Haworthia marxii, Curb Your Enthusiasm!

Before I get to my overexcited Haworthia marxii, I have a bit of business to tend to. An Alert Gardener wrote to me about the propagation of monstrose cacti. She wanted to know how it was done. I have not tried to grow further Ming Things from my very own Ming Thing, but Dave of Dave's Garden has a wonderful, extensive article on crested and monstrose cacti (mutant growth forms). Most of these cacti are propagated by grafting. They are trickier to grow than the parent species, as the mutations that give them their odd growth seem to make them more delicate.

http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/3448/

Now back to my Haworthia. Though only 4cm in diameter, it loves flowering season and gets very excited about putting on a proper autumn show for all of us:

An enthusiastically blooming Haworthia.

Just how long is that inflorescence?? An amazing 64cm! This species from the Western Cape generally grows a solitary inflorescence of 40-60cm, so this one is truly remarkable. Sadly, the flowers are odorless.

A Monstrose By Any Other Name....

Introducing the Ming Thing! Cereus forbesii monstrose to be precise.

Why is this cactus so weird-looking? According to the Cactus and Succulent Society of America, monstrose growth is caused by a mutation (genetic, viral, or bacterial) that causes every growth tip to think it's the dominant one. So instead of slowly growing into a nice barrel or cylinder, it just...grows everywhere. Fast.

In Cereus, the mutation happened quite a long time ago, in nature, and now it's deliberately cultivated. It didn't escape from some lab in West Texas. That's a relief.

Monstrose cacti can be a little more rot-prone, but can also be propagated by cuttings, which is a big plus.

So what do you think of the Ming Thing? Fabulously freaky or just URGH?