Nature
PUBLISHED
A blossoming bubble-bathing cactus has surprised and delighted the internet, as one biologist’s botanical endeavors developed unexpected appendages. The artwork in question is a prickly diptych named “bathing ladies”, a name which the artist later revised owing to the fact that the bathing cactus pair appear to have developed penises.
The rest of this article is behind a paywall. Please sign in or subscribe to access the full content.“So I tried to create a cute bubble bath cactus planter a couple years ago but then it grew a grotesque face, extra appendages, and a penis and then it grew ruby slippers and the penis blossomed and now I don't know what to tell my kids and nobody wants to tour my garden anymore,” wrote biologist and cactus enthusiast Colton Finch (@fish_squeezer) on Twitter.
The cactus’s “penis” grew between the legs of the monkey tail cactus (Hildewintera colademononis), having emerged from beneath glass pebble bubbles. It’s since erupted forth in blossoming an impressive pinkish-red flower. How fitting.
Deservedly, Finch’s post garnered lots of attention on Twitter, having been liked by over 31,000 people at time of writing. And then came more…
“Well, this enthusiasm was a bit unexpected,” wrote Finch. “If you're interested in more details I actually have two of these planters that started out as the ‘bathing ladies’ but have transitioned into the gay couple.”
As for the couple's “grotesque" faces (personally, we love them), we have the Mammillaria species M. spinosissima and M. weisingeri to thank.
Some cactuses may be prickly characters to handle, but they sure do make for fantastic crafts.
