About 12 months ago there were Micranthocereus Purpureus seedlings available in some nurseries. It’s quite an attractive cactus with its yellow spines against the blue.
Here’s one I purchased last year. The problem is it looks a lot like a Pilosocereus Azureus. However, I was curious and over time I purchased a couple of other similar “Micranthocereus Purpureus” just to see if they would grow into the one on the label. Although unlikely!
Then recently I came across this lone one in a nursery.
You can see straight away it looks very similar to the image on the label. Dense, golden spines and a higher rib count than the original seedling.
So it is more likely that this one is in fact Micranthocereus Purpureus, . . . . . but then again, maybe not?
Not being entirely familiar with the genus Micranthocereus, I decided to do some Googling, just to confirm and here’s what I found.
Even though the label says Micranthocereus Purpureus the photo looks more like Micranthocereus Estevesii. Plus the new seeding I’ve just purchased looks like it as well. So now it appears that in the first instance, not only didn’t the cactus match the name but the photo didn’t match either. Then in the second instance although the cactus matched the image the name was incorrect!
So now I suppose the question is, is this deceit or just carelessness?
Well maybe the answer lies in this next discovery!
After I started writing this, I then discovered these in a well known Melbourne nursery.
All labeled Micranthocereus Purpureus! So these were definitely not P. Azureus or M. Purpureus or M. Estevesii. But what were they?
I suppose it’s impossible to tell. Nevertheless, we can still have some fun and make some assumptions. Why the hell not!!!!
First assumption is they likely all come from the same batch of seed (being grouped together the way they are).
Second assumption, because there is quite noticeable variation in their appearance, they are likely hybrids.
Possibly unintentional? It’s not unusual for growers to harvest seed that is open pollinated. Which means if there is a different species in the area at the time that is flowering at the same time the mother plant’s flower can get pollinated from a different plant.
So let’s run with the theory that this group of 10 “Micranthocereus Purpureus” seedlings have two different parents.
What are the parents? Let’s guess!
Therefore, you can see there are some candidates but at the end of the day . . . . . . it is just a guess!
And what their parents are we may never know . . . . but what they definitely aren’t is M. purpureus, nor is the photo on the label!
So does it really matter? After all, these are low cost items so if you spend $10 and don’t get what you expected, you’re probably not going to lose a lot of sleep over it! Right?
But I suppose the problem is this.
Micranthocereus Purpureus sells for 3 or 4 dollars more in the nurseries than P. Azureus. Still probably not a big deal!
But here’s where it gets interesting. People have purchased these $10, M. Purpureus seedlings in the past. They’ve potted them up and grown them a little and are now selling them privately online for quite a bit more.
Have you ever seen rare plants for sale online at a premium price that are clearly mislabelled? It happens all the time!
So in finishing, I’d like to make this point! It’s probably easy to be annoyed about this. People often aren’t getting what they are paying for!
However, I look at it like this. Just be aware of the situation.
If you are buying a seed grow cacti for the name, then do your research, the best you can.
If you see a cactus and like the look of, but are suspicious it’s mislabeled, if you can afford it then maybe buy it.
In the end, I look at it this way! The actual problem could possibly be a blessing. In every batch of seedlings there are the runts and there are some that are just better than the rest. So because there is so much variation due to the seed not being pure or incorrectly labeled, then there is the opportunity to find cacti seedlings that are a little different or unique. This is the beauty of the hobby and what makes it fun.
So have fun and best of luck!!!!!
Read more about Buying Seed Grown Cacti here!
