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These pop out every year in nurseries under the name oriental cactus. Some look like warasii and some are more globular with white or yellow spines. They are not variegated or something so what's the reason for grafting?

Thanks,
Rachel.

Usual reason for grafting is to push on slow growing species much faster, such as Aztekium's, Blossfeldia's etc, or to quickly propagate new introductions. Particularly if the seed or original material was scarce and therefore they are all clones of a couple of original plants or seedlings propagated by grafting. These are then further propagated by blinding the growing point and then grafting the offsets for sale, or to cross pollinate and produce seed for sale if two clones are available.

However, like you I can see no point in grafting seedlings of the fast growing commoner plants, where larger plants on their own roots are cheap and freely available in nurseries.

The other reason for grafting plants, other than the chlorophyll deficient ones, is they are often tricky on their own roots, such as Sclerocactus etc.

Unless of course the public have got so used to buying the "red lollypops" they will not buy anything unless it is on a "stick"?

hahahaha, the public buys cactus that have been spray painted colors like blue and red, and have fake flowers hot glued to them. A weird little stick holding up their brightly colored "cactus" isn't going to cause them a minutes concern. The lollipops found in the big box stores in AZ are generally Gymnocalycium mihanovichii. I got one as a gift once, fortunately it died quickly. Frost got the stock.

Yes one of the problems with the quick growing stocks they use like Myrtillocactus is they are often less cold hardy than the scion.

Ive looked up grafted parodias at the nursery today, a lot were variegated.