I have had this cactus for at least three years now. Only within the last few months has it really changed since I originally bought the cactus though. It has shot up about two inches in height since January! What I noticed yesterday afternoon, which made me even more excited, you can just barely see in the picture below.
If you look closely on the right side you can see that it has two tiny "arms" that it is beginning to grow. They might not make it, - especially since my cat has decided that this pot is great pot to walk through! - but it is always an exciting find nonetheless.
What first attracted me to this plant was it's lovely spines, which were a deep red then. You cannot see them well here, but right about where the shadow begins is the original height of the cactus, and where its only "large" spines are. For whatever reason it has not grown anymore of those spines since I have had it. It makes it look a little funny sometimes, but I still love it!
As the cactus starts to grow, it is rather thin. The deep grooves become much more apparent as it thickens up though.
Apparently this variety does grow leaves, though I have never seen them myself.
I personally love this picture. You can see the whole cactus clearly and you can see the different growth periods that it has had over the years. It looks a little funny now because it is so tall and thin. Maybe these are like it's equivalent awkward middle school years! If those new arms do anything, I think it will be a much more attractive plant.
As a side note, the cactus growing past the heptagona I think is a dragon fruit plant, also known as pitaya. Perhaps my next post should be about that one! It is surprisingly easy to grow :)
Until next time, everyone enjoy your beautiful cacti and succulents!
