You can see that with Opuntia clavarioides there is a cactus that doesn't look like one. In fact, clavarioides means like the fungus Clavia. One of our visitors said that cacti were not really of this planet. Then she spotted this one and said, 'See what I mean?'

Actually Opuntia clavarioides is very much from this planet and occurs in Argentina. I have called it an Opuntia (to keep things simple) but the modern thinking classifies it as Maihueniopsis. It is also has a name in Puna. Habitat pictures show the plant has a huge root under a single or just a few heads.

Curiously this is a clone which proliferates quite quickly. A cutting from Jim's plant last year has rooted and produced five new heads. Another I have has produced only three heads in over ten years.

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