This species was found serendipitously (hence the name) by Len Newton, June 5,1988, while returning to Nairobi from an outing to the Rift Valley. As it was late in the day, there was only time for a hasty collection of a few cuttings. One of these rooted and grew in Len’s Nairobi garden. Susan Carter saw it growing there in 1990 and suggested that it was probably an undescribed species. Len returned to the locality a couple of months later and sufficient study was completed to describe the species in the Cactus and Succulent Journal 65(3):111-112 (1993). We offer rooted cuttings of HBG 100904, a plant imported by Seymour Linden in June, 1994, with the following data: Ernst Specks 2366, collected at the type locality, in the Emart Olkimpai Hills near Nairobi, 8 km E of Elangata Waus, 1470 m. The slender stems tend to grow tall and become top heavy. By topping them, branching can be induced to create little miniature trees with a classic saguaro-like silhouette. $10.
Published in the Cactus and Succulent Journal, Vol. 97 (2), Summer 2025