Mexico Field Trip

Day 6 – February 19th, 2005

 

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We all left the hotel at 07:55, as breakfast was a little bit late this morning. We took the same way out of town as yesterday until we saw the left turn to Huajuapan – it was a very odd turn, which we accomplished by going further on and doing a U-ey. The road was a dual carriageway of sorts, but with lots of topes. We came to a T junction, with the left going back into Tehuacan, and the right to Huajuapan which we took – it was MEX 125. This road was built up until just before the new toll road from Puebla to Oaxaca crosses it, and we carried on up into the foothills and stopped where on the left hand side of the road, it looked like a “garden” had been created.

 

PICT1131,2      -           Mammillaria elegans

PICT1136         -           view back towards Tehuacan

PICT1137         -           Mammillaria haageana, possibly collina

PICT1139         -           large Mammillaria mystax form and small Mammillaria

Haageana plants.

PICT1140-1      -           across the terrain back towards Tehuacan

PICT1142         -           Mammillaria elegans in flower

 

On a bit further, where we stopped besides a rubbish patch where we found a lot of plants:

 

PICT1143         -           a view of the site

PICT1144         -           Norbert peeping around a large Echinocactus grandis

PICT1146         -           Mitrocereus fulviceps

PICT1147-8      -           Mammillaria viperina

PICT1152         -           Echinocereus grandis group

PICT1153         -           Mitrocereus fulviceps

PICT1154-6      -           Ferocactus viridiscens ?

PICT1157         -           Agave sp. Ready to bloom

PICT1158-9      -           Mitrocereus fulviceps

PICT1160-1      -           Dasylirion lucidum

PICT1162         -           me by a tall E. grandis

PICT1163-4      -           Agave sp.

PICT1165         -           Agave sp.

PICT1166-8      -           views of the site

PICT1170-71    -           Beaucarnia gracilis – far up on the hills to the left of the site

 

And at Texcala, a Mitrocereus in bud:

 

PICT1172         -           Mitrocereus fulviceps

PICT1173         -           Jade mines in Texcala

 

After a stop for refreshments and souvenir buying, we stopped shortly after Texcala at an amazing valley which had all the big Cereus and more…..

 

PICT1174         -           Fenced off entrance to the ravine, with Myrtillocactus

                                    geometrizans in front.

PICT1175         -           Myrtillocactus? Not geometrizans

PICT1176-9      -           Nice tree, and in flower

PICT1180         -           Ferocactus flavovirens

PICT1181-2      -           Hylocereus sp. In midst of a thorny tree

PICT1183         -           Ferocactus recurvus?

PICT1184         -           Coryphantha sp?

PICT1185         -           Mammillaria carnea with long lower central spine.

PICT1186-8      -           Mammillaria schmollii

PICT1189-90    -           Two Mammillaria carnea showing differences in spination and wool.

PICT1191         -           Mammillaria elegans form

PICT1192         -           Mammillaria schmollii

PICT1193         -           Young Mitrocereus

PICT1194-1201             More shots of Mitrocereus, Pilosocereus, Ferocactus and fellow travellers.

PICT1202         -           Mammillaria elegans or just maybe mixtecensis on the rock face

PICT1203         -           Juvenile forms of the big cerei.

 

Huge forests of Pilosocerei:

 

PICT1204         -           Pilosocereus chrysacanthion

PICT1208         -           Landscape from the car

 

And then at an amazing site, just after a salt flat “factory”, we found:

 

PICT1209         -           Mammillaria carnea – very short spined, only 2-3 spines per areole, and nice wool.

PICT1213-4      -           Mammillaria schmollii

PICT1215         -           Hmm….Mammillaria probably, maybe carnea, but so different from other forms,

                                    with long spines, very unevenly placed and  directed, and tubercles more like a

Coryphantha.

PICT1216         -           Mammillaria schmollii group

PICT1217         -           M. schmollii and young Pilosocereus

PICT1218         -           A more typical Mammillaria carnea

PICT1219         -           Mammillaria schmollii

PICT1220-2      -           Ferocactus recurvus in various forms.

PICT1223         -           Agave macracantha

PICT1224-6      -           Mammillaria schmollii forms

 

And on through Zapotitlan Salinas for about 1-2km where there were Nolina trees, and other cacti.

 

PICT1227-9      -           Nolina trees

PICT1230         -           Coryphantha pallida

PICT1231         -           Pilosocereus scene

 

The next stop was on the left hand side of the road where we saw a Sedum and Opuntias in flower.

 

PICT1234-6      -           Pilosocereus

PICT1237         -           view towards a small lake

PICT1238-9      -           Opuntia sp.

PICT1240         -           Sedum villardia

PICT1241         -           canyon view

PICT1242         -           Myrtillocactus trees

PICT1243-7      -           Pilosocereus chrysacanthon

PICT1248-53    -           Mammillaria viperina

 

The next stop was at 32.8km on the road, and there we found some nice plants:

 

PICT1254         -           Neobuxbaumia macrocephala

PICT1256-8      -           Mammillaria elegans form with no centrals – beautiful plants

PICT1259         -           Palo Verde flower

PICT1260         -           Neobuxbaumia macrocephala

 

And further on towards Acatepec we made a stop where there were lots of Neobuxbaumias and very many Echinocactus grandis:

PICT1261         -           Neobuxbaumia macrocephala

PICT1262         -           Agave ready to flower

PICT1263-4      -           views of the hillsides with Neobuxbaumia and Echinocactus.

PICT1265         -           shot of site and cars

 

Our next stop was a bit more up into the hills on the same road where there were a large number of plants:

 

PICT1266         -           view from the site

PICT1267         -           Echeveria sp.

PICT1268-70    -           Mammillaria mixtecensis (? According to Norbert).

PICT1271         -           Echeveria sp.

PICT1272-3      -           Mammillaria sphacelata

PICT1274-9      -           Mammillaria elegans forms

PICT1280         -           Mammillaria sphacelata form with woolly areoles and very white spines.

PICT1281-3      -           Mammillaria elegans

PICT1284         -           Mammillaria sphacelata

 

Into Acatepec for a cold beer and to restock with food and water. It is a small but neat place (for Mexico). As we drove through there was a beautiful yellow flowered tree, and then outside the land became a bit flatter than earlier. Eventually we reached the area where Polaskia chichipe is found.

 

PICT1285         -           Palo Verde tree in flower

PICT1286-92    -           Polaskia chichipe

PICT1293         -           A rather furry donkey tethered beside the road near where we stopped.

 

Not far on from there we crossed the Puebla / Oaxaca state boundary and drove a few kilometres further on, but at an overlook of a valley we turned round and started our return. Eventually we took a left turn to Santa Ana, along a very dusty road, where there we passed some nice Pilosocereus and Opuntias in flower.

 

PICT1295-1300 -           Pilosocereus tehuacanus

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