The Argentine Giant Twins

I was very surprise to find this blooming in November since I only found them in the early Spring. They are one of the most beautiful cactus found... more

by Robert Bales

Title

The Argentine Giant Twins

Artist

Robert Bales

Medium

Photograph - Photo

Description

I was very surprise to find this blooming in November since I only found them in the early Spring. They are one of the most beautiful cactus found in this area.

A columnar cactus with each stem fast growing up to 4 inches wide, 3 feet tall, and clumping 6 - 7 feet wide. Most books say that they only clump to about 3 feet but as you can see from the top photo, the plants can spread to about 7 feet.
It's fragrant blooms normally open at night and persist until early morning. The bright white petals and yellow centers attract night pollinators such as, moths and bats.
While it is said to be a nocturnal blooming cactus with the flowers closing at early morning. On cool, cloudy days in Arizona; the flowers continue blooming during the day.
It is also one of the most beautiful cactus of the world.
The Argentine Giant (aka Easter Lily Cactus) is known for its sprawling stems that originate from a central point. But its better known for the giant flowers, measuring up to 8 inches across, that it gets: Unfortunately, these flowers only last about 1 day, opening at night. If the weather is hot, as it was the day I shot the above photo, they start to wilt by mid-morning.

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December 17th, 2014