White Pups!

[Solak]

I was out watering my cactus today, not paying particular attention as the stream of water hit close to the main stem for a second. I saw this weird white object, so I put more water on it, and look what I found!

I'm pretty sure they're just white because they haven't been exposed to sunlight. I covered them so they wouldn't get damaged by the sun after I took pictures, was planning on just leaving it like that as the growth didn't seem to show any sign of disease. The only thing that makes me slightly uncomfortable is the root over the pup, but I can always slash the root if it interferes with growth.

Believe it's a Trichocereus Spachiana, for anyone having difficulty telling from looking at seemingly albino pups.

[Goldtop]

Ha! Ive never heard of that before Ive got some variegation of yellow and shades of green. I never new cacti can produce albino traits. Very interesting, i reken you should graft one of them. Would be cool to see if they throw albino pups or not, good stuff brother

[PhoenixSon]

they will turn green when they get more sun. no sun no chlorophyll no green

Edited June 26, 2012 by spacemonk

[Goldtop]

Chlorophyll more like...borophyll...right? lol. Dang it, space, i had my hopes set on finding a white cactus

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0W6JgnCFezo

[zelly]

Trichocereus Spachiana

just curious, what makes you think this tricho is a spachiana?

[Stillman]

looks like cuzco from spination? maybe

[Evil Genius]

Yeah they are only white because they probably had to digg themselves out through the soil first. Spachianus is thinkable but the cactus seems to have very distinct warts so i actually think its more likely that you got something from the Thelegonus/Theleflora/Imperialis Group or a related hybrid. They are very similar to Spachianus and people mix them up all the time. Can you please post a pic of the tip? These warted quadrangular patches on the pups are very unlike for Cuzcoensis or Spachianus. The spines on the upper part of the plant arent long enough either.

Edited June 26, 2012 by Evil Genius

[Evil Genius]

Btw, the cactus that these hybrids originally came from is the original Trichocereus Purpureopilosus which looks like a Spachianus but has stronger, shorter, stumper and darker spines. Flower is white while most other hybrids are multicolored. But i dont think it has these weird rectangular patches. Have one in my greenhouse. Will post a pic later. It basically looks like the hybrid i posted labeled as Thelesina or Theleflora in my Summer Pics 2012 Thread.

Edited June 26, 2012 by Evil Genius

[Solak]

I called it a T. Spachianus as that is what it was sold to me as, and it matched the few pictures I looked at online closely enough that I didn't think much of it. Up until now, it's been one of my more boring Trichocereus cacti. Even this... Pachanot?/cactus that was given to me for free that I planted to have an even row of 5 columnar cacti/P.C. pachanoi is a bit more interesting. The part at the bottom has been there for well over a year now and doesn't seem to be growing.

I've never grafted before, I take the occasional cutting and have tended towards neglect on my cacti as I am away from home for around 8 months of the year with school. I should learn though, as I rescued a 4 ft section of the same/similar genetics as the second cacti from my neighbors burn pile and could turn it into quite a few rootstocks for learning.

Heading over to check out your pictures Evil Genius, thanks for the correction. Trichocereus naming is confusing.

[M S Smith]

Looks like Trichocereus brevispinulosus, aka T. harissima.

http://home-and-garden.webshots.com/photo/1469265656075508785euFYYk

~Michael~

[Evil Genius]

Yeah Michael, thats the same type of Plant. But Trichocereus Brevispinulosus is another commercial name for a plant that is being sold under various names because there are many hybrids with it. The original botanical Trichocereus that looks like this is Trichocereus Purpureopilosus. It has a pretty Trich-like white flower which is the reason its being used so much for breeding from Cactus breeders. Will post pics of it later. Then there is the group of hybrids around Trichocereus Imperialis/Echinopsis Imperialis which enclude the Purpureopilosus but flower in diffrent colors because there are other fatherplants. And there´s another group of hybrids that originally contained Purpureopilosus but were crossed with Trichocereus, Echinopsis or Hildewintera. The list is endless so it would be great to see a flower. But best guess is that its probably white because its rather a pure Purpureopilosus than a hybrid.

Edited June 27, 2012 by Evil Genius

[zelly]

Cant wait to see your Purpureopilosus pics EG, simply cuz I've had a plant for years labeled as T. purpureopilosus and it doesnt look anything like the plant in this thread.

[Evil Genius]

Will post pics when i was at the greenhouse but its the same type of plant that you see when you google "Trichocereus Purpureopilosus" or "Echinopsis Purpureopilosus". This is it: http://www.kakteen-w...ge.php?pid=3160

Echinopsis Purpureopilosus was merged into Echinopsis Lamprochlora but its actually a way diffrent plant and i dont really understand why they did that.

Zelly if your plant doesnt look like this, it could either be a hybrid that involved Purpureopilosus or its not the right Purpureopilosus. I once bought a very diffrent plant labeled like that too. Made me look like a tool when i was telling people about how Purpureopilosus really looks like when i was actually using the wrong plant as standard. Do you got a pic of yours? Maybe the one i got is the same plant.

The Trichocereus Brevispinulosus from the NMCR is definately coming out of this family but is actually a nomen nudum, just like Trichocereus Harrissima from Sticky Situations. I assume they called it like that because Purpureopilosus is not very well known and the people who collected the seeds didnt know the name so they came up with a new one. But i really love that type of cactus. Have at least 10 diffrent types that all have that distinct look.

II think "Purpureopilosus" means "magenta colored and hairy" or something like that and is targeted at the the outer leaves on the backside of the flower. And new spine growth is very oftenly magenta colored too. But if you have a hybrid, this depends on the type of plants that are also crossed in.

Edited June 27, 2012 by Evil Genius

[Kykeion]

So what has become of these pups? White, green?

I was also going to suggest that is might beTrichocereus brevispinulosus, but I buy your explanation EG. I wonder though if solak's plant and "T. brevispinulosus" might then be hybrids? All pictures of T. purpureopilosus that I have seen are of short clumping cacti, but all of the "T. brevispinulosus" I have seen are taller columnar cacti. (When I say "seen" I mean photos online, not in person) Thoughts?

[Evil Genius]

Hi Kykeion, it certainly is the same plant that is know as Trichocereus Brevispinulosus. But its a nomen nudum aka wrong name that was probably made up by a nursery or a seed wholesaler who wasnt sure what it is. You know, i dont have a problem with people in the scene still labeling it Brevispinulosus. I grow some that i raised from seed and they still carry that label too because it helps to keep track of where a plant came from. But the botanical background is that its is not the correct name.

If you are looking at pictures of clustering Purpureopilosus online, its not purpureopilosus. True Purpureopilosus grow columnar as they are the identical Brevispinulosus but under a diffrent name. However, they can throw out many pups from the base so it might appear as if they would be low clustering Echinopsis or something like that. Btw, i just googled Echinopsis Purpureopilosus and a large part of the pics on the first two pages show the right type of cactus. Just with diffrent flowers because the shown plants are hybrids that differ in flower color but have the same purpureopilosus body.

Edited August 11, 2012 by Evil Genius