Saturday, January 31, 2009

Unknown Cactus: Cathedral cactus

 
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This is a beautiful old cactus.The spines along the edges of the stems make it look almost painted. I asked the grower how long she'd had it and she could not remember besides "several years". She reports it as very hardy but neither oF us know a name for it.

Someone told me this is a Cathedral cactus, but I was unable to confirm by looking at google images. A lot of different plants are called cathedral and rather than a specific cactus, I believe the term cathedral must refer to the growth habit. It sure grows in a way that reminds me of cathedral spires.

2 comments:

  1. I have this type of cactus and recently it seems to be dieing.
    The top looks like it's drying up and turning black.One of the arms looks like it's ready to fall off.
    The cactus stands around 8ft tall and we have never had any problems before.Can you please suggest anything that may help.
    Thank you very much.
    Bill Brookes

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  2. ...Hey, that's not a Cathedral Cactus (Euphorbia Trigonia), but a Candelebra Cactus (Euphorbia Lactea).

    The Cathedral has little leaves coming off of it, but the Candelebra does not.

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