Star plant | Red Bluff Garden Club
The Tehama District Fair is over now, and I hope you had a chance to visit the Floriculture Building to see the pride and pleasure entries of many dedicated gardeners. Thanks to everyone who shared their special plants. Also, we’re so proud of the Juniors who entered exhibits—wonderful designs of budding gardeners. In Division 159, “Container Plants Grown for Foliage,” Class 2, I entered one of my favorite cacti, the Star Plant, better known as Bishop’s Cap, Astrophytum myriostigma. Common names for the Bishop’s Cap are sand dollar cactus, sea urchin cactus, star cactus and star peyote. My Bishop’s Cap has five (5) ribs without thorns to stick you. Some cacti have more ribs than mine, and some can grow additional ribs later. I’ve had my cactus for several years with no additional ribs; however, the ribs have changed in coloring over the last few years. My plant has gone from green ribs to ribs with undulating lines of white, dark green, and brownish colors. The colors remind me of the awesome, beautiful Northern Lights. However, it’s not a natural coloring for the cactus. The