Micranthocereus

This is an incredibly ornamental cactus that just might be a bit too tropical in its needs for me to grow... otherwise why wouldn't there...Read More be more of them about? After 4 years growing this species, and having it survive a severe freeze (for our area- 25F for over 7 hours), I have decided it is a good species for my area as long as it's protected somehow from severe freezes, or kept in a pot and moved indoors for those events. Otherwise it is an easy plant. Once frozen and the growing center killed, this plant takes years to heal and make a new growth center (most cacti either die or recover and start growing the next season).

They look a bit like Pilosocereus, having bluish, turquoise bodies, rarely branching, and finely spaced golden spines on paralell ridges up and down the body.

It seems as of Jan 2008, Siccobaccatus insigniflorus is now the accepted name (see Cactus and Succulent journal vol. 80.)