Myrtillocactus Species, Blue Candle, Cactus Myrtle, Whortleberry Cactus

Central Phoenix -- Blue myrtle cactus is a fast grower and puts out multiple arms. It will form a thicket if allowed, and needs a big fo...Read Moreotprint to accommodate it. We have to trim our 20+ year-old plant substantially every year. Its blooms are not very showy, but there are lots of them along the upper parts of the stems. They are small and white with a large number of slender white petals and sepals.

I read about this in Yetman's book, 'Great Cacti'. He reports that the fruits are tasty, and some prefer a more dry wrinkled fruit, as th...Read Moreese are sweeter. In Mexico people also eat them: dried, like raisins, or in jams, or drinks, or popsicles. This columnar cactus has one of the widest distributions in Mexico. Common names in the country of origin are: Garambullo, padre nuestro, and tepepoa nochtli. These cacti can become quite old, possible more than 100 years old, topping out at 25 feet high. As they mature more branching occurs, so that it is just as wide as tall, taking on an extreme candelabra shape, like a triangle with one corner at the base, like a 'V'.

baiss of NZ said it well. I think he was talking about me!..mine has been kept in worst conditions..small ceramic pot with NO drainage ho...Read Moreles. Moss grew around my cacti,it stayed dwarf-inches tall. Kept in hottest summer sun next to a wall. And it even had a rot take out a limb or two.
After all that-for about 6-7 years? It looked good!..this year I planted it out finally. And she's picture perfect.

zone 9b, coastal otago, new zealand

Honestly, I find this appealing species much maligned and underappreciated- lopped for...Read More grafting, consigned to the special bin at megastores, neglected on windowsill etc. If it was difficult to grow people would be much more fussed about it!

Mine lives outside under polycarbonate with half day sun, never sends me to the ER with puncture wounds or sap poisoning, always looks cheerfully blue and is budding happily. In a little time it will be a really impressive, architectural specimen for little or no care and expense, with pretty flowers and berries etc, which is a LOT more than I can say for many other species.

All you have to do is offer it shelter and keep your mitts off it to preserve the lovely blue bloom, don't drown it with water and give it decent potting mix, to see this underrated performer at it's best. You can shape it by removing buds and judicious excision into something large and special. Keep it under cover and you'll be rewarded with a pristine, wow-factor plant, over which you won't lose a wink of sleep.