Fouq Experience -- Year 1 (Fouqlore)

[RCDS66]

My F. purpusii succumbed to one of our recent terrible summers. Do not have F. fasciculata. I only have splendens (2), formosa, burragei, columnaris, and diguetti (2). Along with some F. ochoterenae cuttings I recently started. I had bought a little squirt labelled F. macdougalii, but it turned out to be a diguetti.

Sad to hear about your F. purpusii. These are such wonderful plants.
Any pics of your columnaris?

[Gee.S]

Another new Fouq acquired about three weeks ago from Arid Lands for a song and a dance. It's about 1.5 m tall and pretty ragged. I repotted, causing it to drop half its leaves, but has since added many more, responding well to all the new attention. No clue on ID (tagged F. macdougalii), probably another F. diguettii, with my luck.

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[Gee.S]

Update on the odd Fouq I picked up at Arid Lands a few months ago (previous post). It seems some crazy started trying to train it as a tree, exposing the relatively long length of trunk. I hope it tries branching out there again at some point, but not so sure. In the meantime, a few months of TLC has paid off in terms of a more robust root system that now has it leafing out and branching. The dramatic upswing in above soil growth is relatively recent, with about a dozen new branch starts that should add a lot of bulk thru autumn.

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[Gee.S]

Well, time for my State of the Fouqs year-end address. All in all, a good year, as I added F. macdougalii and F. ochoterenae to my collection, along with 10 robust new F. diguetii seedlings.

F. burragei just keeps on keepin'-on, almost always leafed out and growing, either briskly or slowly, depending upon conditions. Now weighing in at 1 m tall and 2 m across, this guy has more nice-sized branches than I can count. Fingers crossed for that first bloom sometime soon.

F. formosa also had a nice year, demonstrating moderate growth and now at 2 m tall. As is its way, it has recently begun standing down for winter, and will remain dormant or semi-dormant until things heat up in mid- to late-April. Still waiting for that first bloom.

F. macdougalii is a recent acquisition and quite the oddball, apparently having been residing under shade cloth for an indeterminate amount of time. A previous owner apparently attempted to train it as a tree. I found it in mid-summer, and did what I could to improve its lot. It responded by leafing out and adding about two dozen new branches. Once autumn hit, I placed in full sun for the first time in perhaps years. It almost immediately stopped growing and slowly dropped its leaves. It has now leafed out again, but additional new growth will probably not resume until spring. It's bare trunk is a problem, currently quite green and subject to burning. It badly needs to add some bark.

My F. diguetii continue to thrive. One is older than the other and has a different shape. The smaller one bloomed for the first time this year, and I collected close to 100 seed as a result. The larger one now clocks in at over 3 m tall. They show no particular aversion to our mild coming winter, and remain luxuriantly leafed out and in reduced but active growth.

My F. ochoterenae is a new cutting living large at 60 cm tall and fully leafed out. It needs to thicken up before starting to branch.

My F. columnaris is not especially impressive, but coming along nicely. Let's just say it still has a long way to go, but it's always a joy to see how happy it is thru winter.

Just for the record, I also have a couple large, mature F. splendens, both doing well.

F. burragei

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F. formosa

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F. macdougalii

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F. diguetii

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F. ochoterenae

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F. columnaris

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[RCDS66]

Your F. columnaris has formed a nice caudex. I think it is forming a sound foundation for good growth.

Can we differentiate between F. diguetii from macdougalii without seeing the flowers? Is there any difference in leaf shape, branches or growth pattern?

[Gee.S]

Your F. columnaris has formed a nice caudex. I think it is forming a sound foundation for good growth.

Can we differentiate between F. diguetii from macdougalii without seeing the flowers? Is there any difference in leaf shape, branches or growth pattern?

I believe F. macdougalii is a larger plant that branches more, such that mature plants might be as wide as tall, while F. diguetii is typically more upright. But I'm sure there is some cross-over, so perhaps no more than a loose indicator.

[Boojim]

I've not been down into F. macdougalii range (Sonora, MX) but here's a photo of the largest F diguetii we found down on the Baja peninsula last February. Small tree form and wider than tall. This area is about 10 miles west of the Tres Virgenes Volcanic complex in Baja Sur.

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[RCDS66]

I've not been down into F. macdougalii range (Sonora, MX) but here's a photo of the largest F diguetii we found down on the Baja peninsula last February. Small tree form and wider than tall. This area is about 10 miles west of the Tres Virgenes Volcanic complex in Baja Sur.8.JPG

This is huge, actually

[Boojim]

I've not been down into F. macdougalii range (Sonora, MX) but here's a photo of the largest F diguetii we found down on the Baja peninsula last February. Small tree form and wider than tall. This area is about 10 miles west of the Tres Virgenes Volcanic complex in Baja Sur.8.JPG

This is huge, actually

About the same size as a typical south Arizona 'yellow palo verde'

[Gee.S]

Score!

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[Gee.S]

Three inside, three outside.

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[RCDS66]

Score!

Wow.... six purpusii Would you like to try one odd plant outside in the ground, in a part shade location?

[Gee.S]

Score!

Wow.... six purpusii Would you like to try one odd plant outside in the ground, in a part shade location?

I'd like to but I won't. Too small, too many hazards for something that fragile. There are rats here who could use it as a back scratcher. Plus I've still never seen so much as a photo of one of any size, in the ground in cultivation.

[Minime8484]

Score!


purpusii.jpg

Wow!! Score indeed!

[Gee.S]

Thought I would post on the progress of the six F. purpusii I was gifted. The three indoors are doing great. The others are a mixed bag, basically in survival mode.

Two purpusii, with F. shrevei, just to the right.

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Outdoors, the guy on the left is hanging in, guy on the right dropped all leaves and is beginning toleaf out again. Guy in the middle may be in trouble. It's firm but wobbly in the pot. There is green stem under all the dead leaves. Not sure it's going to make it, but it might. These guys were seed grown in the Bay area, so central AZ is quite the shock. Currently under 50% shade cloth. They were fine outdoors at first, but have since been struggling in our ever-increasing heat.

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