Monsters abound! There are legendary critters such as werewolves and vampires, as well as real-life examples, like Vladimir Putin. We even have monster trucks.

Horticulture also has its monsters, which are known as ‘’monstrose’’ plants. These are specimens that — during their youth — were damaged by disease, weather, or insects, changing their normal growth patterns from upright and organized to freakishly random. The result is unusually formed — and, often, bizarrely beautiful — plants.

The most striking example I’ve seen in person was a monstrose cactus housed for decades in a container at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden in Coral Gables. That cactus, now long deceased, was the size and general shape of a basketball, featuring hundreds (perhaps thousands) of growing points.

The cactus at Fairchild was an unknown species of Cereus, one of 40 or so native to South America and the West Indies. Indeed, of all plants, Cereus species seem most predisposed to be monstrose. I’ve cultivated a Cereus forbesii Ming Thing for years on a west-facing windowsill, and my lumpy plant — developing more character with each passing month — has become a favorite.

Other popular monstrose Cereus include those of C. repandus (formerly C. peruvianus). The normal species grows 20 feet tall with straight, ribbed stems and is common in our landscapes. The monstrose version, which is much shorter, features bumps, knobs and warts. And, like many monstrose plants, this easy-to-grow cactus oozes distinction.

Another type of abnormality that’s common in some cactus is cresting, a characteristic sometimes lumped in with monstrose, and one that’s equally popular with collectors. Crests —– also caused by injury to a plant’s growing points, though later in life — resemble unfurled, heavily textured fans. Interestingly, individual plants occasionally combine normal, monstrose and crested growth.

But cactus is by no means the sole succulent that can develop these unusual shapes. Indeed, examples are often found among Aeoniums, Echeverias, Euphorbias and Crassulas, including jade plant. And lest you think only succulents feature crested growth, the firespike — a herbaceous perennial — frequently produces crested inflorescences thought to be due to pathogens.

It's woody plants, however, that are most subject to strange growths, which are called witch’s brooms. Though not classified as monstrose or crested, witch’s brooms — remarkably variable and caused by fungi, viruses or insects — typically have numerous leaf buds crowded in a small area, generally on branch tips. This results in distorted growth and is common on oleander, elm, juniper, willow and many other trees and shrubs.

Charles Reynolds, a Winter Haven resident, has an associate’s degree in horticulture and is a member of Garden Writers Association of America. He can be reached at ballroom16@ aol.com