Cactus Culture For Amateurs - free ebook by William Watson

FULL AND PRACTICAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR THEIR SUCCESSFUL CULTIVATION

. FIG. 1.—A COLLECTION OF CACTUSES. Frontispiece...

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PREFACE

HE idea that Cactuses were seldom seen in English gardens, because so little was known about their cultivation and management, suggested to the Publisher of this book that a series of chapters on the best kinds, and how to grow them successfully, would be useful. These chapters were written for and published in The Bazaar, in 1885 and following years. Some alterations and additions have been made, and the whole is now offered as a thoroughly practical and descriptive work on the subject. The des

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INTRODUCTION.

HE Cactus family is not popular among English horticulturists in these days, scarcely half a dozen species out of about a thousand known being considered good enough to be included among favourite garden plants. Probably five hundred kinds have been, or are, in cultivation in the gardens of the few specialists who take an interest in Cactuses; but these are practically unknown in English horticulture. It is not, however, very many years ago that there was something like a Cactus mania, when rich

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BOTANICAL CHARACTERS.

LTHOUGH strictly botanical information may be considered as falling outside the limits of a treatise intended only for the cultivator, yet a short account of the principal characters by which Cactuses are grouped and classified may not be without interest. From the singular form and succulent nature of the whole of the Cactus family, it might be inferred that, in these characters alone, we have reliable marks of relationship, and that it would be safe to call all those plants Cactuses in which s

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CULTIVATION.

Y noting the conditions in which plants are found growing in a natural state, we obtain some clue to their successful management, when placed under conditions more or less artificial; and, in the case of Cactuses, knowledge of this kind is of more than ordinary importance. In the knowledge that, with only one or two exceptions, they will not exist in any but sunny lands, where, during the greater part of the year, dry weather prevails, we perceive what conditions are likely to suit them when und

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PROPAGATION.

ACTUSES may be multiplied from cuttings of the stems, from seeds, and also by means of grafting; this last method being adopted for those species which, under cultivation, are not easily kept in health when growing upon their own roots, or, as in the case of Epiphyllums, when it offers a means of speedily forming large and shapely specimens. From seeds the plants are generally freer in growth than when cuttings are used, although the seedlings are longer in growing into flowering specimens than

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THE GENUS EPIPHYLLUM.

T is now about a century since some of the most beautiful of Cactaceous plants came into cultivation in this country, and amongst them was the plant now known as E. truncatum, but then called Cactus Epiphyllum; the name Cactus being used in a generic sense, and not, as now, merely as a general term for the Natural Order. Introduced so early, and at once finding great favour as a curious and beautiful flowering plant, E. truncatum has been, and is still, extensively cultivated, and numerous varie

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SPECIES.

E. truncatum (jagged); Bot. Mag. 2562.—Branchlets from 1 in. to 3 in. long, and 1 in. wide, with two or three distinct teeth along the edges, and a toothed or jagged apex (hence the specific name). The flowers are 3 in. long, curved above and below, not unlike the letter S; the petals and sepals reflexed, and exposing the numerous yellow anthers, through which the club-headed stigma protrudes; colour, a deep rose-red, the base of the petals slightly paler. The varieties differ in having colours

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VARIETIES.

The following is a selection of the best varieties, with a short description of the flowers of each: E. bicolor (two-coloured).—Tube of flower white; petals purple, becoming almost white towards the base. E. Bridgesii (Bridges').—Tube violet; petals dark purple. E. coccineum (scarlet).—Bright scarlet, paler at the base of the petals. E. cruentum (bloody).—Tube purplish-scarlet; petals bright scarlet. E. Gaertneri (Gaertner's).—This is an interesting and beautiful hybrid, raised from Epiphyllum a

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THE GENUS PHYLLOCACTUS.

S in the case of the Epiphyllums, the principal character by which the Phyllocactus is distinguished is well described by the name, the difference between it and Epiphyllum being that in the former the flowers are produced along the margins of the flattened branches, whereas in the latter they are borne on the apices of the short, truncate divisions. If we compare any of the Phyllocactuses with Cereus triangularis, or with C. speciosissimus, we shall find that the flowers are precisely similar b

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SPECIES.

P. Akermanni (named after a Mr. Akermann, who introduced it from Mexico in 1829); Fig. 10.—Stem becoming cylindrical at an early age, and clothed with little clusters of spiny hairs; the branches are flattened out, and form broad, rather thin, blade-like growths, with the margins sinuately lobed (waved and notched). The flowers are large—over 6 in. in diameter—the petals, very acutely pointed and undulated along the edges; flower tube 2 in. long, with a few small scales scattered over its surfac

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HYBRIDS AND VARIETIES.

In addition to the cultivated species of Phyllocactus there are numerous hybrids and varieties, many of which are beautiful and distinct either in colour or in size of blossom. The following is a selection of the best of them: P. albus superbus (superb white).—The most beautiful of white-flowered kinds. Flowers fragrant, 6 in. across, resembling those of the night-blossoming Cereus grandiflorus ; sepals greenish-white, petals pure white. P. aurantiacus superbus (superb orange).—A compact plant,

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THE GENUS CEREUS.

VER 200 distinct species of Cereus are, according to botanists, distributed over the tropical and temperate regions of America and the West Indies, extending to the Galapagos, or "Tortoise" Islands, 200 miles off the coast of Peru. It was in these islands that the late Charles Darwin found several small kinds of Cereus, some of them growing near the snow-line in exposed situations on the highest mountains. In Mexico, C. giganteus, the most colossal of all Cacti, is found rearing its tall, straig

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THE NIGHT-FLOWERING SPECIES.

The most interesting group is that of the climbing night-flowering kinds, on account of their singular habit of expanding their flowers in the dark and of the very large size and brilliant colours of their flowers. In habit the plants of this set are trailers or climbers, their stems are either round or angled, and grow to a length of many feet, branching freely as they extend. By means of their roots, which are freely formed upon the stems, and which have the power of attaching themselves to st

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THE SEMI-SCANDENT SPECIES.

These are characterised by a thin, drooping or trailing stem, and, though not strictly climbers, they may most fittingly be considered in a group by themselves. Some botanists have made a separate genus for them, viz., Cleistocactus, but for all practical purposes they may be grouped under the above heading, whilst popularly they are known as the Rat's-tail or Whipcord Cactuses. Two of them—viz., C. flagelliformis and C. Mallisoni —are generally grafted on the stem of some erect, slender Cereus

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THE GLOBOSE AND COLUMNAR STEMMED SPECIES.

Many of these are unsuited for culture in ordinary plant-houses, whilst others are so rare that, although cultivated in botanical collections, they are not available for ordinary gardens, not being known in the trade. There are, however, a good many species that may be obtained from dealers in Cactuses, and to these we shall confine ourselves here. At Kew, the collection of Cereuses is large and diversified, some of the specimens being as tall as the house they are in will allow them to be, and

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THE GENUS ECHINOCACTUS.

ANY of the plants included in the genus Echinocactus are very similar in habit and stem-characters to the Cereus. Botanists find characters in the seed vessel (ovary) and in the seeds by which the two genera are supposed to be easily separable; but, so far as can be made out by a comparison of their more conspicuous characters, there is very little indeed to enable one to distinguish the two genera from each other when not in flower. A comparison of the figures given in these pages will show tha

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SPECIES.

E. brevihamatus (short-hooked).—Several kinds of Echinocactus are distinguished from the rest in having the ridges divided into tubercles, which are often globular and arranged in a spiral round the stem, as in the genus Mamillaria; to this section the present species belongs. The stem is almost sphere-shaped, from 4 in. to 6 in. high, the tuberculated ridges about ¼ in. deep, and upon each tubercle is a tuft of about a dozen brown, radiating spines, with a long central one hooked at the point.

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THE GENUS ECHINOPSIS.

O less than three sections of Cactuses, viz., the above, Echinocactus, and Echinocereus, owe their names to their hedgehog-like stems. From a horticultural point of view, there is perhaps no good reason for keeping the above three genera and Cereus separate; but we follow Kew in the arrangement adopted here. The genus Echinopsis, as now recognised by most English botanists and cultivators, comprises about thirty species, most of which have been, or are still, in cultivation. They are distinguish

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SPECIES.

E. campylacantha . (curved-spined); Bot. Mag. 4567.—Stem 1 ft. or l½ ft. high, globe-shaped, with a somewhat pointed top, the sides divided into from fourteen to sixteen ridges, with tubercled edges, bearing clusters of about ten strong brown spines, which are stellately arranged, a central one projecting outwards, then suddenly curving upwards, and measuring 3 in. in length. The flowers are developed from the ridges on the side of the stem; they are 6 in. long, the tube shaped like a trumpet, b

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THE GENUS MELOCACTUS.

HIS genus forms a group of well-marked and curious plants, with stems similar to those of the globose Echinocactuses and floral characters quite distinct from all other genera. They cannot be said to possess any particular beauty, as their stems are stiff and dumpy, their spines large and rigid, and their flowers small and unattractive. But what is wanting in beauty of form or colour is atoned for in the cap which crowns the stem, and forms the flower-head, growing taller and taller whilst the s

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SPECIES.

M. communis (common); Fig. 54.—Stem from 2 ft. to 3 ft. in diameter, globose, with from twelve to twenty ridges, and armed with numerous clusters of strong, short spines, the clusters placed closely together. On the summit of the stem is a cylindrical crown, about 4 in. broad, and varying in height from 5 in. to 12 in. This cylinder is composed of a thick pad of whitish, cotton-like substance, through and beyond which a great number of bristle-like red spines are developed, the whole being not u

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THE GENUS PILOCEREUS.

NE of the most striking plants in this order is the "Old Man Cactus," botanically known as Pilocereus senilis , which is the only member of this genus that has become at all known in English gardens. In Continental gardens, however, more than a dozen species are to be found in collections of succulent plants; and of these one of the most remarkable is that represented at Fig. 56. The limits of the genus Pilocereus are not definitely fixed, different botanists holding different views with respe

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SPECIES.

P. Houlletianus (Houllet's); Fig. 56.—Stem robust, glaucous-green; ridges about eight, broad, prominent, obscurely tubercled; spines in bundles of nine, radiating, straight, less than 1 in. long, and pale yellow. Upon the growing part of the stem, the spines are intermingled with long, white, cottony hairs, often matted together like an unkempt head; these hairs fall off as the stem matures. Flowers funnel-shaped, resembling Canterbury Bells, borne in a cluster on the summit of the plant; ovary

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THE GENUS MAMILLARIA.

OMETHING over 300 different kinds of Mamillaria are known, but only a small proportion of these may be considered as garden plants. They are characterised generally by short, symmetrically-formed stems, sometimes aggregated together and forming a dense tuft, but, as a rule, each plant has only one stem. The generic name is descriptive of the chief feature in these stems, namely, the closely-set, spirally-arranged tubercles or mamillae, which vary considerably in the different kinds, but are alwa

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SPECIES.

The following kinds are selected from those known to be in cultivation; of course, it is out of the question here to enumerate all the species known. M. angularis (angular-tubercled).—A robust kind, with stems 4 in. to 8 in. high, and branching somewhat freely; tubercles prism-shaped, rather thick at the base, and slightly angular, ¼ in. long, their tops tufted with short white spines; at the base of the tubercles are little tufts of white wool. Flowers are only rarely produced by cultivated pla

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THE GENUS LEUCHTENBERGIA.

MONG the many instances of plant mimicry that occur in the Cactus order, the most remarkable is the plant here figured. Remove the flower from Leuchtenbergia, and very few people indeed would think of calling it a Cactus, but would probably consider it a short-leaved Yucca. In habit, in form, in leaf, and in texture, it more resembles a Yucca or an Agave than anything else, and when first introduced it was considered such by the Kew authorities until it flowered. The leaves, or rather tubercles,

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SPECIES.

L. principis (noble); Fig. 74.—This, the only species known, was introduced from Mexico to Kew in 1847, and flowered the following year. The plant attains a height of 1 ft. or more, the stem being erect, stout, clothed with the persistent, scale-like bases of the old, fallen-away tubercles, the bases having dried up and tightened round the stem. The upper part is clothed with the curved, leaf-like tubercles, from 3 in. to 6 in. long, grey-green in colour, succulent, with a tough skin, triangular

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THE GENUS PELECYPHORA.

IKE Leuchtenbergia, this genus is monotypic, and it is also rare, difficult to cultivate, and exceptionally interesting in structure. It is closely related to the Mamillarias, as may be seen, by comparing the Figure here given with some of them; indeed, it was once known as M. asellifera , having been described under that name when first introduced, in 1843. From Mamillaria, however, it differs in the form of its tubercles, which are hatchet-shaped, and cleft at the apex, where each division is

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SPECIES.

P. aselliformis (woodlouse-like); Fig. 75.—The size, habit, and structure of this plant are so well represented in the Figure that little description is necessary. The stems are simple till they get about 3 in. high, when they develop offsets about the base, which may either be removed to form new plants, or allowed to remain and grow into a specimen like that in the Illustration. The flowers are large for the size of the plant, and they are developed freely in the apex of the stems in the early

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THE GENUS OPUNTIA.

HERE are about 150 species of Opuntia known, all of them natives of the American continent and the West Indies, though a considerable number have become naturalised in many other parts of the world. They are, with very few exceptions, easily distinguished from all other Cactuses by the peculiar character of their stems and spines; they are also well marked in the structure of their flowers. They vary in size from small, trailing, many-branched plants, never exceeding 6 in. in height, to large sh

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SPECIES.

O. arborescens (tree-like).—This species is known as the Walking-Stick or Elk-Horn Cactus, from its cylindrical, woody stems being made into very curious-looking walking-sticks (examples of which may be seen in the Museum at Kew), whilst the arrangement of the branches is suggestive of elk horns. Habit erect; joints cylindrical, branching freely, and forming trees from 8 ft. to 30 ft. high. Stems covered with oblong tubercles and tufts of long, needle-like spines, which give the plant a very fer

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THE GENUS PERESKIA.

HE thirteen species included in the genus Pereskia differ so markedly from all other kinds of Cactus, that at first sight one can scarcely believe they are true Cactuses, closely related to Cereus and Epiphyllum. They have erect or trailing stems and branches, and usually form dense, large bushes; the branches are woody and thin, and bear large, laurel-like leaves, which remain on the plants several years—so that they may be termed evergreen. They have, however, the spine-cushions, the tufts of

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SPECIES.

P. aculeata (prickly); West Indian or Barbados Gooseberry.—Stem woody, more or less erect, branching freely, and forming a dense bush about 6 ft. high. Young branches leafy; old ones brown, leafless, clothed with large cushions of long, stout, brown spines, sometimes 2 in. in length. Leaves alternate, with very short petioles, at the base of which is a pair of short spines, and a small tuft of wool in the axil; blade 3 in. long by 2 in. broad, soft, fleshy, shining green. Flowers semi-transparen

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THE GENUS RHIPSALIS

. BOUT thirty species of Rhipsalis are known, most of them more peculiar than ornamental, although everyone is in some way interesting. They are remarkable for the great variety in form and habit presented by the different kinds, some of them much less resembling Cactuses than other plants. Thus, in R. Cassytha , the long, fleshy, whip-like branches and white berries are very similar to Mistletoe; R. salicornoides , with its leafless, knotty branches, resembles a Salicornia, or Marsh Samphire; a

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SPECIES.

R. Cassytha (derivation not known).—A pendent shrub, 4 ft. or more high, growing on rocks and the mossy trunks of trees. Branches numerous, flexuous, with small branchlets or joints springing from the ends in clusters, smooth, round, the thickness of whipcord, leafless, with numerous brown, dot-like marks scattered over the surface; under a lens these dots are seen to be tufts of very fine hairs. Flowers on the sides of the young branches, small, greenish-white, short-lived; they are developed i

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TEMPERATURES.

O enable growers to make a selection of species according to the accommodation that can be afforded for Cactuses, all that are described in this book are here classified in three groups: (1) Species which thrive in a cool-house or frame; (2) Species which can only be successfully grown in a warm house or stove; and (3) Species which are hardy in the more favoured portions of the United Kingdom. COOL-HOUSE OR FRAME. Temperature: Summer, that of the open air. Temperature: Winter—day, 50 deg. to 60

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OUTDOOR.

The following may be grown out of doors in the more favoured parts of England. For directions as to culture, see the chapter on Cultivation :—...

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DEALERS IN CACTUSES.

HE difficulty experienced by amateurs in procuring plants of many kinds of Cactus has suggested to us that a list of some of the principal dealers in these plants would prove of service to English growers. So far as we know, there is no nurseryman in England who makes a specialty of Cactuses. Plants of such well-known genera as Epiphyllum, Phyllocactus, and Cereus in part, may be obtained in England, but for a collection of representative kinds we must perforce apply to Continental nurserymen. T

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GERMANY.

Messrs. HAAGE &amp; SCHMIDT, Erfurt. Herr F. A. HAAGE, Junior, Erfurt. Messrs. MÜLLER &amp; SAUBER, Kassel, Hanover. Herr H. HILDMANN, Oranienburg, Brandenburg. Herr ERNST BERGE, Leipsic. M. EBERLE, Avenue de St. Ouen, 146, Paris. M. JAMIN, Rue Lafontaine, 42, à St. Ouen, Paris. M. LOUIS DE SMET, Ledeberg, Ghent. M. BETTES, Borgerhont, Antwerp. M. F. VERMUELEN, Rue Van Peet, Antwerp. Mr. C. RUNGE, San Antonio, Texas. Messrs. REASONER BROTHERS, Florida....

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BELGIUM.

M. LOUIS DE SMET, Ledeberg, Ghent. M. BETTES, Borgerhont, Antwerp. M. F. VERMUELEN, Rue Van Peet, Antwerp....

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AMERICA.

Mr. C. RUNGE, San Antonio, Texas. Messrs. REASONER BROTHERS, Florida. Species are listed alphabetically according to Watson's nomenclature. The name(s) that is more likely to be recognised by modern readers is listed in brackets. I have used Anderson's book— The Cactus Family (Timber Press, 2001)—as my main guide. Monographs by Craig and by Pilbeam were invaluable in identifying 'Mamillarias'. * Plants illustrated in the text....

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