Xerophyte

Central Spines

3 or 4, a little longer than the radials, acicular, about 2 cm. long.

Description

Echinomastus unguispinusSN|14901]]SN|14901]] subs. durangensis (firstly described as Echinocastus durangensis by C.Runge in 1890) is a great-looking plant that gets its name from its home state of Durango, Mexico. It is a local or morphological form of the widespread and variable Echinomastus unguispinusSN|14901]]SN|14901]] with white woolly areoles that bear dense spines hugging the body, except for one of the centrals, which sticks out and curves down. This plant is similar to E. unguispinus, but not so large, with more slender, much finer and lighter-colored spines, none of them strongly recurved. However the distinguishing characteristics of subsp. durangensis, appear to fall within the natural variation of E. unguispinus and it should be synonymized with the latter.

Flowers

The flowers, which can last for a week or more, are funnel shaped with petals brown in the centre fading to a light yellow-brown at the edges.

Ribs

18 to 21, low.

Stem

Simple, ovoid to elongate, up to 20 cm long, and 7-14 cm in diameter, though in most cases they will be smaller.

Radial Spines

1 5 to 30, mostly curved upwards and sidewards, the lower ones shorter than the upper, more or less incurved, white to creamy-pink, except the dark tips, 1.5 cm long.

Fruits

Relatively small, with very few, large seed.

Areoles

White-woolly when young, but without wool when old.