Pilosocereus royenii 9″-12″

Description

Pilosocereus royenii https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xuy6jnzfqho – Royen’s tree cactus, Puerto Rico.  This year I am excited and proud to bring the Royen’s tree cactus into cultivation on a substantial scale.  Until now it has been rare in cultivation.  Known as “sebucán” in Puerto Rico, it is a Caribbean dry forest cactus that branches and can reach 24ft tall.  It is under serious threat in habitat there by the Harrisia mealybug – Hypogeoccocus pungens – which causes deformed growth “tumors”, stunts reproductive capacity and eventually kills the cactus.  My seedlings were grown from self-pollinated clone seeds germinated in late 2020 from the mother stem pictured, which originates from Puerto Rico. There are about 8000 roughly 9″-12″ seedlings available from this planting.  Royen’s tree cactus is a hardy and versatile columnar cactus that thrives in southern Florida gardens with a well-drained mix of organic cactus soil and fine grain black basalt. It has been enthusiastically received by collectors throughout the country since I first offered them for sale in early 2022.

Mature plants of P. royenii from Puerto Rico have a dark, pine green “candle waxy” epidermis with dusty colored off-white wool forming on areoles that are of flowering maturity, and the needles are a deep amber.  Young plants tend to have a dark maroon hue in bright sunlight except for the active growing tips in dark green, and this seems to last for a few years.  These seedlings are growing in 25% shade.  I have some larger Royen’s specimens available at $20 apiece.

For large wholesale orders or current retail price and present plant size, please contact me.  As plants continually grow larger I periodically adjust prices higher between updates to this commerce page.  I would be happy to select and photograph plants for you prior to your order.  – No California sales due to rigorous and expensive nematode certification requirements for Florida growers.