Xerophyte

Habit

Copiapoa cinereaSN|1380]]SN|1380]] is one of the most admired species of cacti with chalky/white stems covered with wool at the apex, which contrasts well with the sparse, jet-black spines. It is a solitary, or slowly offsetting, globular to columnar cactus.

Central Spines

1 or 2 up to long, terete, black.

Description

The name Copiapoa cinerea v. minicarpa supplied under an unpublished name by the cactus merchant Karel Knize (KK1734) can be referred to a form or clonotype within the variability of Copiapoa cinereaSN|1380]]SN|1380]]. This species shows great variation and it is sometimes difficult to separate one local form from another. Many of this forms have received unnecessary names. The variety "minicarpa" should be distinguished by its smaller fruit.

Flowers

Yellow funnelform, 1,5 to 2,5 cm in diameter, occasionally with a pink or reddish tint. The Ovary is naked.

Blooming Season

Summer, it needs a lot of sunlight to bloom, so it's pretty rare to have blossoms when in cultivation in greenhouses. It is not unusual for copiapoa to take 6-10 years before it starts blooming, but once it does, it should every year.

Ribs

12-30 broad, obtuse.

Stem

Up to 1,2 m tall, 10-20 cm in diameter. The white colouration is a waxy coating presumably to prevent dessication in it's extremely dry environment. In cultivation the white waxy bloom is often not produced, revealing a brownish epidermis.

Radial Spines

0 to 7.

Fruits

1,5 to 2 cm long (smaller in v. minicarpa).