(Photograph = Browningia candelaris, Pato Novoa)
Introduction
Columnar cacti are some of the most interesting plants in the world because of their large, stark shapes and their limited branching. Reaching over 15-m tall, the largest plants impose themselves over a habitat.
The Details
Browningia candelaris is a unique columnar cactus. It has a singular trunk covered in huge spines that is crowned with branches. The branches, generally a few, create a candelabra effect. The plants can seem astonishing as they tower over their stark lifeless-seeming landscape.
The plants form a single column until they branch at 2-3 meters and the spiny trunk becomes smooth. Typically, the plants grow as individuals and not as groups, They grow high in the mountains (a mile or more in altitude) on the western side of the Andes with a range that extends over 800 miles from Chile into Peru.
Browningia produces nocturnal, white flowers on the branches but not on the spiny trunk. Blooms appear in July or August.
Additional Reading: Browningia candelaris
