Known as the "Cat’s Tail Cactus," C. winteri ssp.colademono is considered a sibling—scientifically the same species—as its more famous relative, but visually, they couldn’t be more different. While the Cat’s Tail droops and trails, this one stands upright without flopping over, at least until it reaches about 30–50 cm. Its trademark "fur" is short and golden, giving it the look of a cluster-forming columnar cactus at first glance. The difference in appearance is so striking, it's hard to believe they're related. In fact, the cactus world often treats them as if they belong to different categories altogether. Occasionally, you’ll see this one introduced as the "Cat’s Tail," but that’s likely a classic case of the "telephone game"—a name that wandered off on its own ((in English-speaking regions, this one is actually nicknamed the "Golden Rat Tail Cactus")).

The genus name Cleistocactus means "closed cactus," referring to how its flowers remain tubular and never fully open, perfectly suited for long-beaked hummingbirds. There’s another species with similar looks and name, D. flagelliformis , but it’s much slimmer than the Golden Rat Tail Cactus and belongs to the epiphyllum family, so its flowers open up large and showy—making the difference obvious once they bloom. The scientific name "winteri" honors the German cactus researcher Hildegard Winter ((you might also see its old name, Hildewintera)).

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  9,600JPY