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.

Yavia cryptocarpa
This is the beautiful crested form of one of the rarest of all known cactus.
 

The cause of cresting: The cause of cresting is not fully explained, biologists disagree as to why some cacti 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 Yavia are very rare, cresting occurs naturally and can be encountered in many other cactus species.

Propagation: Grafting since cutting root hardly.

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Scientific name:  Yavia cryptocarpa  R. Kiesling & Piltz,
gen. & sp. nov. Kakteen Succ. 52(3): 57-63, 2001.
forma cristata

Origin:  Garden origin (Nursery produced cultivar)

Conservation status: Listed in CITES appendix 2.

Etymology: The genus is named after Argentina's department Yavi, Jujuy province. The species 'cryptocarpa' refers to the plant being a cryptocarp. This means that the fruits are formed inside the plant's body, thus being only visible when the plant shrinks in the drought period.

Yavia is a very strange cactus that might be related with Cintia, Blossfeldia, Weingartia and Neowerdermannia.
 

Photo of conspecific taxa, varieties, forms and cultivars of Yavia cryptocarpa.

• Yavia cryptocarpa
• Yavia cryptocarpa forma cristata

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.