Myrtillocactus geometrizans 'Fukurokuryuzinboku'

Name and natural range of Myrtillocactus geometrizans 'Fukurokuryuzinboku'

'Fukurokuryuzinboku' is the name used in cultivation for this swollen-ribbed form of Myrtillocactus geometrizans. The species is native across much of Mexico, where it grows in desert and dry shrubland and can eventually develop into a tree-like cactus.

Care for Myrtillocactus geometrizans 'Fukurokuryuzinboku'

• Light: Keep it in full sun or very strong direct indoor light. Increase direct sun gradually after a period in lower light.
• Temperature and humidity: Keep temperatures around 18–30 °C. Avoid prolonged temperatures below 10 °C. Aim for 40–50% humidity. Keep it warm while the growing tip is active. When growth pauses in cooler conditions, keep the mix dry. Keep humidity low to moderate and allow good air movement.
• Water: Water thoroughly while the growing tip is active and let the cactus mix dry completely between waterings. Use very little water during cooler periods when the tip has stopped growing.
• Potting mix: Plant it in a well-draining cactus mix with plenty of pumice, grit or perlite.
• Feeding: Apply a low-nitrogen cactus fertiliser lightly while new stem growth is forming.
• Repotting: Repot when roots fill the container or drainage slows. Lift and steady the plant by the pot or lower part of the stem, taking care around the swollen ribs.
• Propagation: Use healthy stem cuttings if you want to propagate this form. Let the cut surface dry before rooting.

Problems with Myrtillocactus geometrizans 'Fukurokuryuzinboku'

• A swollen section becomes soft or dark: Rot is developing in the stem. Cut back to firm healthy tissue with a clean tool, discard the removed rotten tissue, allow the cut surface to dry, then take the healthy section as a cutting and root it in fresh dry cactus mix.
• New growth becomes narrow and loses its compact shape: The light level is too low. Move the plant towards stronger direct light gradually.
• Cottony insects collect in the folds between rib sections: Mealybugs can hide in the uneven stem surface. Move the cactus away from nearby plants, remove visible insects carefully, and use a treatment labelled for indoor ornamental plants. Repeat only at the interval stated on the label.
• A pale dry patch appears on an exposed bulge: The tissue may have scorched after a sudden increase in sun. Reduce the strongest midday exposure and increase direct light gradually.

Myrtillocactus geometrizans ‘Fukurokuryuzinboku’ has sharp parts

• Keep this plant away from children and pets because its effects after chewing or swallowing are unclear.
• Sharp spines can puncture the mouth, eyes, skin or paws.
• Handle it carefully. Contact a veterinarian or medical professional after a serious injury, especially to the eye.

When was Myrtillocactus geometrizans first published, and what does it mean?

Myrtillocactus combines a myrtle or bilberry reference with cactus, alluding to its berry-like fruits. Geometrizans refers to the regular geometric arrangement of the ribs.

Michelangelo Console established the genus Myrtillocactus in 1897 in Bollettino del Reale Orto Botanico di Palermo, volume 1, page 8.

Louis Karl Georg Pfeiffer first described it as Cereus geometrizans in 1837 in Enumeratio Diagnostica Cactearum, page 90; Carl Friedrich Philipp von Martius had proposed that name. Michelangelo Console later placed it in Myrtillocactus as Myrtillocactus geometrizans in 1897 in Bollettino del Reale Orto Botanico di Palermo, volume 1, page 10.