# Gritty Mix botanical game artwork

These are AI-generated botanical game illustrations, not photographs or identification-grade botanical plates. The nursery and grafting bench share the same species-specific textures. Game growth stages and grafting mechanics are simplified.

The 16-specimen atlas was created with OpenAI image generation on September 8, 2026. The source uses a magenta chroma key; the game's texture loader removes that background once at load time and caches individual sprites. No source photographs are displayed as generated plant photos.

## Real-plant study references

- San Pedro / Trichocereus pachanoi: photograph by **someone10x**, CC BY 2.0, in the [Cactus Codex photo gallery](../../cactus/trichocereus-pachanoi.html). The original photograph is unchanged.
- Lophophora williamsii: photograph by **CostaPPPR**, CC BY-SA 3.0, [Wikimedia Commons source](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lophophora-williamsii-costapppr.jpg), also in the [Cactus Codex gallery](../../cactus/lophophora-williamsii.html). The original photograph is unchanged.
- Species shapes, ribbing, spines, wool and leaf forms were also informed by the existing game's species descriptions and the [North Carolina Extension Astrophytum profile](https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/astrophytum/common-name/star-cactus/) and [Haworthia specialist reference](https://www.haworthia.com/).
- Grafting contact and band placement: [British Cactus & Succulent Society cultivation guide](https://www.teessidecacti.org/BCSS/CULTIVAT/grafting.html) and [University of Florida propagation teaching material](https://propg.ifas.ufl.edu/06-grafting/02-graftingtypes/05-grafting-cactus.html).
- Grafting knife: the illustrated tool uses a straight, rigid, single-bevel blade with a pinned wood handle, informed by the [University of Florida grafting-knife reference](https://propg.ifas.ufl.edu/06-grafting/01-terms/06-graftingterms-knives.html). The cactus guide above documents a sharp razor blade as another suitable tool; the game uses the handled knife because its angle is easier to read at canvas scale.

## Securing-method renderings

The bench illustrates one application of each material, with geometry fitted to the selected stock and scion. These are simplified game visuals; growers use several variations.

- Elastic bands: separate loops over the crown and around the pot, informed by [East Austin Succulents' photographed demonstration](https://shop.eastaustinsucculents.com/blog/grafting-cactus-how-to/). [Big Blue Cactus Garden](https://bigbluecactusgarden.com/grafting-cacti-part-1/) also documents an alternative stock-anchored arrangement.
- Parafilm: a thin, translucent covering over the scion, with folds joining a self-adhering collar around the stock. Based on [Wakinyan's firsthand explanation](https://dmt-nexus.me/forum/default.aspx?g=posts&m=866379). It is not drawn as elastic straps extending to the pot.
- Nylon stocking: a fine mesh covering over the crown, gathered around the stock with an elastic collar, informed by [Merv Whitehouse's Gardening Australia demonstration](https://www.abc.net.au/gardening/how-to/cactus-king/11413862).

The game clears the temporary material after its recovery phase; this is a gameplay convention, not a universal removal schedule for real grafts.

The generated atlas is shared under [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/), with the above source acknowledgments retained. This license statement covers this atlas, not the site's code or unrelated art.

## Atlas order

September 9 update: `nursery-trio-v2.webp` replaces the Peyote, Star Cactus and San Pedro sprites with illustrations derived from the approved Codex nursery artwork. Both nursery and grafting views use the updated textures. The approved artwork was informed by [Keeper Trout's Peyote photograph](https://sacredcacti.com/blog/description/lophophora-williamsii-starrcounty-1/), [Neraw's Star Cactus photographs](https://www.neraw.gr/products/astrophytum-asterias-8-rib-star-shape), and the [Ogun San Pedro reference](https://trichocereusnet.blogspot.com/2016/01/ogun-clone-one-trichocereus-pachanoi.html).

1. Trichocereus pachanoi
2. Trichocereus bridgesii
3. Trichocereus peruvianus
4. Trichocereus terscheckii
5. Trichocereus scopulicola
6. Echinocactus horizonthalonius
7. Echinocactus grusonii
8. Tephrocactus articulatus
9. Lophophora williamsii
10. Astrophytum asterias
11. Haworthia truncata (nursery only; excluded from cactus grafting)
12. Aztekium ritteri
13. Ariocarpus fissuratus
14. Pereskiopsis
15. Myrtillocactus geometrizans
16. Hylocereus undatus

September 9 contour refinement: the film and nylon follow the keyed plant silhouettes rather than a generic dome. Film material and overlap appearance also informed by [fruitmentor’s close-up Parafilm-M demonstration](https://fruitmentor.com/grafting-fruit-trees-step-by-step); that source demonstrates citrus grafting, so it is used for material appearance only, not cactus-specific application guidance. The Secure stage provides an enlarged view of the union on desktop and phones.

September 9 Peyote refinement: `peyote-v3.webp` supersedes the Peyote region of the nursery atlas; `gritty-nursery-perspective-v4.webp` carries the revised plant into the game preview. These are generated game illustrations, not plant photographs. Anatomy reviewed against [Trout’s description and field photographs](https://troutsnotes.com/description/), the CostaPPPR photograph above, and [Frank Valente’s cultivated specimens](https://www.magicactus.com/lw.html). Corrections emphasize a connected rounded body, shallow rib furrows, glaucous skin, and small fibrous wool areoles instead of hard star-shaped structures.

September 9 pottery refinement: `terracotta-grit-v1.webp` is an original generated game asset showing textured fired clay, a thick rounded rim and mixed mineral substrate. The nursery and bench reuse this pot with foreground layers so the plant bases meet the substrate. `gritty-nursery-perspective-v5.webp` updates the game preview to the same material direction. These are stylized game illustrations, not a claim about the player’s exact soil recipe.