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Pachy... Tricho... Pioso... or just Cereus. I can't seem to get it yet and the more I search, the more confused I get I have these six cacti, I think they are all some sort of Cereus, but I'm not really sure which. Help, please

1-Pilosocereus azureus have it
2 stesonia coryne have it
3-probably neoraimondia(or it could be another pilosocereus)
4-pilosocereus/cipocereus -have it
5-echinocereus engelmanni nicholi
6-could be etiolated and damaged pachycereus pecten aborginum
Also to tell apart
Trihcoereus (echinopsis): Blue to green, Brow yellow large spines, plump stems and ribs, distant areoles- hariy long white flowers
Stetsonia-Dark:green blue, toothpick long spines(yellow center)
Pilosocereus : blue, yellow or brown short spines, close areoles, hairy , rotund, short
Cereus:green to blue, black/red spines, distant, thin longer ribs, Hairless white long flower
pachycereus:glauscent green, white to black spines, young spines are red, spines are dense.
Echinocereus-varies, but they're short mounding cacti with colorful flowers
Stenocereus(except thurberi)-glauscent to dark green, black spines, fewer per areole, young red spines , spiny flower, rib edges are sharper than the rest.(thurberi resebles a pachycereus except it has brownish red spines)
All the rest could be told apart pretty easily

Wow! Thank you so much for such detailed explanation. I'm definetely printing it to have it nearby for future reference.

Out of all of em best experience ive had was with pilosocereus. It has the sharpest spines though. Penetrates gloves like crazy.
Stetsonia grows well to, but caused too much spine injury to praise.
Stenocereus and pachycereus, slow but reliable
Reccomend getting a cactus plant called myrtillocactus.
Should be touch friendly, reliable and fast growing.
Also, cereus cacti means they are columnar and treelike (or mound columnar )

Good to know, I'll be careful with the spines. Thanks for the tips!

You'll have lots of fun repotting the Stetsonia coryne when it gets bigger. They don't call it the toothpick cactus for nothing.

toadstar wrote:You'll have lots of fun repotting the Stetsonia coryne when it gets bigger. They don't call it the toothpick cactus for nothing.

It's always the pilosocerei that got me with the hundreds of radials that detatch and get embedded in your skin with the slightest touch and they hurt like hell. I hate them even more than glochids! With stesonia the spines just break off and fall and when you repot it just hold it at the very bottom.

elieestephane
Even though i did mention they could penetrate gloves, they have been so far easy to handle.
Stetsonia, every time i even move the pot, a piece (proably the really sharp tip)of those toothpick spines somehow manages to embed somewhere in my hand, and the pain lasts for days because there is no way to pull it out.
I tend to use metal tongs during repot, and they get the job done. Stesonia on the other hand, could not even be grabbed with said tongs, and the inevitable happens-lots of ouch.

I'm going to be SO careful when it comes to repotting. I can't thank you enough for your comments!!