Cleistocactus I'd please

[Cornishgrit]

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Could anyone I'd this cleistocactus cactus, thanks

[teo]

The flowers look like smaragdiflorus (but the rest ?) - could it be a hybrid?

[Minime8484]

This is a fantastic species of Cleistocactus that has usually been lumped in with Cleistocactus laniceps.
However, the locality isn't quite right (Nuevo Mundo, Bolivia) for true C. laniceps, and true C. laniceps has distinctive areoles.

Lowery (2016) recently lumped it into C. tominensis, primarily based upon the way the flowers change color from green to red/purple at anthesis. However, he really doesn't have any further argument from what I can tell for that lumping. I wholly disagree with that lumping - C. tominensis has become a dumping ground for many morphotypes that are probably not related to that degree at all - and this taxon is one of them. C. buchtienii and C. parviflorus are also a mess...but, I digress.

Lode (2015) actually lumps this with C. morawetzianus, which I think is also difficult to imagine (that species being found only in C Peru).

Personally, I think this plant is likely unnamed...it is just too distinct from all other known Cleistocactus to be realistically lumped in with one. It gets extremely tall and has sparse spinage when compared to other Cleistos - some clones lacking spines almost completely in places. The flower color is quite unique too, even though it shares the color-changing characteristic of SOME clones of supposed C. tominensis. This is one my all time favorite of the Cleistocactus!

Is that your plant? Where did you get it?
These are not easy to come by!

[Cornishgrit]

Thanks Minime for your really informative reply, I've searched the web for I'd on this cacti but have been unable to find anything
with that very distinct deep purple at the end of the flower
Yes the plants are mine, they were seed grown by an old cactus grower here in Cornwall UK, he got all his seed from a contact he had in Peru, he's now living abroad so don't have contact to ask him.lve had the plants for 10 years in pots but put them in the ground last year and the growth rate has been fantastic they've put on over half a metre growth this year, in 2010 we had a freak cold spell and night temps went down to -7c the plants were under a plastic rain shelter open at the sides with no other protection and received no damage so would think these are fairly high altitude growing.
My tallest plant is 8ft high and has stayed as a single columnar

[Minime8484]

My plant I obtained from Europe several years ago as "Cleistocactus brookeae", which I knew at the time it clearly was NOT...and it was only 10" tall. Once in ground, it shot up quickly and like yours is over 8ft tall. Last summer we had very intense sun very fast in early summer, and the growing tip was killed. Up until then, it was a single columnar with one small branch that had just started. Now, it has many branches from just below the middle and is pupping at top at the damaged point as well. I agree that flower color/pattern is extremely unique!
I know one other person that has this species in the USA (CA), and he got his years ago from a European seller as well. There is also a very old plant in San Diego in Balboa Park I believe originally grown by Bob Ressler. One other professional grower I think may have this species too, but his has yet to bloom and is a rather faintly spined clone, so waiting for the flowers for confirmation.

Cleistocactus "laniceps' (AZ)

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