Tendrils

The lovely flowers on this round-ish cactus are on the ends of what I refer to as tendrils.

The cactus, I am told, is a columnar variety. It will eventually grow to be almost two feet tall and drop babies around it.

Right now, it's five inches tall and about five inches in diameter. I know because I measured it in the dark and got pricked.

Lesson: Never get near a cactus in the dark!

The tendrils, long tube-like structures at the end of which the flowers bloom, start from a small bud on the cactus. It takes over a week to grow tall. The flowers bloom for one day, wilt and the tendrils just get limp They fall to the ground and eventually fall off the cactus.

This cactus grows rather slowly. It was planted about four years ago and has averaged about 1/2 of an inch growth a year.

If you've been following my blips, you know now that I love my little cacti!