Origin and Habitat: Garden origin (Nursery produced cultivar) The Original non crested forms comes from Margarita, O’Connor province, Department of Tarija. Bolivia. Altitude around 1800m

• Cleistocactus margaritanus f. cristatus hort.
• Bolivicereus margaritanus f. cristatus hort.

• Cleistocactus baumannii (Lem.) Lem.
• Aporocactus baumannii Lem.
• Cereus baumannii Lem.
• Cereus flavispinus (Colla) Haw. ex Steud.
• Cactus flavispinus Colla
• Cereus flavispinus var. hexagonus Salm-Dyck
• Cereus subtortuosus C.F.Först.
• Cereus tweediei Hook.
• Cleistocactus aureispinus Frič non D.R.Hunt
• Cleistocactus baumannii var. colubrinus (Otto ex C.F.Först.) Riccobono
• Aporocactus colubrinus (Otto ex Salm-Dyck) Lem.
• Cereus baumannii var. colubrinus K.Schum.
• Cereus colubrinus Otto ex Förster
• Cleistocactus colubrinus (Otto ex Förster) Lem.
• Cleistocactus baumannii var. flavispinus (Salm-Dyck) Riccobono
• Cereus baumannii var. flavispinus K.Schum.
• Cereus colubrinus var. flavispinus Salm-Dyck
• Cleistocactus colubrinus var. flavispinus (Salm-Dyck) Borg
• Cleistocactus flavispinus (K.Schum.) Backeb.
• Cleistocactus baumannii var. paraguariensis (F.Ritter) P.J.Braun & Esteves
• Cleistocactus paraguariensis F.Ritter
• Cleistocactus bruneispinus Backeb.
• Cleistocactus jugatiflorus Backeb.

• Cleistocactus baumannii subs. anguinus (Gürke) P.J.Braun & Esteves
• Cereus anguinus Gürke
• Cleistocactus anguinus (Gürke) Britton & Rose

• Cleistocactus baumannii subs. chacoanus (F.Ritter) P.J.Braun & Esteves
• Cleistocactus chacoanus F.Ritter
• Cleistocactus margaritanus hort.
• Bolivicereus margaritanus F.Ritter
• Cleistocactus margaritanus f. cristatus hort.
• Bolivicereus margaritanus f. cristatus hort.

• Cleistocactus baumannii subs. croceiflorus (F.Ritter) P.J.Braun & Esteves
• Cleistocactus croceiflorus F.Ritter

• Cleistocactus baumannii subs. horstii (P.J.Braun) N.P.Taylor
• Cleistocactus horstii P.J.Braun

• Cleistocactus baumannii subs. santacruzensis (Backeb.) Mottram
• Cleistocactus chacoanus var. santacruzensis F.Ritter
• Cleistocactus santacruzensis Backeb.

Description: This is a very nice crested cactus, easily recognizable for its yellowish bristly soft spines. The standard C. margaritanus is a columnar tree-like cactus with many branches, up to 3 m tall (Or more), the beautiful crested form, here described, is rare in collection and highly priced for its dense covering of spines and the large growing green fan-like stem.
Stem: Fat, it can form in age a large convoluted mound and can reach a considerable size (up to 50 cm tall and in diameter, or more )
Areoles: Small, roundish, orange-yellow.
Spines: It has many short bristly pale-yellowhis spines all quite similar in shape, that literally cover the surface of the stems.

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

Cultivation and Propagation: It is of easy cultivation. Require full sun or half shade. The plants on their own roots should be kept in a deep pot with a very draining mineral substrate. But be particularly careful with watering, which all crested plant require (rot sensitive). Keep dry during the winter rest. Since they are rapid growers, and need plenty of space for their roots, repotting should be done every other year or when the plant has outgrown its pot.
The grafted plants are easy to grow and will form a large brain-like mounds with age. Watering during the active growing season (spring and summer); this will encourage steady growth, and prevent the crest from becoming flabby.