I have had this cactus a long time, from back when I didn’t keep good records. I know I have had it a long time because of its size. It’s not my prettiest cactus, but it keeps growing and blooming, and it’s one that you don’t always see for sale, so, of course, I don’t want to give up on it.
Thelocactus tulensis v. longispinus is native to Mexico, around the San Luis Potosi area, and grows on limestone hills at elevations around 1,000 feet. Flowers on thelocactus can range from white to pale pink. The areoles are said to be woolly when young and become naked with age. I double-checked, and the new growth does have wool, but the older growth has, in fact, lost it.
This cactus, I think, suffered hail damage in one of our hail storms, and it shows. If you look closely at the stem next to the one on the left with the flower, you can tell it is smaller and newer to the plant, so it probably didn’t go through the hail storm and looks cleaner. Or maybe it was not a hail storm but grasshoppers or some other pest nibbling on the plant. All I know for sure is that it has been damaged and looks a bit shaggy because of it. In the future I plan to put it out of harm’s way.
You will notice the spines are pretty long, hence the name longispinius- long spines.Most cactus and succulents will have something in their names that alludes to something in their appearance, which might make it easier to remember and understand the name of the cactus. Sometimes those long spines get in the way of the flower petals, but they are still pretty.
So, I will keep this cactus and look forward to more flowers next season.
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