Finally got a few nice astro c.v pics to share.I know some people don't like hybrids but I am nuts for these plants and have done all I can to grow and propagate good stock plants. I am hoping to make them available to collectors in Australia soon.
Firstly myriostigma c.v kikko koh-yo








These are all fukuryu forms...







Onzuka Kikko


This is a red'v' onzuka

Asterias 'v' form seems you need to grow many of these to geta good one, these are the best from about 35 plants.



Some asterias Kikko

A five rib one..

A nuda form.

Some hanazonos

Those are all just magic.

Awesome some real beauties there i just love them they would have to be one of my favourites keep up the good work crypto.

They are very nice and look all so healthy!
Congratularions!

Great plants crypto, I know what you mean regarding the varying forms of the same seed batch or cross. I have been growing a heap of cultivars myself and find it frustrating at times. However once you get a plant with really nice form it is all worth it

Love those fukuryu and the onzuka kikko look promising, thanks for sharing them.

Wow! nice and healthy! I have only one problem with these Astrophytum hybrids ( I cant seem to get any!)

I wouldn't like your chances of finding any plants but seed can be obtained easily.....finding good cultivar seed is the problem.

Super results and very good photos!
Compliments!

Carlo & Daniele

Yeh I have to agree with HN, the source of seeds is important, but even with an excellent source some forms seem to rarely come true to type. It is safe to assume that the genes that cause these traits are recessive. This means like blue eyes for humans, only kids with two copies of the recessive gene will have blue eyes. If they get a dominant brown eye gene from either parent it is likely that trait will be expressed.
With some c.v. forms there is probably more than one gene involved. This is definitely true in the combination c.v such as kikko kohyo and onzuka kikko. Hence these types are particularly rare and it may take a dozen or more seedlings to produce a really nice one. Unfortunately for this reason they will always be rare(sorry blowng!). Even "common" c.vs like tricostatum and onzuka are usually only about 35% true from seed in my experience. Then there are some traits which don't show up untill the plants get bigger...eg if kikko trait shows up when the plant is less that 5cm diameter that is very good. But then other traits like fukuryu seem to get milder with age. The fukuryu in this pic had nice sharp,deep psuedoribs when it was smaller but now it is getting smoother.

Having said all that the possible combination and variety is almost endless. And the chance of some really rare things like a tricostatum onzuka kikko or a kohyo fukuryu nudum arising from a cross is always tantalizing.
It amazes me that breeding astro c.v has only been going on for a few decades and the pace has really picked up in the last decade. You can only imagine what a century or two will produce.
Sometimes there are nice surprises too. These two own root V type kabutos just popped up from a non V cross .(yes that is a grafting knife you hear being sharpened!)

The more I see, the more I must have! Thanks for sharing cryptocarpa...

simply greath plants cripto! lots of complients from italy!
can you give us a tip for a nice seeds surce?

Whilst we are on the topic of Astro Cultivars here is a shot from the other day...



Astrophytum Asterias CV Red Flower

Very good red colour!
Compliments!

That's a very intense red... most seem to be a paler pink. You've done well.

Yeh that's a really good red. It is very rare to get one so nice!