The leaves give it the name fishbone cactus or zig-zag cactus but it is the flower that is the prize. It is not really a cactus but a type of epiphyllum. Disocactus (Epiphyllum) anguliger is native to the forests of Mexico and the flowers only come on mature plants, typically in early summer. This plant was started as a single cut frond given to me by R. Gale three years ago. This is its first ever flower and it has arrived in winter. It will only last 1 day.
Do plants get cancer? The answer is, ‘Yes’, if cancer is defined as dysregulated cell growth, but typically plant cancer is different than in animals. Plant cells have a rigid cell wall that limits metastatic spreading of cancer cells through the plant. Instead, the tumor grows as a single mass called a gall. Also, most plant tumors/galls are caused by a viral infection that disrupts the normal expression of genes. Here is an example that I found in my garden. I think this is an onion bulb where the new shoot has developed as a tumor of abnormal stem/leaf cells.
