Xerophyte

Habit

It is a highly specialized species with a unique growth habit. Its minuscule stems with no rib and no spines during the dry season, lose almost all of their water and shrink, becoming almost completely dry and flattened on the rocks where it lives.

Seeds

The seeds are minuscule (like dust), globose (less than 0.5 mm) with a large swelling of the upper funiculus thst is equal in size to the seed; this corky structure (strophiole ot aril) also occurs in other species of tribe Notocacteae that are believed to he closely related to Blossfeldia (I.e. Frailea). This species also has prominent trichomes (minuscule hairs) on seed coat, one per cell. The seeds represent a particular adaptation to ant dispersal. The ants which, having been lured by the aril, grasp the seeds on their hairy surface and carry them to their nests.

Description

Blossfeldia fechseri nom. nud. is one of several unpublished names of Ritter that still occur in commercial lists and now included in Blossfeldia liliputanaSN|5701]]SN|5701]]. The fechseri is a is a robust form with olive green heads about twice the size of Blossfeldia liliputana with white areoles. The flowers are creamy-white on the inside but reddish-purple on the outside.

Roots

Tuberous.

Note

The spelling is often cited as "Blossfeldia liliputanaSN|5701]]SN|5701]]", but under the provisions of the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature this is an orthographic error to be corrected to "Blossfeldia liliputiana".

Flowers

Diurnal, white or pinkish (yellow) diurnal, 6-15 mm long and 5-7 mm diameter and self fertile.

Blooming Season

The main flowering season is from late spring to early summer.

Chromosome Number

Blossfeldia appears to be exaploid.

Ribs

Bodies have no ribs or tubercles.

Stem

Flattened disc-shaped, olive-green body tending to become grey with age, usually up to 1,2-2 cm in diameter (rarely exceed the 2,5, but in cultivation grafted plants may attain a bigger size.

Areoles

Spiralling bearing white tufts of white wool and no spines.