Claret Cup Cactus

This is the fourth painting, Claret Cup Cactus, in my new series of cactus flowers. I hope you will watch for each new watercolor piece!... more

by Marilyn Smith

Original - Sold

Price

$350

Dimensions

9.000 x 9.000 inches

Title

Claret Cup Cactus

Artist

Marilyn Smith

Medium

Painting - Watercolor

Description

This is the fourth painting, "Claret Cup Cactus", in my new series of cactus flowers. I hope you will watch for each new watercolor piece!
The Claret Cup cactus is in the Hedgehog cactus family.
They grow in clusters or clumps about 10 inches high,
forming large, dense mounds.
Their cylindrical stems are made up of ribs with clusters of one inch spines.
Areoles burst forth along those ribs and each one will have several spines.
Those spines nearly completely cover the stem.
All hedgehog-cactus varieties have colorful flowers, and most have edible fruit. The Claret cup flowers open after the spring rains from April to July.
The brilliant red to orange flowers are a funnel-shaped bloom.
The blossoms last several days, opening in the morning and closing at night. Hedgehog-cactus flowers are up to 3 inches wide, making them look quite large in comparison to the size of the stems.
The pink to red fruit develops once flowering is complete.
The fruit is egg shaped and about 1 inch long.
It has a fleshy white pulp tinged by the reddish-orange skin color.
The fruit is covered in deciduous spines that fall off as the fruit reaches maturity.
Both birds and rodents eat the fruit.

Uploaded

April 14th, 2014