Echinopsis 'Los Angeles'
Echinopsis 'Los Angeles is a popular garden hybrid in the genus Echinopsis, grown above all for its flowers: large, pink blooms that open during the day on a low, freely clustering plant. Like most modern Echinopsis hybrids it descends from crosses among several South American species, bred to combine the huge showy flowers of the group with a compact, offsetting habit that fills a pot quickly. Its care follows that of the parent genus — see Echinopsis.
Description
'Los Angeles' forms a low, globular to shortly cylindrical green stem that clumps readily, producing offsets around the base to build up a dense multi-headed cluster over time. The ribs are lined with modest areoles and short spines, so the plant itself is fairly unassuming for most of the year.
The draw is the flowering. Buds emerge from the sides of the stems on woolly tubes and open into broad, funnel-shaped pink flowers, often quite large relative to the body of the plant. Unlike the night-blooming habit of some of its relatives, this hybrid opens its flowers by day — they can put on a striking massed display when several heads bloom together. Individual flowers are short-lived, typically lasting a day or two, but a healthy clump can throw successive flushes through the warmer months.
Cultivation
Grow 'Los Angeles' as for the parent genus; see Echinopsis for full detail. In short, it wants bright light, a fast-draining, mostly mineral mix, and generous water through the active growing season followed by a dry, cool winter rest. That winter dormancy is what sets up the following year's flowers, so resist the urge to keep it wet and warm year round.
These hybrids are among the more forgiving cacti — vigorous, tolerant of regular summer watering, and quick to recover from mistakes — which is a large part of their popularity with beginners. Give the clump room to spread, or divide it periodically (see Repotting) to keep it manageable and to share offsets around.
Because 'Los Angeles' is a clone maintained vegetatively, the reliable way to keep it true is by offsets rather than seed: the plant produces them freely, they root easily, and each one is genetically identical to the parent. Seed from the plant will not come true to the cultivar.
See also
- Echinopsis — the parent genus
- Propagation — offsets · Soil and potting mix · Watering · Repotting · Pests and diseases