What's happening here?

[Shane]

I noticed some odd growth on this Coryphantha and I'm wondering what's happening with it

20210528_163722_copy_1129x845.jpg (87.61 KiB) Viewed 1926 times

The perspective is a little weird in the picture, this growth isn't happening on the top but rather on one of the sides (the meristem is towards the bottom of the page and to the left of the growth). It's growing a lot of fuzz and some spines in an apparently disorganized way (I don't think the spines show up in the photo). Any guesses what this is?

[nes]

Not completely sure, but from what I've read lately in the book "Coryphantha; Cacti of Southern Mexico and USA", they tend to flower in early summer or spring. They also got the name "Coryphantha" because one part of the word means "flowering from the apex". Never owned a coryphantha myself so I couldn't say for certain if that's how the flowers look when coming in. It is possible that it's a flower though.

[Shane]

It looks like it's growing a group of new areoles. I'll get a better picture later

[Shane]

Here's what it looks like now. I went ahead and bought it so I could observe what that spot turns into. Looks like monstrose growth to me

[DaveW]

Sometimes flower buds change into offsets and vice versa. Probably just some form of monstrose growth which will resolve itself as it grows?

[Shane]

Here's how it's doing now. It's grown some and the white and pink parts are more clearly differentiated

[Shane]

Another update

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It looks like it's not growing more areoles but it's not entirely clear. I think it'll turn out to be a weird lump on an otherwise normal cactus

[DaveW]

Sometimes such things eventually resolve into a normal offset. Looks as if it initially it started off as an immature flower bud (hence the pink colour) which has then changed into an offset. Not common, but it does occasionally happen.

[7george]

Maybe you should pick up a name for the new form like Coryphantha elephantidens cv. seaurchin?