Cactus-On-A-Stick

There are a couple of these unusual-looking cacti around the area. The weird thing is that there is a woody stem at the bottom of the fleshy part of the cactus that goes into the ground. I tried looking up “cactus on a stick” in an internet search, but came up with nothing that resembles this guy.

Image: purplish cactus with three flower stalks and one small branch. Click on the image to enlarge.

There is another of these located just across the east property line. That cactus is greener in color than the one depicted at right, but it has no fuzzy flower stalks like the three on the darker, more purplish cactus.

We have been watching the flower stems on the purple cactus to see if they bloom. We noticed the flower stems over a week ago and have been checking almost daily to see what kind of flowers our cactus on a stick will give us. Damsel will undoubtedly get some nice close-up images of them when and if they open.

Ever since our relocation to the desert, we have enjoyed finding out about all the critters and vegetation here. If anyone (Crotalus?) can shed light on what this thing might be, we would really appreciate knowing. We just love our desert environment, heat and all (109° today).

UPDATE: Crotalus, our honored cactus and desert expert, came through with the following information:

Those are the Arizona Queen of the Night, or Night-Blooming Cereus cacti! Known as Peniocereus greggii, they have a large tuberous root, the thin stems, and big white flowers that open at night, and they smell wonderful!

Thanks Crotalus!