Like so many cacti, names can be many. Neoporteria gerocephala is the name on the tag and the name I will catalog it under. The origin of Neoporteria gerocephala is the Valley of Rio Chapoa in Chile located in South American. It is a solitary cacti with a dense covering of spines, it hybridizes easily in habitat and cultivation. The body is purplish and globose to a short columnar shape, 2 1/2"-7" tall, 2"-3" in diameter. The spines are very dense, glassy, variable in color from blond/white, yellow, brown to almost black, with darker tips; straight to strongly curled and tangled, some hairlike soft and flexible, other needle-like and stiff, of variable length, obscuring the plant body and becoming longer with age. Tubular bright colored flowers in the spring being 1"- 2"in length. Will tolerate full sun to light shade, but extremely prone to root rot, needs good drainage.
EUPHORBIA HORRIDA
"NOVA" Picked up this Euphorbia the other day, once again the color is amazing. Very pale, chalky, ghost-like, also named the African Milk Barrel. This one is in a 4" pot and I have another larger specimen that is about 6" tall. When I think of it I will take a picture and post in the blog. If you would like to read about the E. horrida, click on the name for an earlier posting.