Cactus identification help request

[Lair3514]

Please help me identify these cactus.

#1


#2


#3


#4 (any further identification beyond epi?)


Thank you. I will look up care requirements. Any suggestions are welcome.

[Steve Johnson]

#1 definitely Tephrocactus articulatus var. inermis, also known as the pine cone cactus. We refer to them by the more amusing name "cat turd". You have a nice one too, and the new stems look great!

[phil_SK]

2 is Chamecereus silvestrii.

[teo]

#3 does not look like a cactus but some other succulent, possibly Euphorbia

[DaveW]

3 may be a Stapelia, or some form of Stapeliad. Being a Cactophile not my area of interest, so will leave it to somebody else to identify.

http://www.plantzafrica.com/plantqrs/stapelia.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://www.travel-tour-guide.com/Namaqu ... photos.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

With some of the Stapelia's when they flower you need to hang up a bucket of manure in the greenhouse as an air freshener!

[greenknight]

My first reaction to #3 was "probably a Euphorbia", but I'm not certain. If it has milky sap, it's a Euphorbia. Not a cactus, in any case.

#4 is probably an Epiphylum hybrid - if it produces large, brightly-colored flowers, that will be confirmed.

[Saxicola]

3 is a Stapeliad. With few exceptions, you need to wait until it flowers to determine what it really is. My guess is some sort of Huernia, but that is nothing more than a guess until flowers appear.

By the way, you can at least determine if it is the genus Stapelia or not by feeling the stems. If they have fuzzy hairs on them it is a Stapelia, if not it is one of the other Stapeliad genera.

[CactusFanDan]

#1 definitely Tephrocactus articulatus var. inermis, also known as the pine cone cactus. We refer to them by the more amusing name "cat turd". You have a nice one too, and the new stems look great!

I'd call it Tephrocactus articulatus v. strobiliformis or perhaps v. diadematus. The inermis variety has normally-shaped cladodes and no spines or glochids, however this one has elongated cladodes.

[Lair3514]

Thanks to all who helped on this post.

2 is Chamecereus silvestrii.

This is clearly the correct I.D.

#1 definitely Tephrocactus articulatus var. inermis

This gets me into the right ball park. After looking at v. strobiliformis and diadematus, the latter is definitely a contender.

3 is a Stapeliad.

. . . or a Euphorbia. This is the hardest I.D. I have to work my way through pictures of Euphorbias before I try to decide.

Again, thanks. I'm not sayint I'll be able to make definite determinations but you have brought me closer to I.D.

If the epiphyllum blooms, I'll post a picture.

[teo]

Prick it with a needle, if the sap is white (latex) then it's Euphorbia, otherwise probably some Stapeliad

[Saxicola]

I promise you that is a Stapeliad, not a Euphorbia, but if you want to keep searching through them I can't stop you. My uncertainty was only about what species of Stapeliad it is, not that it is one. They are next to impossible to ID to species in 90% of cases without flowers.

Anyway, if you want to prove it to yourself then do what Teo suggests and poke the plant. When clear liquid comes out you will know it is a Stapeliad.

[Lair3514]

Teo and Saxicola,

I appreciate your suggestions and comments. The woman (former coworker) who potted up and gave me the plants under consideration is unavailable at the moment. I am trying to contact her to ask her if the plant in question had milky sap when she transplanted part of it into the pot she gave me.

It would seem to me to be some kind of a practical joke to give a person a Stapelia and not tell them what to expect! She has not responded to my e-mails. If I fail to make contact tomorrow, I'll prick the thing and get back to you.

Meanwhile, Sunday I shot another picture in better light.



Thanks again.

[greenknight]

Hmm...with a clearer view of the new growth, it does look more like a Stapeliad. Still not totally sure, though.

[DaveW]

Typical Stapeliad and even I can tell that as a mere Cactophile!

You presume the lady knew what it was or had flowered it, therefore knew it probably smelt, but that is in no way hazardous. Even more irresponsible if you knowingly gave somebody a Euphorbia without warning them the sap could at least be irritant or in some species toxic, therefore to take due care when handling it?

[Lair3514]

I concede. It must be Stapelia.

Couldn't get hold of friend who gifted me with it. It just looks more similar to pictures at the Stapelia websites than it does to any of the Euphorbia I looked at. No, I did not give it the pin test.

Thanks for making me see the light. What makes my big head so hard?! You are a good crew of I.D. advisers. When it blooms, I'll post a picture for further refinement of the I.D.