Babies with P. umbilicata!

P. umbilicata has has plenty of buds on it since it finally reached the top of the pergola. But, those buds haven't exactly been cooperative with opening. They seem to get stuck and need a little coaxing to open fully. They're a very rich purple color, and mine seem to be mottled. I'm not sure if this is indicative, or if the partial opening and the mottling are connected and the plant is sick. It took me awhile to capture the proper color of P. umbilicata's petals and sepals, but it's definitely something different. I'm told that, although classified a Tacsonia, it is able to cross the subspecies lines. In fact, I know it can because I have a hybrid from a good friend that has P. umbilicata x P. tucumanensis in its lineage. My hope is that when my Astrophea bloom, I can cross P. umbilicata with those. That would be quite something.