Botany Photo of the Day will have brief written entries on weekends, holidays and my vacations from April through September. – Daniel
Thanks again to Krystyna Szulecka, for sharing today’s photograph with us (original in this thread on the UBC BG Forums). See more of Krystyna’s images by searching for “Krystyna” on the FLPA web site.
Lava cactus is endemic to the volcanically-formed Galápagos Islands, where it is a colonizer species of lava fields (hence the common name). Due to its narrow geographic distribution, it is listed as a vulnerable species on the IUCN Red List.
More photographs can be seen via Thomas Schoepke or CalPhotos.
I wonder whether it would even be possible to cultivate this in a greenhouse outside the tropics and get the same density of spines.
Another example of the fabulous variety in the botanical world. Thank you.