That $800 plant isn't even a cactus as advertised (much less a desert cactus).
Cactus are native to the Americas. The plant in the photo is a
Euphorbia (closely related to the poinsetta sold around Christmas) and is from Africa. It looks like a cactus but isn't related at all.
One way to tell the difference between cactus and these "imposters" is that real cactus have spines protruding from a detachable pad that can be pulled cleanly off (the spines are an evolved leaf and detach in a similar way). The spines of the Euphorbia on the other hand are part of the main body of the plant and can't be cleanly detached.
Probably only a few plant nerds really care, but for $800 they shouldn't call it something it manifestly isn't IMOP.
Aha, thanks. Even though that would be IMOO, you switched the context for me. If the P had been omitted it would have been obvious to me. Perhaps it's just a typo.
Cactus are native to the Americas. The plant in the photo is a Euphorbia (closely related to the poinsetta sold around Christmas) and is from Africa. It looks like a cactus but isn't related at all.
One way to tell the difference between cactus and these "imposters" is that real cactus have spines protruding from a detachable pad that can be pulled cleanly off (the spines are an evolved leaf and detach in a similar way). The spines of the Euphorbia on the other hand are part of the main body of the plant and can't be cleanly detached.
Probably only a few plant nerds really care, but for $800 they shouldn't call it something it manifestly isn't IMOP.