** THE UNDECIDED CACTUS**
or
** A SURPRISING EVOLUTION **
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I wondered whether this phenomenon was specific to Cacti.
A research on the Internet made me discover the phenomenon of the “undecided buds”, (word-for-word translation of the French phrase "bourgeons indécis") present on the fruit trees with pips and in particular on the pear trees.
On the left, an “undecided bud”, on the right a future floral bud.
A gauche : bourgeon indécis, à droite, futur bouton floral.
(source of the photograph, newspaper: Le Journal de Saône-et-Loire.)
The "undecided bud" has a more pointed shape, the floral bud is more rounded.
“It's the arrival of sap which will decide of the evolution of the "undecided bud". If you prune just after it, during the year it will change and become an vegetative bud next year. On the other hand, if you prune 2 or 3 buds behind an "undecided bud", the arrival of sap will be less important and it will become a floral bud for the next year.
To recognize it, it is pointed, pricky when you touch it with your finger and it is not stuck against the trunk. It looks like the floral bud but less broad and more pointed.”
(Source of the comment above, link at the bottom of the article)
Under more unfavourable conditions for the circulation of the sap, the "undecided bud" produces a bloom.
In the contrary case, it has more energy and gives a new stem.
The "release of railroad switch" is here the more or less intense circulation of the sap.
It's due to the climatic and/or conditions of cultivation in particular the pruning of the branches of the pear tree.
As the phrase “undecided bud” sounded funny to me, I decided to call my Hatiora “the undecided cactus”.
Thus this article was born.
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Sources of the article:
"Undecided buds": photograph and corresponding article available (in French) on:
http://www.bienpublic.com/loisirs/2014/02/28/les-petits-fruits-a-la-bonne-taille
Correspondence with Fabrice Cendrin, author and webmaster of the website: Le Cactus Heuristique :
http://www.lecactusheuristique.com/
Correspondence with Eckhard Meier
Correspondence with Pythagore Vassiloglou
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