Pachycereus pringlei?

[Dixie Chicken]

I noticed some strange goings-on with my tentatively identified Pachycereus pringlei recently. I've owned the plants for approximately 5 years. There are three of them, all approximately the same size in an 8" glazed ceramic pot. Every year the apexes are a riot of overlapping spines jostling for position. This year one of the stems has diverged from the standard behavior by having a much expanded tip, carpeted in brown fuzz. I'm wondering if this is typical behavior for a Pachycereus pringlei, if that is indeed what this plant is and if it could have been caused by a flush of growth do to the 15" of rain we received over the last week! Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

Carol

[tumamoc]

I agree with the Pachycereus pringlei ID. Funny, I thought my plant was growing weird this spring, but it resembles yours. If I can remember to do it, I'll snap a picture of mine and post it here for comparison.

[CactusJordi]

I think this year you are just looking earlier at the new growth than before. New growth shows usually brownish spines and fuzz in the very beginning. And regarding your three plants... only this one started this season's growth already.

Jordi

[Dixie Chicken]

Great information. I'll watch the other two to see when they start the new growth process. Many thanks for the explanation!

Carol