June is almost here and I found my Peanut Cactus in bloom. This photo is from the first year of growing the cactus. It must have gotten it’s name from the peanut like stems.
As it grew out, the stems starting to stretch out. So for the longest time I thought it was named “Rat Tail Cactus”. But from looking at the bloom, it’s very much a hybrid type of peanut cactus. The blooms usually last a few days and start to wither off. For the next few weeks they will be flowering in succession.
In some ways the flower reminds me of the mini Orchid cactus (epiphyllum).
Most of the year it’s just a container full of scary spiky cactus. But when it starts to bloom, the color of the flower is spectacular.
Another interesting thing about this cactus is how easy it is to grow and propagate. I barely touched one of the stems and they fall off and start growing new stems. And of course it doesn’t need much watering.
One plant I like to introduce from my succulent collection is the rat tail peanut cactus (Echinopsis silvestrii). I love it when they bloom, as the flowers come in an orange red color. Â
When I first got a small cutting of this succulent (a few years ago) it was just one prickly stem. And now it’s just spilling out all over the pot.
Rat tail cactus originate in the highland plateaus of Mexico, but are cultivated throughout Latin America. In my case, they are growing very well in our northern California climate.
This photo was taken in the spring of 2008. I need to remember to take more pictures when they start to bloom again.
Succulents have some of the most prettiest blooms, especially coming from such dangerous looking plants. The danger part being how painful the little spines can be when you get some on your skin. So do be careful when planting or moving them.
Update 11/18/12: I think these are really “peanut cactus” due to the offset (babies) that look like peanuts. I prefer the corrected name over “rat tail” any day!
Kalanchoe Tubiflora - another cool succulent!
