Translation into English by Nella Goloviznina,
Sevastopol, Ukraine

The remarkable photo is placed in one of the issues of Czech magazine "Kaktusy" for 2001. Сrested cactus - Ariocarpus retusus - had been published on a cover.

Undoubtedly, these photos please eyes of collectors of these special and rare plants. And what impression it could make in an "alive" kind. In fact, the length of a crest of crested Ariocarpus was 120 centimeters! Fairly this cactus received an informal title of Ms. Kristata 2000. This photo suggested an idea, that it can become tradition to choose the most effective crested plant.

Each amateur knows, that such plants appear because the point of growth suddenly turns to a line. Instead of growing in height, the plant grows at length. This phenomenon is unstable, and crested cactus again can start to develop as a usual plant.

It is possible to propagate crested cacti only in the vegetative way. However, it does not prevent appearance crested cacti in shops. Some amateurs specialize only on these abnormal forms of plants, adding to them colored forms. Therefore, some people say that the monograph devoted only to crested forms is prepared for the publication in Czech Republic.

It is absolutely unclear why crested forms appear. It can be a solar burn, mechanical damage, a radioactive irradiation, a heredity. However it is noticed, that in some places in the nature crested appear more often. For example, A. retusus, showed here occurs from La Ascension (Mexico). It is one of pilgrimage places for cacti anomalies' amateurs. It is quite possible to meet crested forms of Epithelantha micromeris near Saltillo. Ariocarpus shown here was pictured at Matehuala. Libor Kunte and Pavel Pavlichek said that among thousands "normal" Ariocarpuses crested forms can be counted on fingers of the hand.

©SZ2002