Damaged plant

[Dukey]

Hello.

I'm a new member with little knowledge and a small collection of plants. I recently took ownership of a plant that seems to have had quite a hard life so far and I'm hoping some kind soul can help me with it. Firstly I'd like to know what it is, but secondly I'd like to know what the marks are. There are numerous small beige 'spots' that appear all over the plant (see left hand side of second photo), but I don't know what is causing them.

Is anyone able to help?

Many thanks.

Steve

[rodsmith]

I think the marks are due to the plant having had a bit of a hard life. There doesn't appear to be any pest damage or incipient deadly disease. I'm not sure of the species but the plant would benefit from fresh soil (John Innes 2 or similar with plenty of grit added) and probably a larger pot. I'm sure another forum member will be able to give you an ID.

[Paul D]

Welcome Steve I think it is Myrtillocactus geometrizans. I have a few small ones which are grafting stocks.

[Stuart]

The white marks on Myrtillocactus are usually a sign of cold damage. There will be five separate plants growing together in one pot, quite easy to grow with some winter warmth and plenty of sun.
Stuart

[rongs]

I agree with Stuart with the accent on winter warmth as I found out to my cost

[Dukey]

Hello again and many thanks to all who took the trouble to reply; I really appreciate it.

Thank you for identifying the damage and I'm reassured that's all it is. I am a bit more worried about the small, round brown marks as they have been spreading quite quickly since my original post. They are appearing on the new growth from last year so I know the plant hasn't been damaged in that area. The marks seem to be growing through the plant as they start off very feint before forming a hard 'scab'. I have picked off a couple and the flesh underneath appears to be healthy.

I can't see any sort of parasite (I have treated all my plants with a systemic insecticide three times over the last 12 months) so wonder if this is a disease and whether I should isolate the plant? I have a few other plants with small brown marks on them but they are nothing like this and they seem to be just damage, like you've suggested.

Has anyone ever seen these small, beige 'scabs' appear, seemingly from within a plant? If so, I'd really appreciate a recommendation on how I should proceed.

Thanks again.

Kind regards,

Steve

[Dukey]

Sorry, I should also add that the plant may have been kept in a cold environment in the past, which would explain the earlier potential cold damage. But it's been on my south facing window sill for the last 18 months, so the damage to the new growth is puzzling me.

Thank you.

Steve

[rongs]

If the flesh is healthy underneath these "scabs" then I don't think they are coming from within the plant
I think they are related to the warmth the plant needs and the sun in the daytime followed by the colder night
Is it behind a curtain at night where it would get quite cold and possibly transpire beads of water which would get caught by the sun in the morning?

[Dukey]

Hello rongs.

It's not normally behind a curtain overnight but is in a room without heat so what you suggest is possible. I hadn't thought about it before, so thank you for suggesting that. It's given me something to think about.

Thank you.