Melocactus matanzanus post-mortem

Trouble shoot problems you are having with your cactus.
Post Reply
User avatar
Steve Johnson
Posts: 4514
Joined: Thu Nov 03, 2011 4:44 am
Location: Los Angeles, CA (Zone 10b)

Melocactus matanzanus post-mortem

Post by Steve Johnson »

Okay, I told you the full story here, so now for the autopsy photos:

Image

Image

Image

A closer look at the sectioned cephalium:

Image

Image

What makes Melocactus so unusual is the fact that they go through 2 very distinct stages of vegetative growth during their lifetime. Juveniles grow like any other cactus, and they are hardy enough to survive without water during the winter. Once the cephalium starts to develop, the juvenile body stops growing as new growth takes place only in the cephalium. From that point on, the juvenile body acts as a support system for the adult body. It's also the point when the roots need occasional moisture for survival in wintertime.

My case is an object lesson illustrating the effects of catastrophic root loss. While I hesitate to say that new roots cannot be regrown at all, I believe the conditions for making it possible would have to be extraordinary. Things clearly didn't end well with my first matanzanus, but it was amazing to see long the juvenile body held out to keep the adult body growing in the absence of a healthy root system. I'm just glad that my second effort is doing fine!
If you just want photos without all the blather, please visit my Flickr gallery.
My location: Los Angeles, CA (Zone 10b)
User avatar
globose
Posts: 32
Joined: Mon Jul 21, 2014 4:39 am

Re: Melocactus matanzanus post-mortem

Post by globose »

eek! Thanks for the pics!
Post Reply