Cactus Explorers Journal - The Cactus Explorers Club

The Cactus Explorer ISSN 2048-0482 Number 4 May 2012
first time in 2010 we saw the hill, and asked the
people at the estancia if there were globular
"pencas" there. They confirmed and let us in.
In the more open parts, there were only some
Echinopsis albispinosa, then I moved to the other
side of the hill, and there they were, just
waiting for me! Really beautiful plants”.
In terrain like this, the cacti are found only in
places where they are not in competition with
the leafy plants, for instance in rocky places,
where their succulence is an advantage,
allowing them to survive during the dry
season. As you drive along the road, it can be
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difficult to see places which might be suitable
for cacti because in this region the hills are
generally covered with a dense evergreen or
semi-evergreen vegetation, so it can take much
patient searching to find the plants.
The name G. bayrianum first appeared
(invalidly) back in 1967 but the plant is still not
common in general collections. My seedlings
first flowered when in 9cm pots and the plants
get even more attractive when large. Its closest
relatives are thought to be G. cardenasianum
and G. spegazzinii.
For the full story of G. bayrianum see my
book: ‘Gymnocalycium in habitat and culture:
p.132-133’ (2009) GC