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Yavia cryptocarpa
This is the beautiful crested form of one of the rarest of all
known cactus.
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The
cause of cresting: The cause of cresting is not fully explained, biologists
disagree as to why some cacti grow in this unusual form. Some
speculate that it is a genetic mutation. Others say it is the result of
a lightning strike or freeze damage, but whatever the stimulus, the
growth point of the stem has switched from a geometric point, to a line,
which folds and undulates as the crest expands. Crested Yavia are very rare, cresting occurs naturally and can be encountered in many
other cactus species.
Propagation: Grafting since cutting root hardly.
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Family:
Cactaceae (Cactus
Family) |
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Scientific name: Yavia cryptocarpa
R. Kiesling & Piltz,
gen. & sp. nov. Kakteen Succ. 52(3): 57-63, 2001.
forma cristata
Origin:
Garden origin (Nursery
produced cultivar)
Conservation status: Listed in
CITES appendix 2.
Etymology: The genus is named after
Argentina's department Yavi, Jujuy province. The species 'cryptocarpa'
refers to the plant being a
cryptocarp. This means that the fruits are formed inside the plant's
body, thus being only visible when the plant shrinks in the drought
period.
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Yavia is a very strange cactus
that might be related with Cintia, Blossfeldia, Weingartia and
Neowerdermannia.
Photo of conspecific taxa, varieties, forms and
cultivars of Yavia cryptocarpa.
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