Gymnocalycium mihanovichii is a species of cactus native to South America. Its most popular cultivars are mutants that completely lack chlorophyll, exposing pink, red, orange, or yellow pigmentation from betalains in the plant tissue. Because these colorful mutants cannot photosynthesize and would normally die within days, growers graft them onto a green cactus, commonly a Hylocereus, to form the widely sold houseplant known as the moon cactus, though the mismatch in growth rate between the two grafted plants means most moon cacti do not survive for long.
Sources
Reader Challenges (0 open reader challenges)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.
Sign in to dispute this or suggest a correction.
View At A Past Year
The atlas records no dated fact of its own for this entry, so there is no other year to choose.