Cactus sunset

Black ink and watercolour sketch of a cactus sunset

Guardian against sunset 

the ancient cactus stands …

Cactus love

I just love the cacti growing in my garden and here I've done a few quick ink sketches on note paper of them in pots and in my garden.

Echinopsis oxygona cactus

Black ink sketch and watercolour of a cactus in a pot in my garden (Tarlton, Gauteng, South Africa) on note paper

The only cactus genus that is more confusing than Echinopsis is that of Opuntia. In both cases, there is a great number of species (over 100) and a tremendous amount of variation.

The main factor that ties these plants together are their very large, showy flowers. These flowers are all very similar in structure – funnel shaped, with hairy/wooly scaled floral tubes which give rise to hairy, globular fruit filled with a soft, mushy pulp. The flowers seldom last more than a single day and may be diurnal or nocturnal depending on the species.

Sometimes known as hedgehog cactus, sea-urchin cactus or Easter lily cactus, Echinopsis is native to South America.

Opuntia - Prickly pear cactus

my cactus waits patiently for summer
stuffed into a pot by the window
rain or snow cactus sits meditating
so deep you would think asleep -
would be more fitting. but I know better
get too close and cactus is alive and willing
sharp as ever and prickly with it.
- nivek

Sand dollar catus

Astrophytum asterias (this is next on my list for my collection) – a small, round, spineless cactus, up to 2.4 inches (6 cm) tall and up to 6 inches (15 cm) in diameter. The disc-shaped body is non-branched, flat, dark green in colour, with 5 – 11 (generally 8) ribs. In the middle of each rib there are woolly areoles. Native to small parts of Texas in the United States and Mexico. Also known as Sea Urchin Cactus, Star Cactus.

Cactus sunset - from my imagination

Guardian against sunset
the ancient cactus stands …

Trichocereus cactus

Trichocereus hybrids, sometimes called torch cacti, put on magnificent displays of large, brilliant flowers. Collectors will throw impromptu parties when all their plants bloom on the same day!

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Rattail Cactus sketch

 

Ink sketch and watercolour on Amedeo 200gsm

Sketch of my Rattail Cactus (Aporocactus flagelliformis), on my patio (Tarlton, Gauteng, South Africa). It is fairly easy to care for and maintain. It grows stems up to a four feet long, that hang and display brownish colored spines, which are terribly sharp and fine and somehow manage to get everywhere when you’re handling it!

The flowers are an absolutely beautiful (2in – 4in / 5cm – 10cm wide) pink tubular type (see photograph here) that usually bloom in spring for up to 5 days. These flowers will grow from any part of the stem, 4-5ft long, and you can expect plenty of them. Similar to many other cacti, they are very easy to grow indoors and outside (as long at the temperature is not too cold outside.

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Euphorbia cooperi

W&N watercolour on Bockingford 300gsm

 

Euphorbia cooperi (or Lesser Candelabra Tree, Transvaal Candelabra Tree, Bushveld candelabra euphorbia), is indigenous to South Africa. Found in KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, Gauteng and Swaziland up to Messina in the Limpopo Province, prefers well-drained soils and is mostly found in rockier places, often on granite outcrops and in rock cracks or in wooded grassland and thorny scrubland, in planes and in steep hillsides on north-facing slopes. This spiny succulent grows 4-7 m tall and produces small yellowish-green flowers in spring and summer.

Cactus Trichocereus

W&N watercolour on Bockingford 300gsm – 12″ × 8″

A cactus in a pot in my garden (Tarlton, Gauteng, South Africa) – Echinopsis hybrid. Columnar or Torch cactus. Native to the Andes Mountains, South America. It has withstood many a winter’s frost. The other cactus is wishful thinking on my part!

“The cactus thrives in the desert while the fern thrives in the wetland.
The fool will try to plant them in the same flower box.
The florist will sigh and add a wall divider and proper soil to both sides.
The grandparent will move the flower box halfway out of the sun.
The child will turn it around properly so that the fern is in the shade, and not the cactus.
The moral of the story?
Kids are smart.”

A great Tote bag to keep all your string, secateurs and other gardening tools close-by. 

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Bunny Ears Cactus (Opuntia microdasys)

W&N watercolour on Aqua 300gsm watercolour paper – 8″ × 12″

My Bunny Ears cactus on my patio (Tarlton, Gauteng, South Africa)

These cacti originated in the wild (North and Central Mexico) and are popular garden and house plants here in South Africa. I bought my Bunny Ears last summer and after a nice rest this past winter, is now showing lots of new ‘ears’. I’m just wondering if I will have any flowers while it is in a pot…
Opuntia microdasys forms a dense shrub 40–60 cm tall, occasionally more, composed of pad-like stems 6–15 cm long and 4–12 cm broad.

Opuntia microdasys has no spines, but instead has numerous white or yellow glochids 2–3 mm long in dense clusters; these detach very easily on being touched, and can cause considerable skin irritation, so the plants must be treated with caution. Despite this, it is a very popular cactus in cultivation.

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Cactus - Cereus jamacaru (Een-nag-blom)

Ink sketch and watercolour wash on Bockingford 300gsm – 8″ × 12″ 

Cereus jamacaru (Queen of the Night, Een-nag-blom)
Classification: Cactaceae
Incorrectly referred to as Cereus peruvianus in South Africa.

The Peruvian Apple Cactus, Cereus repandus, is a large, erect, thorny columnar cactus found in South America as well as the nearby ABC Islands of the Dutch Caribbean. It is also known as Giant Club Cactus, Hedge Cactus, cadushi and kayush. With an often tree-like appearance, the Peruvian Apple Cactus’ cylindrical grey-green to blue stems can reach 10 meters (33 ft) in height and 10-20 cm in diameter. The nocturnal flowers remain open for only one night. Unfortunately this plant has been declared an unwanted “invader” in South Africa due to it’s fast-spreading habit.

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Die Kaktus Cereus peruvianus (of Een-nag blom) is ’n boomagtige kaktus, partymaal tot 10m hoog, wat vir net een nag van die jaar asemrowende wit blomme voort bring. Ongelukkig is hierdie kaktus as ’n ongewensde indringerplant verklaar in Suid Afrika as gevolg van hul gewoonte om uiters vinnig te versprei. Daar is groot verwarring oor die eintlike naam van hierdie kaktus, aangesien Cereus vir heelwat kaktussoorte gebruik word. Die spesienaam, peruvianus, dui aan dat dit endemies is aan Peru, maar dit is ’n botaniese fout. Hierdie plant is eintlik endemies aan Brasilië, Uruguay en Argentinië.

Hierdie een groei langs Solly se kaia op ons plot (Tarlton, Gauteng, Suid Afrika) en hy was verskriklik ontsteld toe ek voorstel ons moet dit verwyder. Nou is hy die dood voor die oë gesweer as ek sou sien dat dit enigsins versprei!

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