Hey! I'm wondering about this plant I got. I purchased it in Cologne, Germany, but I don't know what species it is. Any guesses are much appreciated. :-)
It's a cactus (not a Euphorbia, which is not a cactus as stated above), not sure which species though.
Rhipsalis pilocarpa, then. Comprehend that a Euphorbia is not a cactus. Employed term 'pencil cactus' in its usage as a common name. http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/294432/
Rhipsalis pilocarpa is correct. Good job. Cacti are distinguished by the presence of aeroles located along their stem - spines emerge from the center of the aerole. The number of spines often distinguishes one species from another and varies considerably. There is often a cluster of spines at the growing tip simply because there is also a cluster of aeroles at the growing tip. Along their stem Euphorbia often have a spine shield which have a pair(s) of spines as part of the structure - rarely more than four spines that are usually only a fraction of an inch long. The spine shield has a bulging shield-like shape located between the pair(s) of spines. In addition to the overall plant structure, the position of the spine shield and the presence of spines mimic Cacti. It is this mimicry that is the source of much confusion. Flowers emerge from aeroles and spine shields.
When I saw the photo I immediately recognized a pencil cactus...then I googled it to find scientific name. Well, dontcha know, there are multiple plants that have been dubbed with this common name. (An Opuntia, for example.) This'll larn me to look more carefully before I blurt out an incorrect ID!
Lol, that's an easy mistake! I have come to hate common names. Someone will tell me a name of something and I will say, no, it's some other name.....then I think to myself, it could have dozens of common names, then the thing I always say is "Well, common names are common names, you can call it whatever you want really." Lol,
