Origin and Habitat: Garden origin (Nursery produced cultivar). The original natural habitat of this species is northern central Mexico down to Oaxaca.

• Myrtillocactus geometrizans f. cristatus variegatus hort.

• Myrtillocactus geometrizans (Mart.) Console
• Cereus geometrizans Mart. ex Pfeiff.
• Cereus pugioniferus Lem.
• Myrtillocereus geometrizans (Mart.) Frič & Kreuz.
• Myrtillocactus geometrizans f. cristatus variegatus hort.
• Myrtillocactus geometrizans f. cristatus hort.
• Myrtillocactus geometrizans var. grandiareolatus (Bravo) Backeb.
• Myrtillocactus grandiareolatus Bravo
• Myrtillocactus geometrizans var. pugionifera Console
• Myrtillocactus pugionifer (Lem.) A.Berger
• Myrtillocereus geometrizans var. pugionifer (Console) Frič & Kreuz.
• Myrtillocactus geometrizans f. variegatus hort.

• Myrtillocactus geometrizans cv. Fukurokuryuzinboku

Description: This is an eye-catching crested and variegated cactus that always make a spectacular attraction. The top of each ribs shows a yellow colouring that contrasts nicely with the underlying glaucous-blu epidermis. It forms a stable architectural crest with subsequent fan-like growth just clustering over one another.
The standard Myrtillocactus geometrizansSN|8050]]SN|8050]] is a highly branched columnar candelabra like tree cactus that creates a dense growth of glaucous-blue stems growing closely together. In nature grows up to 4.5 m tall, with the crown reaching up to 5 m in width.
Stems: Glaucous (blue grey) Up to 7-10 cm thick. They have 5-8 ribs that are approximately 2.5 cm in depth with areoles about 2.5 cm apart.
Spines: Each areole may have up to 5-9 spines, but generally they have 3-5 spines about 5-12 mm long. Some spines but not awful.
Flowers: Rather smaller (2.5-3.7 cm) in relation to stem, greenish white.
Blooming season: March. Starts blooming when it is about 60 cm tall.
Fruit: Very sweet, edible, dark red, oblong fruits 8-20 mm in diameter.

Notes: A variegated plant has sectors, patches or stripes with two or more different colours, even distinct shades of green. Plants with variegated stems or leaves are often attractive and highly prized. In most species the stems or leaves are normally green, and variegated epidermis is an uncommon mutation, termed a chimera. A chimeral variegation is due to losing the ability to produce chlorophyll in some of the plant’s tissue, so that this tissue is no longer green. Tissues lacking chlorophyll are usually white or pale yellow coloured (due to carotenoid pigments) or red (due to betalain or anthocyanin pigments) contrasting with the normal green tissue. There are several forms of variegation, depending on the tissues that have been affected. The variegation in some forms is unstable. The extent and nature of the variegation can vary, and sometimes the plant will return to the green form. In others it is stable and does not change under normal conditions. Because the variegation is due to the presence of two kinds of plant tissue, propagating the plant must be by a vegetative method of propagation that preserves both types of tissue in relation to each other.

Bibliography: Major references and further lectures
1) Edward Anderson “The Cactus family” Timber Press, Incorporated, 2001
2) James Cullen, Sabina G. Knees, H. Suzanne Cubey "The European Garden Flora Flowering Plants: A Manual for the Identification of Plants Cultivated in Europe, Both Out-of-Doors and Under Glass" Cambridge University Press, 11/Aug/2011
3) David R Hunt; Nigel P Taylor; Graham Charles; International Cactaceae Systematics Group. "The New Cactus Lexicon" dh books, 2006
4) Urs Eggli, Leonard E. Newton: “Etymological Dictionary of Succulent Plant Names” Springer, Berlin/Heidelberg 2010
5) Christopher Brickell “RHS Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers” Dorling Kindersley Ltd, 01/Sep/2010
6) Willy Cullmann, Erich Götz (Dozent Dr.), Gerhard Gröner “The encyclopedia of cacti” Timber Press, 1987
7) Gerhard Gröner, Erich Götz “Beautiful Cacti: A Basic Grower's Guide” Sterling, 1992
8) Hecht “BLV Handbuch der Kakteen” BLV-Verlagsgesellschaft, 1982
9) E Haustein “Der Kosmos Kakteenfuehrer (the Kosmos Cactus Guide)” Balogh Scientific Books, United States, 01/Dec/1998
10) Sánchez , E., Guadalupe Martínez, J., Hernández, H.M., Gómez-Hinostrosa, C. & Cházaro, M. 2013. Myrtillocactus geometrizans. In: IUCN 2013. "IUCN Red List of Threatened Species." Version 2013.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 28 April 2014.
11) Jules Janick, Robert E. Paull "The Encyclopedia of Fruit & Nuts" CABI, 2008
12) Clive Innes "Complete Handbook of Cacti and Succulents" Van Nostrand Reinhold Company, 01/dic/1981

Cultivation and Propagation: The variegated crest form of Myrtillocactus is regarded as choice and difficult in cultivation. It cannot tolerate prolonged exposure to direct sun light (especially during the hottest summer days), so grow it in half-shade or under filtered sun. It is often seen as grafted plant, but may grow well on its own roots, too.
Use mineral well-permeable substratum with little organic matter (peat, humus). Water sparingly from March till October and keep perfectly dry in winter at temperatures from 10 to 15 degrees centigrade. (In general these plants are more tender and cannot endure freezing temperatures ) In the rest period no high atmospheric humidity!!
Propagation: Cuttings or grafting onto column-shaped cacti.