Curator reference for the fairy castle cactus, the monstrose ‘Fairy Castle’ cultivar of Acanthocereus tetragonus. Honest taxonomy, why it cannot be grown from seed, the glued-on fake-flower scam, the wild barbed-wire cactus behind it, and full cultivation notes.
Complete guide to the genus Acanthocereus, the night-blooming barbed-wire cacti of the warm Americas, behind the mass-market fairy castle houseplant.
Curator reference for the rat tail cactus, Aporocactus flagelliformis (long sold as Disocactus flagelliformis): an easy, ubiquitous epiphyte grown as a houseplant for some 300 years. Taxonomy, the genus split from Disocactus, Mexican forest habitat, morphology, day-blooming magenta flowers, and honest cultivation notes for a more organic, forest-cactus mix.
Guide to the genus Aporocactus: two Mexican epiphytic rat tail cacti with slender pendant stems and vivid day-blooming magenta flowers, including the rat tail.
Curator reference for the monkey tail cactus, Cleistocactus colademononis, the hair-cloaked pendant cliff endemic of a single Bolivian mountain near Samaipata, sold in the trade as Hildewintera colademononis. Taxonomy, habitat, morphology, IUCN Endangered status, and hanging-basket cultivation for serious growers.
Curator reference for the boobie cactus, the viral crested and monstrose form of Myrtillocactus geometrizans, Mexico’s blue myrtle. Taxonomy, the honest seed-versus-graft propagation story, native habitat, morphology of both the wild column and the crest, and full cultivation notes.
Guide to the genus Cleistocactus: slender Andean columnar and pendant cacti with near-closed tubular hummingbird flowers, including the popular monkey tail.
Complete guide to the genus Myrtillocactus, the blue columnar tree cacti of Mexico behind the edible garambullo fruit and the viral crested boobie cactus.
Curator reference for Echinopsis chamaecereus, the peanut cactus (long sold as Chamaecereus silvestrii): a cheap, ubiquitous beginner cactus collected once in 1896 and never refound in the wild. Taxonomy, native range in northwest Argentina, morphology, cold hardiness to roughly −7°C kept dry, and honest cultivation notes.
Curator reference for Mammillaria humboldtii, the snow-white snowball cactus of the limestone cliffs of Hidalgo and Querétaro, Mexico. Taxonomy, habitat, morphology, identification against M. herrerae, IUCN Critically Endangered status, and cultivation notes for serious collectors.
