Xerophyte

Roots

Fibrous.

Habitat

It is solitary or clumping and in age can grow clumps 10-15 cm wide. Each head is surrounded by a complete ring of pink-violet flowers produced from around the base of the plant. It begins to offset in about its third or fourth year, eventually making a moderately tight clump, with the individual stems standing out a little on their own.

Tubercles

Low, flat conical in two downward spirals, in ratio 8

Flowers

It produces a larger crop of funnel-shaped pink-violet flowers, about 30 mm long and 35 mm wide. Filaments whitish, anthers yellowish. Style free to base pink with 4-5 white, spreading stigma lobes slightly protruding above the anthers.

Blooming Season

Flowers all tend to come in one Spring rush, rather than spread over the Summer. It is usually one of the earliest rebutias to flower in spring.

Spines

Approximately 25, radiating to upright, hardly distinguishable as radials and central, variable, short bristle-like, flexible, 5-10 mm long, pure white and translucent.

Stem

Squat, depressed globose (or somewhat spherical to slightly elongated in cultivation), deep green, up to 7 cm in diameter and 4-6 (or more) cm tall.

Fruits

Spherical, yellowish red or brownish, to 5 mm in diameter.

Areoles

Circular, about 1 mm wide, white tomentose.