365Caws is now in its 14th year of publication, and was originally intended to end after 365 days. It has sometimes been difficult for me to find new material, particularly during the winter months, but now as I enter my own twilight years, I cannot guarantee that I will be able to provide daily posts. It is my hope that along the way I may have inspired someone to a greater curiosity about the natural world. If so, I can rest, content in the knowledge that my work here has been done.
Wednesday, November 17, 2021
Zygorhipschlumberdopsis
Day 35: Don't get me started on the taxonomy of everyone's favourite holiday bloomers. It changes more often than you'd change your socks on a backpacking trip. I'm just going to call it "Zygorhipschlumberdopsis" and let it go at that. Nor is the common name particularly stable, or at least not if you listen to its many owners who report that their "Christmas" cactus is blooming at Thanksgiving and then again in time for an early Easter. Suffice to say that my white and yellow ones (shown together in the image above) are putting on a spectacular show this year, better than any in the last decade. Why? I suspect that our hot spell in June is in some part responsible, as is the fact that I haven't turned on the heat in the loom room yet this winter, and we've had some chilly nights. Ol' Zygorhipschlumberdopsis demands heat and drier soil in the summer months, and cooler temps when daylight hours shorten in order to be at its/their best. These two have migrated temporarily onto the fireplace mantle where I can enjoy them, and they'll be switched out with other colours as those come into bloom.
Labels:
Christmas cacti,
taxonomy,
Zygorhipschlumberdopsis
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