Paper Spine Cactus

Tephrocactus articulatus var. papyracanthus

tef-roh-KAK-tus   ar-tik-oo-LAH-tus (ar-tik-yoo-LAH-tus)   pap-i-ra-kan-thus

Syn. of

Tephrocactus articulatus

Synonyms of Tephrocactus articulatus (47) (Updated on 12-10-23 from Plants of the World Online): Cereus articulatus Pfeiff. , Cereus polymorphus C.F.Först., Cereus syringscanthus Pfeiff., Opuntia andicola Pfeiff., Opuntia andicola var. fulvispina Lem., Opuntia articulata (Pfeiff.) D.R.Hunt, Opuntia articulata Otto, Opuntia calva Lem., Opuntia diademata Lem., Opuntia diademata var. calva (Lem.) F.A.C.Weber ex K.Schum., Opuntia diademata var. inermis Speg., Opuntia diademata var. oligacantha Speg., Opuntia diademata var. polyacantha Speg., Opuntia glomerata var. calva (Lem.) G.D.Rowley, Opuntia glomerata var. inermis (Speg.) G.D.Rowley, Opuntia glomerata f. papyracantha (Phil.) Castell., Opuntia glomerata var. polycantha (Speg.) G.D.Rowley, Opuntia papyracantha Phil., Opuntia papyracantha K.Schum., Opuntia polymorpha Pfeiff., Opuntia strobiliformis A.Berger, Opuntia syringacantha (Pfeiff.) C.F.Först., Opuntia turpinii Lem., Opuntia turpinii var. polymorpha Salm-Dyck, Tephrocactus andicola (Pfeiff.) Lem., Tephrocactus articulatus var. calvus (Lem.) Backeb., Tephrocactus articulatus var. diadematus (Lem.) Backeb., Tephrocactus articulatus var. inermis (Speg.) Backeb., Tephrocactus articulatus var. oligacanthus (Speg.) Backeb., Tephrocactus articulatus var. papyracanthus (Phil.) Backeb., Tephrocactus articulatus f. papyracanthus (Phil.) Guiggi & Verloove, Tephrocactus articulatus var. polyacanthus (Speg.) Backeb., Tephrocactus articulatus f. syringacanthus (Pfeiff.) F.Ritter, Tephrocactus articulatus var. syringacanthus (Pfeiff.) Backeb., Tephrocactus calvus (Lem.) Lem., Tephrocactus diadematus (Lem.) Lem., Tephrocactus diadematus var. calvus (Lem.) Backeb., Tephrocactus glomeratus var. andicola (Pfeiff.) Backeb., Tephrocactus glomeratus var. fulvispinus (Lem.) Backeb., Tephrocactus glomeratus var. inermis Speg., Tephrocactus inermis (Speg.) Backeb., Tephrocactus neoglomeratus var. andicola (Pfeiff.) Y.Itô, Tephrocactus neoglomeratus var. fulvispinus (Lem.) Y.Itô, Tephrocactus strobiliformis (A.Berger) Backeb., Tephrocactus turpinii (Lem.) Lem.

Tephrocactus articulatus (Pfeiff.) Backeb. is the accepted scientific name for this species. It was named and described as such by Carl Backeberg in Cactus (Paris) in 1953. It was first named Cereus articulatus by Louis (Ludwig) Karl George Pfeiffer and documented in Enumeratio Diagnostica Cactearum in 1837. 

Tephrocactus articulatus var. papyracanthus (Phil.) Backeb. was first described by Carl Backeberg in the same publication as the species. It was first named and described as Opuntia papyracantha by Rudolph Amandus Philippi in Gartenflora in 1872. Plants of the World Online lists Tephrocactus articulatus var. papyracanthus as a synonym of the species. You can still use the name since it is validly published. 🙂

The genus, Tephrocactus Lem., was named and described by (Antoine) Charles Lemaire in Les Cactées Histoire in 1868.

As of 12-10-23 when this page was last updated, Plants of the World Online by Kew lists 10 accepted species of Tephrocactus. It is a member of the plant family Cactaceae with 150 genera. Those numbers could change as updates are made on POWO.

 THERE ARE A FEW LINKS AND GROWING RECOMMENDATIONS AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE FOR FURTHER READING.

When I was at Walmart buying cactus on February 9, 2016, a piece fell off of a Paper Spine Cactus. I just had to rescue it and bring it home. That is better than it being thrown in the trash, right? As you can see in the first photo, it didn’t take long for this little nubbin to start growing.

<<<<2017>>>>

The Tehprocactus articulatus var. papyracanthus is native to Catamarca, Cordoba, La Rioja, Mendoza, Salta, San Luis, and Santiago del Estero in western Argentina. There isn’t much online about this cactus but is very easy to grow and very interesting for sure…

Even though the variety name is now a synonym of Tephrocactus articulatus, I am still using it because that’s what it is. There are several varieties of the species that have different features. All are synonyms of the species now.

<<<<2018>>>>

This cactus is very carefree and easy to grow. The species can be variable, some having spines and some do not. The one I have does have a few spines as well as tiny glochids that are very hard to remove when they get in your fingers. These plants don’t get very tall because the segments are loosely attached and fall off easily then they take root and grow another plant. The feature of this variety is the papery spines rather than needles. They produce yellow or white flowers.

They like bright light and the stems will be thinner if not given enough. If the segments fall off, just stick the end in the soil and they will easily grow a new plant. In the wild, this allows them to grow large colonies.

I have had this cactus in this very small pot since I brought it home and decided it was time to put it in a larger pot on May 25.

I moved most of the potted plants to the front and back porch on July 4 after the Japanese Beetle invasion. I think all of the cacti are on the back porch in full sun except the Tephrocactus articulatus var. papyracanthus. It seems to burn very easily in too much sun although it likes bright light. GEEZ!

It does like its larger pot but I think it is looking for somewhere to drop a segment or two…

I had to move the potted plants inside for the winter on October 10 because the forecast was calling for an “F” in a few days and the nighttime temperatures were getting cooler. I usually measure the cactus and succulents when I bring them inside but I have never measured this plant.

November 29 was a nice spring-like day, so I took the cactus to the back porch for a photoshoot. I was working on a post to show the difference between the cactus in my collection.

The segments of this plant are loosely attached and fall off easily.

The areoles produce these strange ‘raffia-like” spines which is where the common name of this variety comes from. This plant has slightly raised tubercles but there is also a “tubercled type” of this variety whose tubercles are even more raised. These cactus areoles produce tiny glochids which differ from the wool in Mammillaria species. Glochids, which are also produced by Opuntia species (Prickly Pear) are a real pain to remove if you get them stuck in your fingers. Well, this species was once an Opuntia species…

<<<<2019>>>>

I moved the potted plants back outside the first part of May as temperatures warmed up enough. I keep this Tephrocactus on the front porch with most of the succulents while most of the other cactus are on the back porch. I keep this cactus on the front porch because I don’t want the cats knocking the segments off… It seemed like it got sunburned before, too. They are supposed to do better in full sun and the base of the segments may be thicker so they don’t fall off as easily… Hmmm…

LOOKING GREAT on June 22, 2019!

I had to move the potted plants inside for the winter on October 10 because an “F” was in the forecast. I always take photos of all the plants when I move them inside and measure the cactus and some of the succulents. No point in measuring this cactus as sometimes the segments fall off… I was surprised some of the segments had gotten as tall as they were.

<<<<2020>>>>

I had to bring the potted plants inside for the winter on October 15 because an “F” was in the forecast. As always, I take photographs and measurements as I bring them inside. The Tephocactus articulatus var. papyracanthus did very well over the summer. I don’t measure this cactus when I bring it inside because of the way it grows. For grins, I did measure the tallest, umm, stem when I put these photos on this page. It is the one on the left and it was 3″ tall and the lowest and largest segment was about 1 1/2″ wide. You have to be careful when handling this species because it will fall apart easily (not to mention the tiny glochids will stick in your fingers). To think I started out with one small segment in 2016…

Well, the above photo didn’t come out that great but you can see the tubercles and the glochids fairly well…

I think the tops of the cactus look pretty neat. This species has a kind of purplish glow on some of the top segments. In the above photo, you can see some wool and glochids (tiny, fuzzy spines along with the papery spines. Very neat and unusual.

<<<<2021>>>>

It has done very well over the summer of 2021 and has managed to get taller without falling apart. It kind of needs a bigger diameter pot but not a deeper pot. Those are hard to find…

USEFUL INFORMATION:
Family: Cactaceae
Origin: Western Argentina
Zones: USDA Zones 8b-10b (15 to 35° F)
Size: 6-12” if you can keep the segments from falling off.
Light: Sun to part shade
Soil: Very well-draining. Good quality potting soil amended with pumice (50/50) or additional perlite and chicken grit (2-1-1).
Water: Average during the growing period, sparsely if any during the winter. 

You can read my Cactus Talk & Update and Cactus & Succulent Tips to get my opinion about growing cactus and succulents.

When you bring your new plants home from the store, you need to check their roots and the soil to see if they are wet. If so, you may want to re-pot it right away. It is advisable to re-pot them in a better potting soil more suitable for cactus and succulents.

<<<<2022>>>>

I had to bring the potted plants inside for the winter on October 16 in 2022 because a “you know what” was in the forecast. As always, the Tephrocactus articulatus var. papyracanthus did GREAT!

I was proud of it because the tallest stem had reached 4″ without falling apart!

<<<<2023>>>>

Even though there was no “F” in the forecast until October 30, it was going to be a rainy week so I moved the potted plants inside on the 23rd and 24th. Time for photos and measurements… 

The Tephrocactus articulatus var. papyracanthus did very well during the summer on the front porch despite the heat and drought. The tallest branch grew to almost 5″ tall when I moved it inside for the winter. 

With the segments falling off in years past, there is a nice little colony in the pot.

This is a neat species that has been fun to watch grow. Just remember if you buy one, you need to handle it with care or the segments will fall off. Don’t forget about the glochids…

There isn’t much online about this cactus, but I will continue adding photos as time goes by and give as much information as I can from my experience. The Tephrocactus articulatus var. papyracanthus seems to be very easy to grow.

I hope you enjoyed this page and maybe found it useful. If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions, I would like to hear from you. Please click on “like” if you visited this page. It helps us bloggers stay motivated. 🙂 You can check out the links below for further reading. The links take you directly to the genus and species of this plant. If you see I have made an error, please leave a comment or email me at thebelmontrooster@yahoo.com.

FOR FURTHER READING:
PLANTS OF THE WORLD ONLINE (GENUS/SPECIES)
WIKIPEDIA (GENUS/SPECIES)
LLIFLE (ENCYCLOPEDIA OF LIVING FORMS)
DAVE’S GARDEN
CACTIGUIDE