January 25, 2013

Prior to World War I cactus growers knew only a few species of the large genus Lobivia, classing them under the genus Echinopsis.  It was not until after the war that the renewed interest in cactus growing opened to collectors the great wealth of mountain and alpine locations.  The habitat of the small, hardy lobivia is Bolivia (which also gave its name to the genus), north-west Argentina and partly also Peru.“
Decorative Cacti: A Guide to Succulent House Plants, pg. 54

This description is much outdated, as the genus is again under the umbrella of Echinopsis, underscoring one of the most frustrating features of the Linnaeus system: a constant renaming/regrouping/restructuring.  Many collectors still use names that are no longer considered the "appropriate” name - take a look at this list of synonyms for Lobivia for example. 

The first plate is Lobivia famatimensis.  The second, L. jajoiana.

I have two Lobivia in my collection for a simple reason: the blooms.  The genus is stocked with a myriad of blooms in a multitude of colors.  One features pink blooms on a squatty plant, while the other is a Trichocereus Lobivia hybrid with huge saucer-shaped deep pink flowers.

Whatever you choose to name them, they are knockouts and must-have in any cactus collection!

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    A rainy week and “falling back” means I’m going to recycle some content. Hope you enjoy (again).
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