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Family:
Cactaceae (Cactus
Family)
Scientific Name:Pelecyphora aselliformis Ehrenberg 1843
Origin:
Garden origin
(Nursery produced cultivar)
Conservation status: Listed in
CITES appendix I
The
cause of cresting: The cause of cresting is not fully explained, biologists
disagree as to why some saguaros grow in this unusual form. Some
speculate that it is a genetic mutation. Others say it is the result of
a lightning strike or freeze damage, but whatever the stimulus, the
growth point of the stem has switched from a geometric point, to a line,
which folds and undulates as the crest expands. Crested
pelecyphore are somewhat rare (1 in 250,000) and can be encountered in many
other cactus species.
In the
ontogenesis
a crest can appear any time, but development of crests at large
columnar
cactus species ( such as in saguaro Carnegia gigantea) in the
early
stages
of ontogenesis is unlikely. On the other hand small species may crest
early already at the
cotyledons
stage.
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