ID Please - Monster Cactus patch...

[jlyonia]

Hello -

I was out driving on the weekend and came across this clump of cactus. Any idea what they are and how old they'd be?

Thanks!

J.

[shruman]

Cereus peruvianus.

30-40 years.

Nice plant & pics

Edited March 13, 2008 by shruman

[jlyonia]

Thanks shruman!

I was amazed at the size of this thing... That fence is about five and a half feet high, so the entire plant must be around 20 foot tall!

Cheers,

J.

[Vertmorpheus]

There's two things that tend to get called C. peru, I hear its not a "real" name anyways just a grouping, akin to "pachanoid" or "peruvianoid"... there's a tall dark to olive green thing that tends to have hairlike spines, long tapering branches with segments but fairly regular in diameter overall..then theres what you have, what I think of as the uruguayensis (dont ask me why, it just got stuck in my head that way and it serves my purpose) which is usually shorter but thicker spines, grey-green, with much more pronounced neckings and swellings and those pronounced indentations between aerioles. Kinda football shaped in profile between necks rather than fairly linear with the odd sexy swelling out. Both are pretty common, and if you hunt around the more protected areas at their base or along the same fencline you can get lucky and find other cacs or succs. I have a few big sections of the one youve found that I intend to use around the borders and drier spots in my vege patches to provide a durable bird perch that should encourage guano deposits, lets me know if soil is overwet and they look nice in that Lil Mexico kind of way, among my chillis and yam beans.

Both are gorgeous for the amount of care required,not real prized to collectors but its all taste isnt it. I think the "uruguayensis" forms (note... dont go telling ppl thats what it is, its probably not, its just my mental tag) might be a mix of forbesii and "peruvianus"...forbesii are terrifying creatures. Most I find are reported to be about 40 or 50 years old "old bill put it next to the fence and it just stayed there". Go crazy with bees and sometimes bats when they flower, which are very pretty at night. Easily rooted, slower than pachs to grow but still pretty fast... good for space fillers in your collection, decoys for the lightfingered and most owners will try to get you to take the whole damned thing home... good practice material for testing growing media, ferts and whatnot, and if you want to know if somewhere is good for trichos, leave a cereus there for a while first... any bugs or pests with a thing for cactus juice will soon make themselves known without you losing a more valued cutting.

VM

[Vertmorpheus]

There's two things that tend to get called C. peru, I hear its not a "real" name anyways just a grouping, akin to "pachanoid" or "peruvianoid"... there's a tall dark to olive green thing that tends to have hairlike spines, long tapering branches with segments but fairly regular in diameter overall..then theres what you have, what I think of as the uruguayensis (dont ask me why, it just got stuck in my head that way and it serves my purpose) which is usually shorter but thicker spines, grey-green, with much more pronounced neckings and swellings and those pronounced indentations between aerioles. Kinda football shaped in profile between necks rather than fairly linear with the odd sexy swelling out. Both are pretty common, and if you hunt around the more protected areas at their base or along the same fencline you can get lucky and find other cacs or succs. I have a few big sections of the one youve found that I intend to use around the borders and drier spots in my vege patches to provide a durable bird perch that should encourage guano deposits, lets me know if soil is overwet and they look nice in that Lil Mexico kind of way, among my chillis and yam beans.

Both are gorgeous for the amount of care required,not real prized to collectors but its all taste isnt it. I think the "uruguayensis" forms (note... dont go telling ppl thats what it is, its probably not, its just my mental tag) might be a mix of forbesii and "peruvianus"...forbesii are terrifying creatures. Most I find are reported to be about 40 or 50 years old "old bill put it next to the fence and it just stayed there". Go crazy with bees and sometimes bats when they flower, which are very pretty at night. Easily rooted, slower than pachs to grow but still pretty fast... good for space fillers in your collection, decoys for the lightfingered and most owners will try to get you to take the whole damned thing home... good practice material for testing growing media, ferts and whatnot, and if you want to know if somewhere is good for trichos, leave a cereus there for a while first... any bugs or pests with a thing for cactus juice will soon make themselves known without you losing a more valued cutting.

VM

[Vertmorpheus]

There's two things that tend to get called C. peru, I hear its not a "real" name anyways just a grouping, akin to "pachanoid" or "peruvianoid"... there's a tall dark to olive green thing that tends to have hairlike spines, long tapering branches with segments but fairly regular in diameter overall..then theres what you have, what I think of as the uruguayensis (dont ask me why, it just got stuck in my head that way and it serves my purpose) which is usually shorter but thicker spines, grey-green, with much more pronounced neckings and swellings and those pronounced indentations between aerioles. Kinda football shaped in profile between necks rather than fairly linear with the odd sexy swelling out. Both are pretty common, and if you hunt around the more protected areas at their base or along the same fencline you can get lucky and find other cacs or succs. I have a few big sections of the one youve found that I intend to use around the borders and drier spots in my vege patches to provide a durable bird perch that should encourage guano deposits, lets me know if soil is overwet and they look nice in that Lil Mexico kind of way, among my chillis and yam beans.

Both are gorgeous for the amount of care required,not real prized to collectors but its all taste isnt it. I think the "uruguayensis" forms (note... dont go telling ppl thats what it is, its probably not, its just my mental tag) might be a mix of forbesii and "peruvianus"...forbesii are terrifying creatures. Most I find are reported to be about 40 or 50 years old "old bill put it next to the fence and it just stayed there". Go crazy with bees and sometimes bats when they flower, which are very pretty at night. Easily rooted, slower than pachs to grow but still pretty fast... good for space fillers in your collection, decoys for the lightfingered and most owners will try to get you to take the whole damned thing home... good practice material for testing growing media, ferts and whatnot, and if you want to know if somewhere is good for trichos, leave a cereus there for a while first... any bugs or pests with a thing for cactus juice will soon make themselves known without you losing a more valued cutting.

VM

[jlyonia]

Thanks for the info VM!

Thanks for the info VM!

Thanks for the info VM!

J.

Edited March 13, 2008 by jlyonia