Rosemarie is correct! I thought rat tail at first, but then the leaves looked a little smooth in the first photo. With the second photo (thanks) definitely a rat tail, Aporocactus flagelliformis. Nice plant you have there:O) Billy Rae

Yes you are correct. Congradulations but it won't be little for long.

Ok....I took the plunge and removed the flower! I have read (as in the article about flowers which I posted) that you can also heat an Exacto knife over open flame and cut through the glue....that's what I did. I must have done it right, because the flower is off, along with 2 wicked looking sets of spikes, and a piece of the plant's flesh! It will leave only a small little scar though.....I'm okay with that! I'm saving the flower to prove to skeptic friends and family that its a fake....and you can actually see the glue on it! The weird part is, they are fakes to the cactus (not the cactus' actual flower) - but were once real! In the article, it said the flowers are now dried, but were once alive, known as "Everlasting daisy" or "strawflowers" (Bracteantha bracteata) not because they are, or ever were, made out of straw -- but because they are specifically grown and cultivated for drying! They hold their shapes for an unusually long time, AND even once dead, they can open and close!! with humidity changes. That's why even seasoned plant growers are fooled by them! To give an idea, the flower I removed just today has been on that cactus for almost a year! I should have guessed it wasn't natural....silly me!! My boyfriend's Grandma (who gave me the cactus) said it grew there AFTER she bought it.... but she doesn't pay attention to those things closely enough to realize it was there on the day she bought the plant home! =)

Kalanchoe blossfeldiana - very popular, flowers profusely.