Aug 30, 2011

Dyckia goehringii...the true one!! Compare if you dare....


Dyckia goehringii
So many fakes are around....
Look! 
An image is worth a thousand words...


This plant presents a challenge to produce self seeds.
It needs high temperatures and dry air otherwise its pollen does not
work and the flower turns itself apt to get allien pollen.
This way hybrids are absolutely what we see all around.
Without carefully assisted reproduction the plant will just 
produce hybrid seeds under cultivation.









Dyckia encholirioides a giant one....


Dyckia encholirioides


The huge trunk and the flower stems being  produced.
This is a costal species. It goes fine on sand and on rocks.
Adores the schorching sun and hearing the come and going of the Atlantic waves.


I already made very fine hybrids. 
They are almost a year old and are big dazzling beautiful ones.





Dyckia hb Brittle Star assisted reproduction


Dyckia hb Brittle Star


..even Dyckia ferruginea is present here...






Aug 29, 2011

Dyckia Snow White


Dyckia Branca de Neve or Dyckia Snow White 
 

This is one of the whitest plants I know and it was made from two regional varieties of Dyckia
fosteriana


Dyckia Branca de Neve  It may get even whiter than this here but it must be protected
from the rain and never be sprayed nor springled while being watered.





Aug 28, 2011

dyckia reitzii!!!







Dyckia goehringii X Dyckia fosteriana-fosteriana


One of the first intentionally made Dyckia goehringii hybrids


Still a young plant and yet very beautiful one.





Dyckia marnier-lapostollei var. estevesii


 Dyckia marnier-lapostollei var. estevesii
This plant produces slender thin flower stems.
 I just  hibridized it with Dyckia hb Brittle Star.
 What will come out?
 A beauty, sure!







Aug 27, 2011

Dyckia hb Bill Paylen


One of the most magnificent Bill Baker masterpieces Dyckia hb Bill Paylen is also about to bloom
by the very firt time in my garden. Its flowers will  match some of those of Brittle Star and they will mate
in deep genuine love, the love only dreamers share....


Making dreams.....


Dyckia hb Brittle Star conquered the most exclusive right to be indoors!
The plant is blooming and this is a time to celebrate.
 This  is one of the many masterpieces made by William Baker the world most famous
Dyckia hybridizer.
He made much more than any of us can imagine.
also this is  a way to say thank you to Steve Ball who  gave me many Bill Baker´s living work of art.
The plant is indoors to prevent any side pollination as my garden is awakening for life in full bloom and the winter is still here with rainy cold days.


Raquel, my beloved wife says: Constantino this is your advanced Christmas tree
and we are in late August.

  Up to now  we made crossings with:
-Dyckia ferruginea
- Dyckia reitzii
- Dyckia hb Star of Brazil
- Dyckia hb Picante
- Dickia marnier-lapostollei giant blue
... and the plant has just began opening its flower buds.
We have many, many more in mind.
Dyckia Brittle Star is a fantastica hibrid as it blooms when most of all is up to it too.
The monster  here reflected by the window pane is me...
 

...that drawing and water color hanged on the wall was made by myself in 1986.




Aug 25, 2011

Dyckia fosteriana-fosteriana Star of Brazil


Dyckia fosteriana-fosteriana Star of Brazil
 The first to exchange pollen to Dyckia hb Brittle Star in Brazil.




Dyckia hb Brittle Star first Brazilian Flowers


Dyckia Brittle Star
 First flowers in Brazil.
 I removed the masculine polineas of the second flower,  to prevent self
pollination. they were used to pollinate some differente Dyckia flowers as those of
Dyckia sp fosteriana-fosteriana Star of Brazil and two more Dyckia ferruginea flowers.



Notice the endumented sepals and the longer than the flower  floral bractea.





Aug 24, 2011

Dyckia hb Brittle Star aquired the honor to be inside my house....


Steve!
Thanks.


Dyckia Brittle Star
  Blooming in my garden and before the first flowers get opened Her Highness get in.
This is her bridal chamber.
Each of her flowers will have a different groom.
I am prepared to provide her with at least thirty different ones.
 She will be allowed to make many self polinated seeds but every groom pollen will get 
to carefully cared flowers as I will remove the pollen producers organs prior to fertilizing the feminine parts with allien pollen.
I am sure this baby will produce stunning ones plants.
Steve, the one who sent this beauty to me will be the first to get those beauties.
Paul will transform seeds into plants in his main room while the snow will fall outside.
Those will be to see to believe Dyckias.
Imagine dyckia hb Brittle Star and Dyckia ferruginea or red delicata or true  white goheringii...imagine.
Paul is this moment on the road from Los Angeles where he visited my friends. 
He spent some days in Phoenix, Arizona and already left New Mexico and North Texas and must be getting home in Arkansas.
He told me when he passed last night in Armadillo his car was full of plants and pots...and firt places.
Paul mamaged to  produce the most stunning new Dyckias in his house.
Ilumination and heating  all artificial and set favoring the plants to grow healthy and beautiful and every plant  observed closely every day.
His plants did not even wondered the snow was falling and pilling up outside.
Paul, congratulations!!
You won where champions had won. 
You won where Bill Baker, Bill Paylen, Nels, Steve and a few others had won
Your plants were close to the most beautiful and desired in the whole world.
Your plants won all the prizes..all!
This is remarkable in every sense.
California is the sacrosanct place in terms of hybrid Dyckias.
You were there and by the very first time you made it beautifully.
I am proud of you!!!
I am very proud of all my "gringo" friends!
These seeds are not made yet. But I have plans for them.
They will be all and each cultivated in USA
and won´t be cultivated by anyone....they will be under the  best care of Paul Rothstein, 
my firend, my award-winning friend.
He just got all the "Oscars" in Los Angeles area.
You made it there and so you can make it everywhere!
Thanks to Steve and Nels who opened arms wide to my friend, a New Yorker in Arkansas.
I am proud of you all!
Congratulations!!!!!!






Dyckia sp discoides...a new dyckia species from southwest in Santa Catarina


Dyckia sp discoides


Notice how fat are the leaves here and the contrasting spines...


Dyckia discoides
The name comes from the fact the plant canopy looks like discs on top of a fat trunk.
This plant is gorgeous and reminds me of Dyckia sp magnifica and
maybe they are related.





Three beauties.....

Dyckia sp from LagoĂ£o-RS



Dyckia  dawsonii
 
Dyckia hb Bill Paylen