Escobaria vivipara- complex

[RickR]

Thanks John.  What kind of tart: lemon, grapefruit, dry astringent, "no taste" tart... ?  I couldn't detect any "flavoring" with the little tartness in my berries.  Certainly not astringent, though.  My berries are still firm and plump with varying amounts of reddish blushing.  A week or so before picking, temps got down to 34F for two nights.  I wonder if that affects taste with cactus?

So your missouriensis was a little mealy, too?

[Weiser]

Tart as you would experience eating a Granny Smith apple or sour grape.
The missouriensis had more fibrous tissue and not as much viscous gel, but I wouldn't call it mealy.

[Hoy]

What kind of animal usually eat the berries and disperse the seed?

[RickR]

What kind of animal usually eat the berries and disperse the seed?

That's a good question.  I've never seen any berries plucked out in the wild or at my home.  I suspect they aren't consumed until the body of the cactus has shrunk for winter, and better exposes the berries for easier harvest.  In my photo above, the cactus has already begun to shrink considerably.  I have seen many wild specimens in Minnesota as late as the end of September, when the berries have been ripe with a reddish blush for at least a few weeks and none have been removed.  But I haven't seen them in the wild after the cactus have shrunk down to really know what happens then.

[DesertZone]

I would say packrat.

[Andy71]

Rick, do you still have vivipara seeds from the MN/SD border? I'd like to try it.

[RickR]

 
I do, Andy.  Seed from plants grown from seed from the MN/SD border (ex MN/SD border).   Click on my name, and PM me with your address and I will send you some.

[RickR]

Escobaria vivipara in the wild, in Minnesota near the South Dakota border. This one grows at the edge exceedingly slow growing moss over granite with lichens.  Apparently there are good pollinators there, but 150 miles east where I live, I need to hand pollinate mine to get good seed set.

        

[Weiser]

What a nice find! Looks like it put on quite a show this spring! You'll have to go on a seed collecting trip later, I hope you GPSed it's location.

[cohan]

Escobaria vivipara in the wild, in Minnesota near the South Dakota border. This one grows at the edge exceedingly slow growing moss over granite with lichens.  Apparently there are good pollinators there, but 150 miles east where I live, I need to hand pollinate mine to get good seed set.

Good find! Seems really tiny? I wish Escobaria habitat in Alberta was closer, but its a good several hours drive just to get to the start of it, and I only found one plant last time I searched, prob need another hour driving to find more...

[RickR]

It is about two inches (5cm) high.

[cohan]

Nice! small is the way I like my cacti

[DesertZone]

I wonder how big they can get.

[RickR]

Still only about 2-3 inches high, but I have seen a "mat" in the wild (Minnesota) half again larger than what you show, Aaron.

[Weiser]

I have seen some of the low matting form, found in short grass prairies of the Dakotas with approx 100-150 heads and some were around 18-24 inches across but it is rare to see them that large.