A special succulent
Cleistocactus strausii is one of the more eye catching succulents in Ron Arnold’s large and varied plant collection which he has built up over the years and now re-establised on his Diamond Harbour property. This particular plant comes from the high hills of Bolivia. It is particularly noticeable for its pure white, hairlike spines which completely cover it. Flowers are but spar-
ingly produced on the sides of mature stems. These are a dark wine red colour with light red stamens, providing a striking contract to the rest of the plant. The crested or aristate form pictured here, however, rarely seems to flower in cultivation. Comment must also be made about the propensity of this plant to the development of fasciation, a feature which is a more commonly seen abberation associated with, for instance, Daphne odora “Leucanthe.” it results in normally cylindrical plant structures such as stems becoming ribbon or thallus-like. Just what causes this has not been fully determined, but is thought to be associated with disruption to normal cell development within the plant.
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Press, 31 March 1989, Page 7
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178A special succulent Press, 31 March 1989, Page 7
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