No Darkness Lasts Forever

Cleistocactus sepium

This short-columnar cactus makes a cluster of stems, and it produces flushes of spectacular flowers at intervals during the warm part of the year. As can be seen, the flowers have a hairy tubular lower part, with a flared red or pinkish-red mouth. It is native to Ecuador. While many classifiers have included this species in Cleistocactus, others have favored keeping that genus for the more southerly-occurring species that do not have flared mouths, while recognizing a separate genus Borzicactus for the northern ones such as the species shown here.

“Riddhi emerges from the Summer Palace. Once used by the Maharajas and visiting Heads of State to relax in between tiger hunts, now this is rightfully the tiger's domain.”