eclectic imaging
Cactus Flower
Posted by MadScientist (Düsseldorf, Germany) on 4 June 2008 in Plant & Nature.
Any cactus experts here? My first thought was 'Astrophytum', but I'm not really sure. Spotted at the wonderful xerophyte greenhouse in the botanical garden of Cologne.
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crafts from Malang, Indonesia
Beautiful.. i like the white line from the cactus..it makes like a special background for the flowers..nice shot!
4 Jun 2008 6:34am
@crafts: Thanks! It's not as spectacular as yesterday's one, but I love this lavish bouquet :)
Ian Bramham from Manchester, United Kingdom
I've always loved cactus flowers....the contrast between the beautiful flower and the spiny cactus is so stark. Lovely shot!
4 Jun 2008 8:13am
@Ian Bramham: Thanks! I'm very envious of people who manage to let them flower regularly. This can get really tricky!
Michael Skorulski from Cigel, Slovakia
Lovely detail and very delicate yellow make this image lovely.
4 Jun 2008 10:49am
@Michael Skorulski: The signs in the background are a bit disturbing, but I guess that's the price you have to pay in an educational greenhouse :)
Japanalia from Yokohama, Japan
Wonderfully captured flowers, with so much details! I also like the way you composed the shot! It's unbelievable what a cactus can produce!!!!!
4 Jun 2008 12:26pm
@Japanalia: That's true! But while cacti produce structures that can simply be identified as 'flowers', the inflorescences of aloes and agaves are just incredible! More about that soon! :-)
JoeB from Brampton, Canada
The bright flower is such a contrast to the cactus leaf, small yet another world. No expert but its in the cactus family, just trying to help.
4 Jun 2008 1:14pm
@JoeB: When I was in that greenhouse two weeks ago, it was just the right moment: many of them were flowering. Next time I'll just note down the name; almost every cactus there has a sign with its name on it!
jenniellen from little town, United States
and again today...so beautiful...exquisite!
4 Jun 2008 2:54pm
@jenniellen: Wait until you see the flowering agaves :-)
Oh, did I mention my mail-order of some more hen-and-chicken...? Should be arriving very soon! ;-)
Michael from Wuppertal, Germany
Sehr schöne Kaktee! Meine Frau ist ganz vernarrt in diese stacheligen Gesellen!
Leider kennen wir uns beide damit nicht so genau aus!
4 Jun 2008 3:02pm
@Michael: Wir haben auch ziemlich viel Lehrgeld zahlen müssen! Mal hält man sie zu naß, mal zu trocken, mal stehen sie zu dunkel, Sonnenbrand können sie aber auch bekommen, gedüngt werden wollen sie auch (aber natürlich nur mit den richtigen Nährsalzen!), das Torfsubstrat, in dem sie anwachsen, taugt nichts: am besten gleich in sandiges Substrat umsetzen... Aber wenn sie dann blühen, ist es klasse! :-D
Observing from Chester, United Kingdom
Beautiful Lemon colored cacti, what I noticed is that the spikes look soft compared to other cactus.
4 Jun 2008 3:26pm
@Observing: I didn't touch them but they seem spiky enough for me! :-D
@Olivier Jules: Thanks a lot, Olivier!
Ronnie 2¢ from London, United Kingdom
There is very little in Nature that is much less than miraculous but flower clusters on a cactus must rate high on the unexpected scale. And what a beautiful color.
4 Jun 2008 9:52pm
@Ronnie 2¢: The plant kingdom is full of surprises like this. Some of them reveal unexpected beauty (like the flowers of a cactus), others are quite miraculous (as there is a desert plant - Welwitschia mirabilis - that is sort of a tree without a stem, that produces just two leaves (they keep constantly growing) and that is distantly related to conifers) - just amazing!
Sérgio Martins from Felgueiras, Portugal
i love this kind of nature shots because i simply can't do it. I have a natural tendence to dark shots. So, simply a great photo.
4 Jun 2008 10:05pm
@Sérgio Martins: Thanks so much, Sérgio! I'm presenting just the beautiful shots here, so keep chasing the rainbow and make a lot of pictures - you won't regret! :-)
akarui from Kagoshima, Japan
I haven't see many cactus flowers but they are very nice.
4 Jun 2008 11:01pm
@akarui: Yes, they are - and the more I know about the issues of cactus growing the more I appreciate their beauty.
Canon EOS 300D
1/200 second
F/13.0
ISO 400
100 mm