The flowers of cumulopuntia glomerata are grand and beautiful, and are some of the plants as well. Some individuals grow to monumental sizes that simply makes you stop in your tracks to wonder and ponder how this can be in an environment so hostile.
I was lucky to experience the last of the flowers on this specimen, but what a fantastic display it must have been just a week or so ago.
In the Altiplano many species make dense colony-like growths, and this cactus seems as successful as the Yareta (Azorella compacta), which also produces huge plants.
Altitude: 4302 metres.
Native range is Bolivia, Peru and Chile.
Last updated on 8 November 2024