Is this normal aging, or something about which I should be concerned? TIA!

Looks like it could be scale

That's what I was afraid of. IDK even know what that's a piece of. Pulling it out!

Looks like mealy bugs

TYVM, Tarev! There's nothing moving, just 'stuff' on the plant that doesn't move if I run my finger across it.

Mealy bugs often leave that patches of cotton.

I thought it looked kinda normal... I mean I thought the Holiday cacti were known to harden over time (develop a scaly look).

When you rub your fingernail on it, does it come off? Scale generally looks circular (at least the one I had on some plants was circular in nature) and comes off when picked at.

@purpleinopp,

Any observations on what it might be? I'm curious to know.

This is on my mind but haven't had a chance to investigate more closely. Up until the past few weeks, I observe plants at least 2x/day, sometimes more, so don't think there's been any mealybugs on plants, this has looked like this for well over a year, but isn't spreading contiguously, and IDK this kind of plant well, especially since its' ID is a mystery. Scale occurred to me... It was either raining, dark, or I was at work since I asked, will check it out tomorrow & post my discoveries here. TY for your concern!! :+)

Isn't that the 'Easter Cactus' cutting you got that "reverted"? Or am I confusing it with someone else's plant...

I thought it might be dragon fruit, but really not sure. It hasn't done much for the past couple yrs, but is sprouting the new, totally different part recently. More pics I took today. Can't find any mealbugs.






I think the reverting EC is someone else's plant. Reverting to what?

I read online that what we see in the store, TC, CC, and EC aren't what they orignally looked like in the wild so to speak. I saw a picture of one persons's EC one day and it has a ton of little spines on this one new growth and it was four sided. Looked nothing like the other leaves. Someone said it was reverting to it's original form. I'll have to see if I can't find it again.

Found it on GW.

http://forums.gardenweb.com/di...

Second picture.

Very interesting!

for the acorns.

I read the post again (I first read it when I was still on GW) and maybe reverting to it's "natural" form wasn't the right description, but it's... Odd whatever it is.

I don't know much about dragon fruit so I can't help with an ID. :/

It does not look like a bug problem to me. My rick rack and eppis look like that from too much sun. Even though I have them in the shade it seems like the strength of the sun is getting through and the leaves scar. It is either that or acid rain I do not know what it is but the leaves look just like yours.

When I get tired of the look I cut them and stick them in the soil and they grow more leaves that look better.

Sorry I'm late here. That's called corking. Turning to wood. It happens all the time. I try to keep my Euphorbias out of direct sun for this reason. Once it forms, it keeps growing, consuming the whole stem. Turning to hard wood. Surprising it has not effect on White Ghost or red Trigona. It is harmless except for the look of it. Part of nature caused by the Sun.
My large Euphorbia lactea has it all over the bottom half.

TY so much, Cinta & Stush for the replies. Much appreciated!!

If I had a minute, I'd research if lignification & corking are the same thing, or if it's convention to use the diff terms for diff kinds of plants... if anyone already knows, please enlighten!

Seems that lignification is the smart people term and corking is for us dummies. Same thing. I didn't know what lignification was untill I just looked it up. Simply put, turns to wood.
Stush

Tiffany, I'm sorry I missed this thread. with Cinta and Stush about the corking. It is not a fungus or scale problem, and is not detrimental to the plant, but it just does look ugly. Your plant looks like it could be a pitaya of some sort, maybe Dragon Fruit (Hylocereus polyrhizus), Dragon Fruit (Hylocereus undatus), or more likely Queen of the Night (Selenicereus grandiflorus), or Yellow Pitaya (Selenicereus megalanthus). I do the same thing Cinta does when I get tired of the look. I'm working on repotting/resprouting my epi hookerii and ric rac cactus primarily for that reason.