The Re-Birth of a Torch Monstrose

[ThirdEyeVision]

I helped a fellow cactus collector do some "house cleaning" so I received some random specimens that were trimmed, pulled out of the ground etc. One of the old wood specimens was planted and is puping now and looks like the beginning of a Monstrose. There is another cutting exhibiting the same type of growth that I can only assume came from the same cactus while being trimmed.

For those who don't know:

Monstrose plants, like crests, are a freak of nature. Instead of one growing point which fans, they develop many growing points. From these growing points they unaccountably grow out in all directions in bumpy, twisted and gnarly shapes.

Monstrous; An abnormal, distorted and disfigured growth of the body, not the apex. A naturally occuring mutant growth formation often resembling a club-like shape in cylindrical or columnar cacti and a wavy body shape in cacti that have pads. Monstrose and monstrosus are botanical terms used to describe this formation.

If you look closely all the aureoles are forming new growth which is not typical obviously. I will post updated growth pictures.

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Now compare it to a torch pup around the same age.

Example 1: Standard Torch Pup I have growing. Notice new growth is formed from the top.

Example 2: Possible Montrose Pup. Notice new growth is coming from all aureoles.

 

[dg]

awesome!
post current snaps in pron thread/cacti please!

 

[Existender]

Wonderful! When new growth is coming from all areoles, is that monstrose, or is it multi-headed polytomy?

 

[dg]

Wonderful! When new growth is coming from all areoles, is that monstrose, or is it multi-headed polytomy?

he has posted other pics at either nook, or coroboree(i cant recall, maybe both), very awesome!
but not common monstrose growth for sure...good question, i wonder if he has an answer?