ISI 2025-6 Tephrocactus alexanderi (A.Cast.) Backeb.
One of the most awarded specimens in southern California cactus and succulent shows is a magnificent pan full of this globular-jointed opuntioid looking like a heap of gray golf balls. It is shown by Greg and Anna Cavanaugh under the nameTephrocactus geometricus, considered by some to be a synonym of T. alexanderi, a NW Argentine cactus species. It differs in having fewer spines, or none at all, making this such a popular plant. Not only is one less likely to be impaled by barbed spines, but the nude, gray stems are a fascinating example of extreme succulence. The globular joints are nearly spherical, presenting the minimum of epidermal surface area from which to lose water, and the maximum volume in which to store it. The plants we offer were forged in the heat of Tucson, AZ, by Gene Joseph of Plants for the Southwest nursery. They were grown from seed produced on rooted cuts of the show specimen mentioned above and similar globular-jointed and spineless forms of the species. We offer seedlings from seed sown July, 2022. The initial cladodes are slightly elongated but the plants produce more spherical joints as they branch.
Photo © 2025 by Karen Zimmerman.
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