Peanut cactus (Lobivia silvestrii)

Described is the collection of a segment of the Peanut cactus (Lobivia silvestrii) in Mabelreign, Harare, Zimbabwe and planting it in sandy soil in a pot, with the resultant impressive, deep red floral display. It's accepted scientific name is also Echinopsis chamaecereus and Chamaecereus silvestrii, and its different names may be associated with the fact that it was initially collected by botanist Carlo Spegazzini, but not located in later expeditions of Roberto Kiesling, who instead described Echinopsis sp. Lobivia/Echinopsis sp. is found in Bolivia, Peru and Argentina. The prolific cacti stems are globular with fine spines (vestigial leaves), the flowers are a deep red-orange colour and are large and funnel-shaped with a short tube. The large attractive flowers have three sets of radial petals: eight inner, middle and outer, respectively. There is a preponderance of short, radially situated anthers in the middle of which is a large stigma. The flowers are non-scented and wither are a few days. The finger-like stems are a pale green and are initially erect but then become prostrate and curve downward. The plants are cylindrical or globose in shape and require a moderately rich compost consisting of 1 parts of loam, leaf soil and sharp sand, and 0.5 part dry cow/herbivore manure. Off-sets are easily separated, root easily and should be pointed upwards, placed in the sunshine and grown to produce specimen cacti. This cactus is easy to cultivate in pots containing well-drained sandy soil which are watered once a week, and it flowers abundantly in the summer. They can survive outside in freezing conditions, but are more prone to rotting, so, ideally, they should be kept indoors and preferably on a windowsill (Cooper, 2022). Possible parasitic infestations include mealybugs, scale insects and spider mites.
Reference: Cooper, R.G. 2022. Plants & Wild Species. E-book/Print. Lulu Press Inc., Morrisville, N.C., U.S.A. pp. 30.

Posted on May 20, 2024 08:41 AM by rgcooper2023