Xerophyte

Description

Upright and clumping, stiff and imposing, columnar cactus with unbranched stems from the base. In the wild it grows up to 15 m in height, cultivated, it is columnar, up to 4 m tall or more.

Flowers

Pink to greenish, up to 2 in each areole, 3 to 4 cm inches long.

Blooming Season

Spring.

Spines

1 yellowish central spine up to 1 cm long. 5-9(14) short radials. The spines are longer in the juvenile specimens, while are very short in the mature branches.

Ribs

5 to 7 (or more), 2 cm high.

Stem

Erected, basally branching to 5-10(-20) cm thick, dark green. The epidermis surface is slightly rough to the feel, like sandpaper.

Fruits

Spiny, yellowish to reddish, up to 4 cm in diameter, and rather dry in late spring to early summer. The many seeds are black.

Areoles

White, glandular, mostly about 1cm apart, confluent forming an uninterrupted longitudinal line.