Lava cactus

The lava cactus is a species of cactus and the sole species of the genus Brachycereus. The plant is a colonizer of lava fields, hence its common name.

The lava cactus (Brachycereus nesioticus) is a species of cactus and the sole species of the genus Brachycereus. The plant, known uniquely from Bartolomé Island of the Galapagos, is a colonizer of lava fields, hence its common name. Physical features - The plant has soft furry spines and grows in clumps to a height of about two feet (60 cm). New growth is yellow, turning to brown, which darkens to gray with age. More

As its name suggest, the lava cactus occurs exclusively on barren lava fields (2), lying at sea level (4). Not only is it one of the few plants that survive in this extremely dry, challenging habitat (4), it is often one of the first plants to colonise a fresh lava flow (2). More