This is a surprising one.
I got it in a regular supermarket and I was sure it was a completely different type. I feel excused though since I am not expert in identifying cacti. I got it repoted and it was growing away. In the meantime I like to peak on various cactus geeks forums (there is so much to learn from other people!) and I saw someone showing one just like this one, saying it is Notocactus. That is already a hint, but I was still almost sure it is something else. Many can look and have common characteristics. The easiest way it to wait for blooms.
Few weeks back I saw some buds forming a the top. And this excluded my type straight away. I started to look for the Notocactus and I think this time I got it right!
Ladies and Gents...
I present you,
Notocactus Ottonis
A few facts: Native to South Brazil, Uruguay, North-east Argentina and South Paraguay and is also often called Parodia Ottonis. A round cactus that can grow ofshoots from the base creating nice little colonies. It is fast growing specie and apparently an easy growing one too. It blooms in summer and as many cacti needs colder winter rest.
I gotta agree with all that. It was one f the cacti that I decided to leave outside in more open space. It was getting a bit more rain than the other ones and I saw it growing really fast!
Then in spring the buds started to emerge and they were getting bigger and bigger like balloons! The wait was finally over when one day two freaking gigantic flowers opened. In the same time!
Holy molly that was just a view of the day!
The cactus look quite common, so lets just focus on the flowers. The buds are very hairy and covered in tiny spines too. Petals are bright yellow and seem translucent. Almost as if they were cut out of a foil that reflects the light. And the flower is the size of an apple which makes it the biggest cactus bloom I currently own.
And then you look inside and there is that intense, blood red stigma.
I start to get why all the cactus geeks are crazy about this cactus genus. From what I saw they all have stunning, big flowers in various colours.
And now I searched in my memory and I just remembered that this is the second Notocactus that I have bought mature plant and the second that bloomed for me. The previous one was also stunning and huge, but right after it died.
I really hope I don't kill this one :p
My other blooming cacti:
 Chamaecereus hybrid |  Sulcorebutia Canigueralii |  Mammillaria camptotricha |  Mammillaria Glassii |
 Gymnocalycium baldianum |  Mediolobivia mudanensis |  Lobivia Arachnacantha |  Rebutia hybrid |
 Mammillaria Bombycina |  Mammillaria Gracilis Snowcap |  Mammillaria haageana |  Mammillaria backebergiana |
 Chamaecereus silvestrii |  Mammillaria prolifera |  Rebutia Fabrisii var. Aureiflora |  Lobivia Wrightiana |
 Aylostera Flavistyla FR756 |  Parodia concinna |  Mammillaria Copper King |  Gymnocalycium Brushii |
 Mammillaria backebergiana |  Gymnocalycium damsii |  Echinopsis subdenudata |  Rhipsalis pilocarpa |
 Mammillaria Prolifera |  Lobivia arachnacantha v. vallegrandensis |  Mediolobivia atrovirens |  Mammillaria magnimamma |
 Sulcorebutia langerii |  Sulcorebutia frankiana |  Chamaelobivia no ID |  Rebutia Albiflora |
Shot with Nikon D5500 + Sigma 105mm lens
All photos and text are my own.
