Eve's Needle

(Austrocylindropuntia subulata)
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Family: Cactaceae (kak-TAY-see-ee)
Genus: Austrocylindropuntia (oss-troh-sil-in-droh-PUN-tee-uh)
Species: subulata (sub-yoo-LAH-tuh)

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In February 2014, my dear friend Elizabeth Kendall sent me a tiny piece of this Eve’s Needle through the post. Unknown to us, the Post Office was on strike and after a month of being missing in action, the parcel finally arrived with the poor little Eve’s Needle definitely looking worse for the wear. I immediately prepared a pot with some good soil, ample drainage and carefully transplanted her to her new home. Now, almost 8 months later, she has transformed into a beautiful specimen, standing almost 40cm (15") tall.

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Austrocylindropuntia subulata is a large tree-like cactus, up to 13 feet (4 m) tall with round cylindrical joints, up to 2 feet (60 cm) tall and 1.5 – 2.5 inches (4 – 6.5 cm) thick. The green leaves are nearly cylindrical, up to 5 inches (13 cm) long. The spines are light yellow, 1 – 2 per areole, up to 3 inches (8 cm) long. The flowers are red, 2 – 4 inches (5 – 10 cm) long, followed by reddish to red fruits up to 4 inches (10 cm) long.

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This plant is suitable for growing indoors or in containers, is drought-tolerant and produces beautiful red blooms. Needs regular watering but be careful not to over-water.

 Eve spent a couple of days under cover as we had a lot of rain over the past two days

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Native to the higher elevations of Ecuador and Peru, this plant was originally introduced to South Africa for the biological control of Opuntia ficus-indica, Eve’s Needle has been declared a Category 1 weed in South Africa as it is a great invader. When the plant gets top-heavy, pieces break off and take root where they fall, soon forming a dense wall of cactus killing anything that grows in its path. So I will be very careful to contain Eve in her pot, trimming regularly and keeping an eye out for any fallen leaves, needles or little pieces that might break off.

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