My numbers have gone up by one recently

A bit of a late starter so 34 living from 40 seeds (two succumbed) I am happy with those figures

lewis
I understand caput-medusae can cross easily with myriostigam including khoyo and Onzuka.
I saw a seedling photo of Echinocactus texensis x caput-medusae.
Hanazono

EDIT: okay Digitostigma caput-medusae is not easy to cross with Astrophytum.
many international experts maintain it is not an Astrophytum.

digi is good for getting Astrophytum spp. to self..
all these strange seedlings which people boast as being hybrids
with digi do not seem to be the real deal.
they either look 100% on one of the parents
or possess variegation or atypical characteristics which are claimed
to be a result of hybridisation
true, hybrids often have unusual phenotypes (because they are not supposed to happen)
but realistically,
we are crossing normally self-sterile plants with themselves...inbreeding,
the digi/astro pollen induces self-fertilisation on the receiving plants behalf.
these offspring probably possess homozygous recessive genes. (and so aren't healthy)
added to this is that the seedlings are usually grafted onto very vigorous stocks like pereskiopsis
which only makes them look even less natural.

and the self-fertilisation (re: self-sterile plant to which totally unrelated plant pollen is applied)
it is a common phenomena with cacti.
foreign pollen facilitates agamospermy/ i.e. apomixis..
how exactly i am not sure,
interestingly it doesn't even need to be cacti pollen specifically;
even lilly and brugmansia pollen have also been known to work.

Wow I had no idea that it (Digito) had been taken so far! I certainly learn a lot of stuff off this site.

The chimeras are interesting. Has anyone ever heard if its possible to graft a third species onto a chimera and make a triple one?

here you go Charlie:
http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=pl&u=http://www.kaktusy.com.pl/pliki/kurioza/chimery.html&sa=X&oi=translate&resnum=3&ct=result&prev=/search%3Fq%3Ddigitostigma%2Bx%26start%3D20%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN
one of the best freak pages ive ever seen theres a digi+astro ornatum chimera there.
theres also a crested digi under
'Gallery 4 - Form of Crested'
this site is insane!!

I know a couple of people that Lewius knows that are experimenting with some different hybrids caput-medusae. I guess it will only be a matter of time with Astrophytums being such a favourite for hybridising.