Garambullos Cacti, are Blooming

Dave Leland on Facebook pointed out that the endangered Garambullos cacti are blooming.

Photo by Dave Leland

Photo by Dave Leland

Quanaxhuato explains The rainy season in the summer, favors the ripening of fruits round tasty and unmistakable as the purple marble Garambullos of Guanajuato. Who among those who live in these parts has not delighted in his childhood with his taste between tuna and green grapes?

Myrtillocactus schenckii. / Photo: columnar-cacti.org

In Guanajuato we have 23 genera and 100 species of cacti, of these, two are garambullos, belonging to the genus Myrtillocactus, Latin literally means 'blueberry cactus'. They are endemic plants of Mexico and Guatemala, which are perhaps the most representative of our natural environment. These are arborescent cacti stems 'ribbed' (segments laterally resemble ribs) with branches from the base or middle, and with 'branches' (single stem) upward. At the ecosystem level, they are characteristic plant elements of desert scrub, tropical deciduous forests, and less frequent grassland and oak forests. Sometimes they can be the predominant vegetable element and form communities called "garambullales". They live between 1000 and 2000 m altitude.

Myrtillocactus schenckii ('white garambullo') is the least abundant species in Guanajuato, its natural distribution is more dominant in the south (Puebla and Oaxaca). This species can grow to a height of 4-5 meters, forms a short stem branched stems, dark green, with upward outbreaks, up to 10 centimeters in diameter. Each stem has 7-8 'ribs' wide. They have a black single backbone, 5 cm long, surrounded by other blackish thorns 6 to 8, curves and from 5 to 12 mm long; at the base where these spines are it is whitish, hence its common name. Its flowers are whitish up to 4 cm in diameter and 2-3 cm long, reddish fruits that give spherical reaching up to 1.5 cm in diameter and can have small vestigial bones cover escazas, with brown or red pulp.

Myrtillocactus geometrizans is the common species of 'garambullo' in Guanajuato, is also called 'nuestro'y father' kiosk ', it is native to central and northern Mexico, distributed in Queretaro, Michoacan, San Luis Potosi, Zacatecas, Hidalgo, Puebla, Veracruz, Nuevo Leon, Oaxaca, Tamaulipas and Guanajuato. This is kind of a big cactus shrub that usually grows about 4-5 m, and sometimes even reaches 7 m in height, with a branch candelabra in the manner of mature plants. His main stem is short. Individual stems (branches) are arched 6-10 cm in diameter, 5 (occasionally 6) ribs rounded margin areolas spaced 1.5-3 cm, light green or teal to be growing. They have radial spines ('groups') 4 to 5 0.2 to 3 cm long, long gray or red when young; with a backbone of 1-3 cm or up to 7 cm long and 2-4 (6) cm in diameter. The flowers are creamy white, 2-2.5 (3.5) cm in diameter. Its fruit is a purple berry globose 1-2 cm long and 0.8-2 cm wide, with purple pulp and seeds 1.5-2 mm long.

These cacti are endangered because they get cut down for housing or farming as when the farmers clear a field.