I'm a sucker for unusual looking plants so I couldn't stop myself from buying this weird looking succulent..





The 'monstruosus' part of the name suits it well

A bizarre looking thing! Well done!

What a strange looking plant!

I'd never seen one like it before nor since. The label says that it's a rare propagation from the national collection but I don't know how rare it really is.

They're rare in the wild largely by virtue of the fact they're a monstrous variety which means they exist only through mutation however in cultivation they're fairly common thanks to Abbey Brook nursery (which could well be where yours is from) growing them en-masse. They are fantastic plants though and flower rather nicely too:

M. Painteri

Thanks for the information Xefan. It did indeed come from Abbey Brook Nursery, via the Winter Gardens in Aberdeen. I've never managed to get it to flower but that's no surprise because I never manage to get any cacti to flower.

ewww...it looks like a nep gained one more step on its way to becomming an animal and can now crap!