Oreocereus trollii f. monstrous crested

The monstrous shape of this cactaceae presents anomalies in appearance such as lack of thorns or asymmetries that will never be identical in different plants making each of them unique in its kind. In addition to this, the exemplar also shows features of the crested fan shape that together with the particularities of its monstrosity make this plant highly sought after by collectors around the world. In the normal form O. trolli is a cactus with a very particular and easily recognizable appearance, consisting of globular bodies when young, which then tend to grow in height up to even one meter. Its stems are light green completely covered by a thick and long fluff from which emerge robust central spines of reddish or dark color. This wool, for which it has become such an unmistakable cactus, is nothing more than the result of the evolution of the central spines, which have taken this aspect to protect the plant from the frosts and the strong sun of the mountain environments from which it comes; for this white cover and for its origin it has been nicely nicknamed also "the old man of the Andes"!