ESPOSTOA RITTERI SEEDS EDIBLE FRUIT EXOTIC SUCCULENT IN PORT ELIZABETH

Espostoa is a genus of columnar cacti, comprising 16 species known from the Andes of southern Ecuador and Peru. It is usually found at an altitude of between 800m and m. Its fruit is edible, sweet, and juicy. The genus is named after Nicolas E. Esposto, a renowned botanist from Lima. These candle-like cacti are covered with thorns and white hair. Only the older specimens can divide. In adulthood, a cephalium sometimes appears, similar to the Mexican genus Cephalocereus. They were discovered by Alexander von Humboldt and Aimé Bonpland in the early nineteenth century.           They are appreciated for their decorative qualities due to their white fleece. They can be propagated by seed. For full development they must be planted in the ground. Like all cacti, Espostoa requires a sunny location and well-drained soil. But in summer, it appreciates fertilizer and wetter conditions. Espostoa ritteri commonly known as Peruvian Old Man Cactus bears numerous spines forming a wool-like appearance. It is a dark-green columnar cactus having ribs and white roundish areoles. The spines are numerous forming a wool-like appearance. It normally has a dendriform to bushy shape, somewhat branched like a candelabra and usually covered in dense silky white hair, like cobwebs. The whiteish flowers that open at night are about 5cm long and appear on the cephalium.