Hideki Shirakawa from Japan, who received the Nobel Prize
in chemistry in December 2000, is one of our many customers
and wrote following:

 

1998-12-18 
Tsukuba, Japan   

The seeds were purchased from SuccSeed seedlist 1995/96 and sown November
5, 1996.
 

After one year the seedlings were transplanted from propagators to flat containers
on December 7, 1997. It might be difficult to estimate their size in these photos but
please note the width of the labels being 12 mm. Now I am going to transplant them
into an individual pot by each species during the new year vacation.
 

Since I have no greenhouse, they have grown in an unheated vinyl covered frame
just in front (south-faced part) of my apartment.
 

"Tsukuba" is located 60 Km northeast from Tokyo and we have dry and fine weather
during winter.  We have snow fall several times during December - March, but not
too much.  The minimum temperature will be minus 5 C (Celsius) and daily average
temperature never never goes down below freezing point. During summer it is hot
and high humidity. The maximum temperature will be 35 C.
   
 
Rebutia pygmaea MN 224 
(Iruya). Very small plants with greyish-green body, short glasswhite spines and salmon coloured flowers. This is one of the most common pygmaea forms in Argentina. 

Rebutia pygmaea
WR 335b
from Yavi is a darker flowering form close to the border to Bolivia. It has brown spines and light brown areole felt. In this area you can also find other pygmaea forms.

Rebutia pygmaea
MN 157
 
(= the plants with white spines and bluish-grey bodies. The lower plants are other pygmaea forms!). This is an attractive form, also known as 'Rebutia haagei v. mudanensis'. It was found not far from the little village Santa Ana, west of Humahuaca, Salta, Argentina at high altitude. In winter, temperature goes down to - 10 C during nights.
Rebutia pygmaea
RH 155
 
Near Lago Poopo in Bolivia (Oruro area) Ralf Hillmann found these plants with reddish tinted body, brown areoles and orange-red flowers with a lighter centre. This form is also known as 'R. pygamea v. orurensis'.