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The US trip 1997 by Mats Rolfson


All photos by Mats Rolfson 
Published by permission.

Mats Rolfson, a friend of mine since many years, stayed in Arizona for a year working for ABB. As he is a cactus collector he did not miss the chance to travel around the states in search for his favourite plants. Here are some photos from his trip.  
 Cactus landscape at Tucson Landscape at Tucson, Arizona with the popular Carnegia gigantea
 
Echinocereus fendleri near Phoenix, Arizona. Close-up photo of flower showing the magnificent, intensive coloured petals. This is a very variable species with spines many different colours and shapes. Many populations comes from areas with very low temperatures and are also suitable for protected rock gardens or unheated greenhouses in Europe. 
 
Echinocereus fendleri (v. fasciculatus?) 
forming a nice cluster in dry grass 
growing between Grand Canyon and 
Flagstaff, at 1.800 metres.

A hanging branch from a gigant Saguaro, Carnegia gigantea, made it possible to photograph the wide open, nocturnal white flower. Otherwise it can be difficult to reach the flowers which arise from the top of the very tall plant. 

This species reaches to ca 12 metres tall and 60 cms thick. It grows very slowly and you can not expect flowers on cultivated plants. 

 
Opuntia basilaris with the blue segments and reddish glochids. Population south of Vickensburg, Arizona. Some populations are very cold resistant, but as it does not like rainy, humid winters it is not easy to grow in rock gardens in Sweden. Maybe it will be more safe in an unheated greenhouse.
 
A bushy, flowering Opuntia species near Phoenix, Arizona. 

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