SHINER CACTUS NURSERY 
23 
ASTROPHYTUM'STAR PLANT 
Asti’ophytum myriostigma—Northern, North Central Mexico— 
This is the well known “Bishop’s Mitre”, globular to cylindric, spine¬ 
less, 4 to 9 ribs, very broad, acute, usually covered with white woolly 
scales. 
var. coahuilensis—Found in Coahuila, so thickly covered with 
white felted dots that the color of the plant body is completely hid¬ 
den. In age this sp. tends to become columnar, up to 18 ins. Flower 
is yellow with red center and the fruit dehisces through a basal pore. 
var. potosina—Of the state cf San Luis Potosi. Is less thickly 
covered with white dots. Usually of greater diameter than height. 
Has a ye'low flower without red center and the fruit dehisces through 
four or five splits in the upper half forming a cup resembling the 
clay of a flower with 4 or 5 sepals. 
var. tamaulipensis—from Tamaulipas. Is intermediate between 
the 2 sp. just described. It is less thickly covered with white dots 
than var. coahuilensis but resembles it more in shape. The flower 
lacks the red center of coahuilensis. Dehiscence is similar to var. 
potosina but the plant body is never as squat. This is the most sym¬ 
metrical in form of all the myriostigmas. 
var. columnaris—from the border line of S. Tamaulipas and San 
Luis Potosi is a taller and slenderer species with 7-9 ribs. The flower 
is small, of paler yellow than other species. Fruit dehisces as does 
that of var. potosina and var. tamaulipensis. 
var. quadricostsata—Four ribbed member of any of the first 3 
species. 
var. nuda—is apparently var. pctosina, for some reason lacking 
partly or entirely the characteristic white dotting. In cultivation it 
soon becomes indistinguishable from it. 
Note: In age all of these species tend to develop excess ribs. 
Astrophytum asterias—Mexico and in Texas in a limited area 
in Lower valley of the Rio Grande, but becoming very scarce. In na¬ 
ture low growing, depressed. In cultivation more rounded, globular. 
Ribs 8, low, with prominent, circular, felted areoles down the center 
of each rib. Good descriptive name, the “Sea Urchin”. Flower large, 
yellow, with red center. Dehisces through basal pore. 
Astrophytum capricorne—North Centra] Mexico. Short cylin¬ 
dric. Ribs 7 or 8, high, acute; spines several; flowers large, reddish 
without to lemon yellow within. Found cn hills of lime formation. 
Varieties crassispinus, senilis and aureus. Dehisce through basal pore. 
Astrophytum ornatum—Central Mexico. Subglobose to cylindric 
surface usually quite white floccose. Ribs 8, prominent, acute, often 
curled; spines prominent, stout; flowers large, yellow. An artistic 
species, even seedlings very attractive. Fruit dehisces through slits 
in the upper half. 
var. mirbelli grows to a large plant, 3 feet in height. 
SUCCESSFUL PROPAGATION OF CACTI 
Propagation by cuttings is one of the most popular and success¬ 
ful forms of cactus propagation. Make a clean cut and allow cutting 
to callous over before p’anting. This takes 2 or 3 days for thin species 
and 4 or 5 for stout types. One can obtain specimen plants very much 
quicker from cuts than by raising the same species from seed. 
Many propagators advocate rooting of cuttings in absolutely dry 
clean, sharp sand. It is surnrising how soon small roots begin to 
form. When a nest of roots has formed transplant to regular plant¬ 
ing soil. 
During late Fall and Winter we have done much successful root¬ 
ing of both cuts and plants by planting them in dry soil in a fairly cool 
nlace and leaving them without watering until Spring. At this season 
the majority of cacti growing outside are dormant. This is their rest¬ 
ing neriod after which thev bloom more freelv in the Spring. Plants 
kept in the home under ordinary living room temperatures do not be¬ 
come dormant as they do in nature. 
SOIL. 
Looseness of soil for both cacti and succulents is verv advisable. 
Considering soil variations over the country it is impossible to give 
an exact soil formula. Then too different plant families require soils 
o+' varying richness. A ghod average mixture, however, may be made 
of one-third each of good garden leaf, well rooted leaf mold and clean, 
sharn, coarse sand,—mixed and sifted. To this should be added a 
small amount of ground old mortar as the majority of cacti require it. 
Ground charcoal is excellent in soil mixtures intended for pots, not 
for what it does but for what it may prevent. Cerei. Neomammillar- 
ias, many Echinocerei take a richer soil than the above. They are 
found in Mexico growing in richest leaf mold. 
Sand is used in aerating the soil and for quick drainage of water 
away from the roots, two essentials in successful cactus gardening. 
WATER. 
Rainwater is always preferable to most hydrant water for plants. 
Many valuable life giving properties from the air are incorporated in 
all rain water and are made available to plants because of being in 
solution. The soil about rooted plants should not be allowed to become 
or remain absolutely dry for any length of time as this causes the 
minute hair or feeder roots to die. Newly put out plants should be 
watered very sparingly for several weeks or until their root systems 
have gone to work again. 
