Mexico Field Trip

Day 15 – February 28^th, 2005

 

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We left our hotel in Huasca at 7:55 after a breakfast without fruit, and then headed out east past the Hacienda of last night and the lake. It was a beautiful crisp clear morning , very clear at this hour. The direction we took was to the Mirador Peña del Aire. The road was gated and closed, and it seems that we should have bought entrance tickets at a house earlier, but everything was shut. However there was a house beside the gate, and the man there went off and got the key anyway to let us into the Mirador. We made our first stop at the viewpoint over the canyon, which had a great view in the morning sun. On the sheer canyon walls were Ferocactus hystrix and shining yellow clumps of Mammillaria pringlei.

 

PICT1767         -           The canyon wall

PICT1768-70    -           Mammillaria pringlei

PICT1771         -           Ferocactus hystrix

 

Further to the right we found what we understood to be Mammillaria rhodantha and Echinofossulocactus (Stenocactus) lamellosus. We found plants of this latter species which had yellow flowers and pink flowers. Coryphantha sulcolanata was also present, although in lesser quantities than the Echinofossulocactus. The Mammillaria rhodantha was underneath spiny bushes, whilst the others were out on the flat and open ground, along with, of course, Mammillaria magnimamma.

 

PICT1773-6      -           Mammillaria rhodantha

PICT1777-82    -           Echinofossulocactus lamellosus (yellow/cream flowers)

PICT1783         -           Coryphantha sulcolanata, which is elephantidens ssp. Elephantidens.

PICT1784         -           Mammillaria magnimamma

PICT1785         -           Echinofossulocactus lamellosus (pink/violet flowers)

PICT1786         -           Mammillaria magnimamma in flower and with long curved spines

PICT1787         -           Echinofossulocactus lamellosus (yellow/cream flowers)

PICT1788         -           The habitat of these plants

 

Finally to the right of the “De Leon” viewpoint, with splendid views, again we saw many Mammillaria pringlei, including a superb cristate plant on the cliff walls. And that was our goodbye to the Peña del Aire, and the end of our cactus hunting in Mexico, as we then headed back towards Mexico City, stopping only to have a puncture repaired on Michel’s car at Mineral del Monte.

 

PICT1789-91    -           Mammillaria pringlei on the cliff face, including the cristate plant.

 

On our return to Mexico City, we went to the hotel and booked in for the next two nights. We arrived a bit earlier than planned, despite the puncture, so we decided to visit the Botanical Gardens at the University of Mexico City this afternoon rather than tomorrow. I was rather disappointed at the level of maintenance of the public displays, especially the garden dedicated to Helia-Bravo. But Laurent pointed me at the private greenhouses, and although we couldn’t enter, the plants inside were quite visible, and very well kept.