What the heck cactus is this?

[bluntmuffin]

Hello everyone.

I found this cactus, and I instantly thought that it looked like a species of interest. Take a look for yourselves (sorry for poor photos, just had cameraphone at the time):

 

[۩]

Looks yum

 

[bluntmuffin]

I don't know why you assumed I was going to steal it. Yes it's in a botanical garden. There's more plants that are pupping (they were a bit ugly, so I didn't photograph them), and I'm pretty sure the place's attached garden centre would sell me a pup.

 

[۩]

haha, forgive me I don't know why I assumed the worst
/substance weed

 

[bluntmuffin]

Yeah, I don't smoke weed, I guess this handle gives the wrong impression.

 

[olympus mon]

Yeah, I don't smoke weed, I guess this handle gives the wrong impression.

thats funny! why blunt muffin then? :lol:

anyways, yea that sure looks like a san pedro but with longer spines. ive seen some S.P. for sale that look just like that from south America but im not an expert. looks active to me though haha!

maybe dg will chime in. he's a catus guru and has helped me a ton.

and dont mind house. someone stole his cactus once and he's looking for the guy still

 

[bluntmuffin]

It was originally bludmuffin, but then I decided it didn't sound druggy enough, so I changed it to blunt. But I also thought that being blunt meant being to the point. It doesn't really mean that [at all], and it's actually a pretty derogatory word. Oh well, too late to change now. Hahahahaha.

It does look similar to many San Pedro, and I've even got one myself (6 ribs however) that looks very similar. The one thing that makes me think otherwise is the spines. The spines on this cactus are very variable. I can identify some greenish black-tipped spines characteristic of bridgesii, those long white spines on the lower areoles, and then some standard brown short spines. The spines do not appear continuously. A greenish black-tipped spine might grow from an areole, but not the succeeding areole, and only 2-3 areoles up. This is something I've never seen on ANY of my pachanoi. This is what leads me to believe it's not a pachanoi, or at least a pure-ish one.
The areole hair also appears to turn grey. Don't quite know why this is. But extremely strangely this has happened to my own pachanoi at home! I hope there hasn't been some acid rainfall that wasn't reported or something.

 

[Ayawasqero]

Lophophora williamsii.

 

[DiMiTriX]

yup definetly a pedro imo

 

[jbark]

Isn't that a Pachanoi Blurrii?

AKA the Peaceful & annoying Blurry-eye cact-eye?

JBArk

 

[ouro]

Looks like a peruvianoid to me... Since it's in a botanical garden it could be a more obscure species technically. there are lots of species/strains that have fat stems and big spines like that that are active, so its worth a try. The most notorious inactive peruvian look-a-like is cuzcoensis.

It's a handsome plant.

 

[soulfood]

I thought peruvian also from the growth at the top.

 

[AluminumFoilRobots]

It's too many sections to be bridgesii or peruviana, it could perhaps be one of the varieties of pachanoi. From an internet search they seem to have enough.

 

[bluntmuffin]

I hold in my hand an 8 ribbed bridgesii... I don't think 8 ribs is too many for a bridgesii.

 

[AluminumFoilRobots]

then I have no idea, my bridgesii have 5 ribs. At least the one I am looking at does, the others are still wrapped up until I get some cactus soil.

 

[dg]

a desirable cacti
likely from peru, but taxonomy is all over the place.

i have similar plants received as pachanoi, macrogonus, and peruvianus, over all though a igree with ouro, peruvianoid

since this at a botanical garden i'd be surprised if they will let you take a cutting, but they might...a nice cutting to start a collection with if they allow. similar plants in my collection are 10+" dia