MagiCactus.com

 

Growers Notes... New Species or Not??

Lophophora Diffusa var. fricii El Amparo

Lophophora Diffusa var. fricii is found in the plains and foot hills outside the town of Viesca in the south-western state of Coahuila Mexico surrounding the Viesca Basin growing mostly in clusters. In my opinion this variation has to be the prettiest of the Lophophora family in its entirety, due to this I just couldn't help myself with all the pictures I posted here below... especially the second one down I personally call extreme. It's skin has a softer look with such nice light green tones and produces the prettiest of flowers over all. All members of the fricii designation tend to grow pups quite readily, forming nice clumps of plants with many heads producing many flowers at a time. Flower colour for all designations of the fricii group range from light pink to a deep magenta, giving the famed jourdaniana version a run for its money. More so, I have noticed an incredible variation in flower colour, ranging from a solid pink/magenta to wonderfully bright pink strips with pure white edges as shown in the plant below.

Plants from the region of El Amparo as well as those from the area of LaPa Mexico, seem to have the greatest tendency to produce the deepest magenta of tones in their flowers. I have been so intrigued by the colour variations of flowers from this plant, that I have only kept plants of the deep pink/magenta within my private collection for future seed production. Seeing as how the plant is also self sterile and requires cross pollination, I hope to produce seeds that have a greater tendency to produce flowers of the deep magenta tone due to this carefully selected group of plants within my private collection.

The plants within this group have proven to be easily germinated and mature very fast compared to others within the Lophophora genus. My record as of yet for growing these plants to maturity and producing its first flower, is exactly one year and one week from the date of planting its seed. All plants in the fricii group flower incredibly often and when kept in batches tend to all flower at the same time which makes for a lovely sight and helps with cross pollination. Seed pods are of a bright red tone and quite large holding as many as thirty plus seeds in each pod. Care must be taken with plants in this group as they can rot easily if over watered.

Above: Lophophora Diffusa var. fricii El Amparo

Above: Lophophora Diffusa var. fricii El Amparo extreme

Above: Two year old Lophophora Diffusa var. fricii El Amparo depicting its flower colour variation as well as the spiecies tendancy to produce sharper pointed petal tips.

Above: Lophophora Diffusa var. fricii El Amparo flower colour variations

Above: Year and a half old Lophophora Diffusa var. fricii El Amparo seedlings ready for transplant.