Tallest cactus breaks its own world record

A cactus plant, which had found a place in the Guinness Book of World Records, is now on the way to breaking its own record by growing taller.

Grown at the SDM College of Dental Sciences at Sattur in Dharwad, the plant was 78.8 feet tall in June 2010, when it entered the Guinness Book of World Record. Known as cereus peruvianus in botanical terminology, in the last four years, the plant has grown further and is now 105.8 ft tall.

Planted on August 15, 2002, the plant belongs to the cactaceae family and has no leaves. The stem is angled with a tuft of spines on the ridges. It’s flowers are 20 cm-long, funnel shaped, white in colour and turn brownish when withered. The flowering season is from March to October, with maximum flowering in September.

Earlier, the world record stood in the name of a cactus in Narayanpur of Dharwad. The cactus grown at Pandit Munji’s house in Narayanpur was 72 feet tall when it made an entry into the Guinness Book in 2004. Now, the Pandit’s plant is 56 feet.