Old Man Cactus

Description:

It is a tall columnar species with clusters of stems, growing to 5–15 m tall; the individual stems are usually unbranched, being unable to withstand the weight of side branches easily . The most striking feature is the long, white hairs it possesses, which serve to protect it from the sun. The coat of hair makes many plants appear almost snow-white (however, the hairs conceal numerous sharp yellow spines). It is in reference to the shaggy white coat that the popular name 'Old Man Cactus' developed http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cephalocere...