Xerophyte

Central Spines

One occasionally 2, stronger, 2-3 cm long.

Cephalium

The area where the flowers will grow is called a pseudo-cephalium, it is usually well defined, apical to lateral, involving three or four ribs. Flower-bearing areoles have much denser silky white hairs 4-10 cm long.

Habitat

It is a columnar cactus becoming a tree 2-6 m tall, more or less branched from below with well-defined short trunks.

Flowers

Tubular to bell shaped, whitish to light pink inside, reddish green outside, 6-8 cm long. Outer segments purplish brown, inner segments pinkish. There is a large globule of nectar in the base of the flower.

Blooming Season

This cactus flowers during the warmest part of the year in asynchronous discrete pulses influenced by temperature, rainfall and plant size.

Spines

Brownish or yellow at first, becoming grey with age.

Ribs

7-9 broad or with shallow sinuses.

Stem

Erect or ascending, 5-10 cm in diameter. dark greener glaucous and light waxy blue at first.

Radial Spines

7-12, slender, approx 1 cm long.

Fruits

Spherical up to 4 cm in diameter, red, with red pulp and black seeds. They develop in a few weeks.

Areoles

1-1.5cm apart, the upper densely clothed with white hairs 2-6 cm long.