From: "P van Rijckevorsel"


In Cacti there is only a single flower encapsulated in each receptacle so it
should be closer to a pome than to a syconium?


For most cacti, it is like a pome with nodes on it. In Opuntia fulgida, the
nodes produce at least one new flower bud the following years.

Sean



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floral parts being spirally
arranged with the leaves grading into bracts and sepaloid and petaloid
tepals.

"Leaves grading into bracts." Interesting. So, even though the primitive
Pereskia is the only cactus retaining leaves in the usual sense, the flowers
include leaves? Since spines are modified leaves, are there any cases where
the spines grade into bracts -- or into regular leaves?

Jie-san Laushi

Huodau lau, xuedau lau, hai you sanfen xue bulai
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From: userve (Jie-san Laushi)

"Leaves grading into bracts." Interesting. So, even though the primitive
Pereskia is the only cactus retaining leaves in the usual sense, the flowers
include leaves? Since spines are modified leaves, are there any cases where
the spines grade into bracts -- or into regular leaves?

My Pereskia hasn't flowered for me yet, so I don't know if the receptacle is
leafy. Opuntia has succulent leaves that vaguely resemble spines, they are
often mucronate. There aren't any intermediate forms on the same plant though.
You can see some of the leaves that Opuntia offers on the first page of the
Natural Entrance log on my web page linked below.

Sean



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From: "P van Rijckevorsel"
In Cacti there is only a single flower encapsulated in each receptacle so
it should be closer to a pome than to a syconium?

Sean Houtman schreef
For most cacti, it is like a pome with nodes on it. In Opuntia fulgida,
the nodes produce at least one new flower bud the following years.
Sean

+ + +
Thanks. And if these flowers then produce fruit this will give a very
interesting infructescense, right?
PvR

From: "P van Rijckevorsel"


From: "P van Rijckevorsel"
In Cacti there is only a single flower encapsulated in each receptacle so
it should be closer to a pome than to a syconium?

Sean Houtman schreef
For most cacti, it is like a pome with nodes on it. In Opuntia fulgida,
the nodes produce at least one new flower bud the following years.
Sean

+ + +
Thanks. And if these flowers then produce fruit this will give a very
interesting infructescense, right?

Very interesting indeed, it is called Chainfruit Cholla for that reason.
www.ibiblio.org/herbmed/pictures/ j-o/opuntia-fulgida-1.jpg
helios.bto.ed.ac.uk/bto/desertecology/ choimag7.htm
www.dbg.org/Involved/ chain_fruit_cholla.html

Sean



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Last updated 08-04-02 with 15 pictures of the Aztec Ruins.
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From: "P van Rijckevorsel"
In Cacti there is only a single flower encapsulated in each receptacle
so it should be closer to a pome than to a syconium?

Sean Houtman schreef
For most cacti, it is like a pome with nodes on it. In Opuntia fulgida,
the nodes produce at least one new flower bud the following years.
Sean

From: "P van Rijckevorsel"
Thanks. And if these flowers then produce fruit this will give a very
interesting infructescense, right?

Sean Houtman schreef
Very interesting indeed, it is called Chainfruit Cholla for that reason.
http://www.ibiblio.org/herbmed/pictu...-fulgida-1.jpg
helios.bto.ed.ac.uk/bto/desertecology/choimag7.htm
www.dbg.org/Involved/chain_fruit_cholla.html
Sean

+ + +
Well I had assumed that I could no longer be surprised by plants, but this
is something else again. These are fruits that are a means of asexual
reproduction!

Of all things! I would never have thought of that!
PvR

I would never have thought of that!

Iris Cohen schreef
Obviously Someone did. My wonderful high school biology teacher said, "A
scientist must be religious." Not in the slobbery
God-is-an-old-man-with-a-long-beard sense, but simply in awe of the wonders
of the universe.

Iris

+ + +
I am all for awe of the wonders of the universe.
But ...
- firstly I think that cases like this are a good proof that the "Someone"
in question was not involved in making this come true. There is too much
work involved, and it would be a stupid way to go about it, handcrafting
everything personally
- secondly the religious point of view is usually not so much awe as
contempt. The attitude all too often is
"Our Somebody made all this stuff with a snap of the fingers so we can
thrash it. If our Somebody feels it was a good idea in the first place He
can restore it at Will, so it does not matter what we do with it"
instead of awe for the unique wonders accumulated through megayears by
irreproducable historic circumstances.

A scientist should be wary of religion and the religious ...
PvR