

 

Dyckia goehringii

 This  plant is white wax covered all over including spines an both sides of its leaves.

the flowers stems are green as one can notice here.

Its flowers can not be self fertilized in cold temperatures.

this fact seems to have lead many enthusiast to hybrid plants without noticing 

the plant can´t produce  its own seeds.