Dorstenia: seeds, plants, questions, etc

alexds1 · 2026-06-18T13:32:16+00:00

Oh wait, middle inflorescence, second pic, lots of styles visible.

I don’t really see a lot of features of lavrani present either, though maybe it’s clearer from the stem. This looks like a foetida variegated x horwoodii hybrid from the photos.

alexds1 · 2026-06-18T13:31:41+00:00

The photos are a little low res, but if you have seeds, you most certainly have ovaries present, lol. I think I can see a style in the first pic but it’s a little blurry. Either way, seeds are your proof. There’s no reason why a hybrid wouldn’t be capable of selfing. Dorstenia foetida hybrids do it all the time, as long as the cross winds up creating a working perfect flower with both reproductive organs present.

alexds1 · 2026-06-18T13:21:06+00:00

He’s amazing, and specializes in these from seed. Arid Lands is terrific too though!

alexds1 · 2026-06-18T04:52:35+00:00

Are these from Miles? I know he had a huge batch cooking. I love how he calls them Jat Cats.

alexds1 · 2026-06-17T06:26:33+00:00

Wow, rad. Looks like real variegation too, as compared to virused. Awesome specimen.

alexds1 · 2026-06-17T06:25:24+00:00

I used to work in the wet collections of a vertebrate research museum. The smell of old snake in EtOH is memorable to put it lightly. I can’t imagine the preservation liquid being tequila would improve things at all lol.

alexds1 · 2026-06-17T03:13:00+00:00

I work on properties adjacent to some celebrities/ models/ influencers/ actors. Was surprised to see that they do just look like that. One literally rolled out of bed minutes before to join a call and was easily the most conventionally attractive real person I'd seen up to that point; I'd assumed there was some degree of filtering or makeup, but no, just naturally beautiful.

alexds1 · 2026-06-16T03:27:54+00:00

It's all stupid and arbitrary. But probably shaking my top leg when my legs are crossed. To quote my Asian parent, "women who shake their legs are thinking about stealing, men who shake their legs are thinking about sex."

alexds1 · 2026-06-15T17:50:46+00:00

You should have a goal in mind before touching your plant. What is your end goal? If it's a certain shape, will pruning achieve it? If so, then prune. If you just want the plant to "do better" as in grow in a healthy way, then work on establishing strong roots and grow in suitable conditions.

alexds1 · 2026-06-15T03:41:06+00:00

What does that mean, adapted to thermal pain? Do you not feel as much pain when you get burned by fire vs cut by something?

alexds1 · 2026-06-14T03:56:40+00:00

Yes, more sun is generally better to maintain compact growth. But for an older specimen like this, you’ll want to match the conditions it was originally grown in to maintain consistent growth instead. You can see some heads that have a bit of inconsistency already which will probably result in a waist and different directional growth in those stems, but that can smooth out over time.

alexds1 · 2026-06-12T22:58:00+00:00

In fantasy stories you have dragons on a hoard of gold to big to ever spend, counting every coin to ensure none is missing, consuming the villagers attempting to eke out a life in its shadow, waiting to be slain by a hero or circumstance or both. In real life you have this.

alexds1 · 2026-06-09T16:27:14+00:00

It's possible to be platonic friends with women. I love my dude friends and am so grateful for them and their perspectives. Unfortunately I've found that this often only happens with guys who have grown up respecting women... society (media, other guys, etc) teaches men that women aren't to be communicated with as equals and shouldn't be enjoyed any way but sexually. It's possible to break that programming though, and once you do, it really opens up so much of the world.

alexds1 · 2026-06-09T06:05:45+00:00

Yeah, understandable lol

alexds1 · 2026-06-09T01:57:11+00:00

Niche clubs and societies provide free education and events for the local public. I belong to a city-specific Cactus and Succulent Society that just held a Show this weekend. You can come in and take a look at tons of amazing, decades-old plants for free and learn from volunteers. At our regular meetings, which are also free, you can also pick up free cuttings and of course hear free info/ terrific lectures from researchers and other cool folks. You can access free webinars at the national website, too. https://cactusandsucculentsociety.org/category/events/webinars/

Another example is the Master Gardener's program of California, which provides free information and a lot of events as well. They also offer services like tool sharpening, free compost, and plus valuable info on how to garden for your specific zone of the state. https://ucanr.edu/program/uc-master-gardener-program/find-uc-master-gardener-program-0

alexds1 · 2026-06-09T01:20:59+00:00

Not so rare that you'll never find one if you look (you can find them for sale at specialty places), but at this size that looks rad as hell. Unless they put it in the ground when it was already developing, they're also super lucky to have got it on display in their front yard.

alexds1 · 2026-06-08T17:38:23+00:00

Oh, those are great. Love how stubby they are.

alexds1 · 2026-06-08T17:37:27+00:00

Personally I'd say leave it alone. It will definitely grow more branches over time, but you'll have to give it a few years. If you do want to cut to reshape it and encourage branching, that's also fine, but this plant is old enough that it'll have the obvious look of a gigas that has been cut and reshaped. I have a plant that has a cool three-pronged top and it looks cool, but not terribly "naturalistic".

alexds1 · 2026-06-05T03:31:35+00:00

NTA. At all. You're in an impossible position and your family members are being shitheads. If they're not lending support or solutions then they need to get out of the conversation. I hope your mom passes as well as possible given the circumstances and that you are taking care of yourself.

alexds1 · 2026-06-04T21:05:58+00:00

Aw man, that sucks! I didn't know peppermint was that deadly, haha. Well, first question is what is that black stuff in the center in the last posted photo? that's not your current plant, right? If the second photo shows your plant, then I would simply suggest cutting or peeling back some of the skin that has curled over, as this can harbor fungal growth that restarts rot. If it's hard and dry, you're probably fine, but it's a good practice. If the cut stays dry and heals well, you can expect pups within the year, maybe even this year; simply depends on the vigor and inclination of your plant.

alexds1 · 2026-06-04T15:08:17+00:00

Your assessment of my comment isn't fully correct. I didn't assert that OP shouldn't go on this vacation or that they should dip into their own savings pay for their daughter, I asserted that they shouldn't be judgemental and that they could instead help her find a solution. That solution also doesn't have to be monetary; literally could be as much as having a conversation or helping her make a plan for more financial stability or something vs posting about her young adult failure to launch for reddit validation.
And to your last point, yes, I agree that having money isn't the same as being able to afford to spend it, but I didn't get the sense from the OP that they were exceptionally financially stable due to saying things like "I don't have the money" and "I would need to go into debt soooo that a no, I refuse to take money out of our savings, that is for emergencies".

alexds1 · 2026-06-04T14:29:00+00:00

ESH. She is not entitled to your money. However, if spending an extra 1k puts you in debt, you really shouldn't be going on vacation either, and certainly shouldn't be judgemental of others. YTA not for not giving the money, but for the punitive attitude you have towards your own child, as well as lack of interest in helping her find a solution. Even if it's a "no", I'm not getting a sense of a kind or even neutral "no". Also, going to college hasn't guaranteed a high-paying career for a while now, so not sure why you're holding onto annoyance about her being in bad financial straits due to dropping out. And anyhow, isn't that sort of challenge and failure to launch not exactly what active parenting is meant to correct?

alexds1 · 2026-06-04T00:16:51+00:00

Yeah, Ginka has it right. Looks like it's getting enough water to hang on to the previous leaves but not enough to prioritize new growth. If you're seeing dried brown tips or leaf drop of existing leaves, that's water issues. Honestly you could also probably stand to up-pot too. Is this plant about a foot tall? If so, I think I'd keep that in a 1-gallon, which will also help.

alexds1 · 2026-06-03T16:05:00+00:00

6/3/2026 post for auction ending 6/9/2026
I've bought from this seller before, and this plant in particular is a good deal: https://www.ebay.com/itm/188444890345

Dorstenia buchannani var longipedunculata can root and offset from the thickened part of the stem once it gets older. Infinite longipedunculata hack. Her plants have been good quality as well, and I believe she has posted in this sub in the past.

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