All the information and photos in cactus art files are now available also in the new the Enciclopedia of Cacti. We hope you find this new site informative and useful.

Monvillea spegazzinii "cristata" (Type B)
This easy to grow plant  is very attractive because of its spectacular purple-blue stems with pronounced sculpture effects.  There also a similar crested form (Type A)  with  blue-green marbled stems.
 

Description: The typical Monvillea spegazzinii is a fast-growing slender shrubby cactus that has  bluish stems that creep along the ground to form a shrub. There are two similar but slightly different crested forms (Type A and type B) that are now widely cultivated for their beautiful stem with pronounced sculpture effects.
Stems: Bluish-green that tinge purplish in full sun up to 25 cm tall and wide.
Roots: Tuberose and succulent, Even adventitious roots of Monvillea spegazzinii become succulent.
Flowers: 10 to 13 cm in length with a slender tube, reddish outer perianth segments and white inner ones. They arise from near the top on the sides of the stems; buds point upward but curve suddenly downward when the flowers open. They bloom at night.

These plants produce monstrous crests, and crests occasionally produce normal shoots.
 

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Conservation status: Listed in CITES appendix 2.

Scientific name:  Monvillea spegazzinii (Weber) Britton and Rose
forma Cristata

Origin:  Garden origin (Nursery produced cultivar)

Synonyms:  

• Cereus spegazzinii cristata
• Monvillea phatnosperma cristata
• Monvillea haageii Cristata
• Monvillea spegazzini f.monstrosa

The epidermis is lovely marbled in blue and green, the tips are purple.

Cultivation: Produces best results in loose and very drained soil, rich in leafmold, and if sufficient water is supplied in warm weather a rather considerable growth can be made. It needs semi-shade. The plants will stand but little cold and require a minimum winter temperature of about 10° C. (but can resist for short period to 0° C). Growth is rapid, and supports are needed for the stems. The half‑erect habit of the moderately tall plants makes them desirable for middle foreground position in landscap­ing, while the comparatively small room needed for potted plants makes it an acceptable group for greenhouse culture.

Propagation: By cuttings.

Photo of conspecific taxa, varieties, forms and cultivars of Monvillea spegazzinii.

• Monvillea spegazzinii
• Monvillea spegazzinii forma cristata (Type A)
• Monvillea spegazzinii forma cristata (Type B)

All the information and photos in cactus art files are now available also in the new the Enciclopedia of Cacti. We hope you find this new site informative and useful.