Publication: (= inermis cristata) a.k.a. “Crested Penis Cactus”
Description
This is the crested clone of the monstrous form of the Trichocereus bridgesii (a.k.a. “Crested Penis Cactus”) It is one of the more fascinating crested cacti sought after by cactus impassioned. This cultivar is stable and will never have a normal “patch” and remain mostly monstrose.
Stem: Glaucous-green, forming intricately upright fan shaped sculpture that can slowly grow up to 25 (-40) cm tall. It shows different crested and monstrous shapes even on the same plant.
Spines: Absent or ( if present) in group of up to 4 on rare areoles located in the thinner part of the monstrous crested growth. They are aciculate, straight, quite strong, honey-coloured to brown up to 4 cm long.
NOTE 1: There exist several mutant varieties of Tichocereus bridgesii that are highly prized by cactus impassioned. These include a crested variety, a variegated variety and two variants of monstrous growth. Of the monstrous varieties, one is often known by the name Penis Plant. Two more recently developed clones are now available, the fist of which exhibits both monstrous and crested growth whilst the second shows both monstrous and variegated growth.
NOTE 2: The chemical composition of the ‘Penis Plant’ is supposedly the same as that of the typical Trichocereus bridgesii.
Origin and Habitat
Garden origin (Nursery produced cultivar)
Cultivation and Propagation
It is easy to grow and cold hardy as low as -5°C (or less). Need a fertile, well drained soil mix. Water the plants well and allow them to dry before watering again. This cultivar seems to do better with a little more water than most cacti. In fact, its cultivation requirements are really more like ‘normal’ plants than most other cacti. During the growing season fertilize them monthly with a balanced fertilizer
Sun Exposure: Outside full sun, but during hot summers, the cactus are subject to sun burning, so grow them in light shade, inside needs bright light, and some direct sun.. During winter month, put them in a cool luminous place and encourage them to enter winter dormancy by withholding water and fertiliser over the winter as they will ethiolate, or become thin, due to lower levels of light. They are susceptible to fungal diseases if overwatered, but are not nearly as sensitive as many other cacti, especially in warm weather. They tend characteristically towards black rotted spots unless watering is moderate and only in hot weather, if kept damp through cold periods, they will invariably suffer.
Propagation: It can easily be multiplied from cutting. Single sections are taken off, dried and rooted. It is also grafted on strong columnar species.
Bibliography
Major references and further lectures
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N. L. Britton, J. N. Rose: “The Cactaceae. Descriptions and Illustrations of Plants of the Cactus Family.” Vol I, The Carnegie Institution of Washington, Washington 1919
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Edward Anderson “The Cactus family” Timber Press, Incorporated, 2001
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James Cullen, Sabina G. Knees, H. Suzanne Cubey “The European Garden Flora Flowering Plants: A Manual for the Identification of Plants Cultivated in Europe, Both Out-of-Doors and Under Glass” Cambridge University Press, 11/Aug/2011
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David R Hunt; Nigel P Taylor; Graham Charles; International Cactaceae Systematics Group. “The New Cactus Lexicon” dh books, 2006
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Curt Backeberg “Die Cactaceae: Handbuch der Kakteenkunde,” Volume 2 G. Fischer, 1959
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Urs Eggli, Leonard E. Newton “Etymological Dictionary of Succulent Plant Names.” Springer, Berlin/Heidelberg 2010
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Gordon Douglas Rowley “Reunion of the genus Echinopsis.” In: IOS Bulletin. Journal of the International Organization for Succulent Plant Study. 3(3): 98, 1974.
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Lowry, M. 2013. Echinopsis lageniformis. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2014.3. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 02 May 2015.
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Wikipedia contributors. “Echinopsis lageniformis.” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 26 Mar. 2015. Web. 2 May. 2015.
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Madsen, Jens. “5. Echinopsis Zucc.”. Flora of Ecuador (Gunnar Harling & Lennart Andersson) (35): 27–30.A
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Herrero-Ducloux, Enrique. “Datos quimicos sobre el Echinopsis eyriesii”. Revista de la Facultad de Ciencias Quimicas Universidad Nacional de La Plata (in Spanish) 2 (6): 43–49.
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“Cactacae - Sacred Succulents”. Sacred Succulents. <http://sacredsucculents.com/cactaceae/\> Web. 2 May. 2015.
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