Xerophyte

Leaves

Rudimentary, thick, as long as broad or less than two times longer than broad at base, glabrous, not papillose, falling early.

Description

Echidnopsis scutellataSN|33129]]SN|33117]] ssp dhofarensis, is a reclining to erect plant, with little branching, is easily broken, and is rooted on the underside. Its shoots are round, about 10 cm long, and green or reddish with the same geometric tubercled ribs as many other Echidnopsis. The flowers are pale yellow, 9-10 mm in diameter diameter.

Taxonomy

Echidnopsis scutellataSN|33117]]SN|33117]] ssp dhofarensis, it is distinguished from subsp. scutellata by the flatter flower lacking the bowl-shaped, broad tube whose sides are some distance away from the staminal column. The staminal column is also less broad and lacks the dentate margin of subsp. scutellata. The flowers are larger than those of subsp. australis where the leaves are also finely papillose, a feature lacking in subsp. dhofarensis. It is easily separated from subsp. planiflora by the different stems, though florally it is similar, particularly to plants previously knovni as Echidnopsis chrysanthaSN|33117]]SN|33129]]. Forms with red and with yellow coronas are sometimes found growing together, but there seems to be little variation in the pale yellow colour of the corolla.

Note

The epithet 'dhofarensis', refers to the place of origin, the Dhofar Province, Oman, with the Latin termination 'ensis', place of origin.

Flowers

Inside pale yellow, 9-10 (or more) mm in diameter, tube short, cup-shaped. Tube walls addpressed to staminal column and just containing it. Corolla-lobes deltoid-ovate, tip and margins revolute, margins not hairy. Corolla flat when fully open. Corona yellow or red.

Stem

8-angled. The podaria (tubercles) are fine, hexagonal to conical, not papillose, and bearing the scar of the tiny, deciduous leaf blade in the upper segment.