HOOCK, H. 1985 . Siedlung und Eigenheim (Wächter Verlag, Berlin) Band: 38 Heft (9) Seite 302-304. Bischofsmützen
A preciousness from the new world:
Bishops' caps
Cactuses exert a special fascination on every plant friend. Although, in the meantime, they already are part of the mass-produced article in the supermarket, these representatives of the succulent plants still have an exotic attraction. They convey a feeling that there is still a piece of nature outside of our lived culture and garden landscape which people and their technique haven't occupied complete. Cactuses are masters in the art of living within plants. They settle climatic bordering rooms of the new world, other plants are no longer accessible.
Beside these typical cactuses with the qualities of succulence (water storage in the tribe tissue), the spines and tufts of hair on the areoles (vegetation points) also exsist different ones which have adapted to richer precipitation areas. Here are familiar to us primarily that one of phyllocacti (leave cactuses) and that one of zygocacti (Christmas cactuses). Let me introduce the genus Astrophytum (star plants), which contains the high developed stem succulents of Mexico. Their common German name "bishop's cap" is aptly derived from the five ribed shape. The Mexicans also describe the Astrophytum myriostigma as a "mitra" (bishop's cap). The genus contains five species, which live in separated areas (Outline).
Astrophytum ornatum
The evolutional oldest and most southern species is Astrophytum ornatum (= ornatus adorned) from the Mexican federal states Hidalgo and Queretaro. It was the first bishop's cap that came to Europe in the year 1828. When the botanist De Candolle unpacked the plant from the overseas box he thought, the new and unknown cactus was affected by fungus after the ship journey of some months. But to his astonishment he proved, that the complete body was strewed with white spots of tuft hair. One knows today that these spots represent a characteristic of the Astrophyten which only they have. The wool flakes serve perhaps for water collection, the protection against the sun and primarily the mimicry. One understands the visual adaptation to the surroundings by it. It gives the plants a great chance to survive because it offers protection against animal muck and sometimes also against the human collector activity!
Astrophytum myriostigma
The most perfect disguise is found at Astrophytum myriostigma (myriostigma = thousand dotted) which the Frenchman Lemaire described eleven years later in 1829. With its five-ribed thick body, covered with white wool spots and without spines you can find it hardly at its locations between the lime rocks of San Luis Potosi and Tamaulipas! Many cactus collectors discovered and described later varieties in the second half of the 19'th century. One knows even plants without wooly dots (nudes), plants with only four ribs and old Myriostigmas with seven, eight ore more. However, everyone has pure yellow flowers like Ornatum.
Astrophytum asterias
If an anectode is true, we owe the discovery of the also spineless Astrophytum asterias (asterias = sea urchin) to the desert wind! The german royal Karwinsky had to run after his rolling hat on a journey in Tamaulipas. His sombrero just found cought in the skinny brushwood where just the most beautiful species of the genus grew. The few species which reached Europe in 1843 soon disappeared because the culture of the plant isn't simple. The Asterias has been found again by Mr. Fric at the Mexican landowner Gonzalez only 51 years later. The plant is a rarity today too in cultivation. And in its native country it is nearly extincted. One has established another occurrence at the Rio Grande near the Mexican/Texas border at the beginning of this century. However the also very rare texan Asterias was wiped out soon by unprincipled dealers.
Astrophytum capricorne
As the last species of the genus Astrophytum capricorne (capricorne = goat horn formed spines) was found in 1850 by Poselger and described by Dietrich in 1851. These are the most northern bishop's caps in the states Coahuila and Nuevo Leon. They have a thick, long spines and splendid yellow flowers with a deep red throat. Their locations in the deserts of the Sierra de Paila are the driest habitats of all Astrophytums . Their spines play a large role in her mimicry. In the brushwood they disguise the plants excellently. Some plants look more like an arid tuft of grass than a cactus. One knows the varieties Astrophytum capricorne niveus = (snowily, snow-whitely), senile (senile = old) and crassispinum (crassispinus = strong spines) .
Astrophytum coahuilense (H. Möller) Kayser
The fifth species of the genus, the Astrophytum coahuilense, also grows in the native country of the Astrophytum capricorne. It got its name of his first found location in the state of Coahuila. It also lives in the adjacent Mexican federal states Zacatecas as well as Durango: so seen the name isn't very happily. A layman can hardly distinguish the Coahuilense from the "normal" bishop's cap, the Astrophytum myriostigma. The flower shows the difference. While the Myriostigmas have pure yellow flowers as mentioned, the Coahuilense shows a red orange colored center. A closer relationship with the Capricorne is obvious. The scientific systematics have mistakenly kept these plants as a variety of the Myriostigmas until the year 1939.
Culture and propagation
The cultivation of the Myriostigma and Ornatum might not represent any problem for the dedicated plant friend. They like a sand, loam mineral substratum. A reaction by pH 7 absolutely meets their approval: they settle areas with limestone formations in her native country like our Jura Mountains in Germany. April till September is their vegetation time in our European climate. The bishop's caps spend the rest of the year completely dry at temperatures around 10 degrees centigrade. The most frequent care fault consists that this rest period isn't taken into account.
All other Astrophytums have to be treated similarly. But caution: they don't tolerate a divergent treatment regarding watering and rest period far less. It is worth to take care about these preciousnesses in the plant kingdom, and there is hardly too much light and too little water for them. Darkness, cold and jam wetness take them to danger!
If you buy bunged Astrophytums in a supermarket, then cut the cactuses off to reroot them. (Outline). Let dry the plant at a shady but warm place some weeks and soon new roots are growing. Then put your Astrophytum into the substratum and give careful little water now. Bunged Astrophyten don't look very beautiful. Beside they don't get old on the customary pad because this usually dies soon.
If you want to propagate your bishop's caps by seed, there are more possibilities. Either you cross two simultaneous flowering individuals and reap the seed. Ore still more simply buy seed. Or you cut your bishop's cap in two. (Outline). Let the top dry several weeks until roots appear again as mentioned already. From the remained stump after some time new Astrophytums will shoot .
To raise plants from the cap-formed, 2-3 mm tall deep brown seeds is rather simple. The seeds are scattered only loosely on mineral substratum. One irrigates the planting vessels best by putting water from below. So seed do not swim around in the pots and the required mild humidity settle himself. The first seeds germinate already after a few days at high atmospheric humidity's and temperatures' around 25-28 degree centigrade. Take care that the young seedlings get fresh air. Against fungus attack one can use the easily available Chinosol with good success.
Let your young bishop's caps not quite dry up in the first winter and give them if possible a bright place at the window not under 15 degrees centigrade. If your seedlings turn out a little "longishly", it will grow together in next summer again. This time or in the early spring you can put the seedlings into a new substratum and larger pots. But you still have to wait for the splendid flowers at good care 3-4 years. Then the bishop's caps bring regularly and rich flowers from spring to fall. Your plants will get very old if you establish everything optimal. One knows that, for example, one hundred years aren't a limit in the life of an Astrophytum ornatum.
articles
Artikel
home