Astrophytum asterias cv. Elephant Skin
Astrophytum asterias cv. Elephant Skin
Family
Cactaceae
Genus
Species
Astrophytum asterias cv. Elephant Skin
Author
-
Chinese genus
星球属
Chinese name
-
DescriptionEdit description
Seeds
Black or dark brown, glossy, bowl to helmet shaped about 2 mm long, 3 mm broad.
Roots
The underground body is fleshy, turnip-like, with fine diffuse roots.
Flowers
Apical, diurnal, radial, 3-5 cm long, 5-9 cm in diameter opening widely, yellow with orange/red throats. Ovary and tube very short, densely covered with thin, bristle-like, black tipped scales and with cobwebby wool in axils.
Blooming Season
Spring to summer and each flower lasts for one or two days only, but the plant may flower at any time during the warmer months of the year if adequate water is provided.
Spines
Not any.
Ribs
Usually 8 broad, very low, irregularly bumped and elephant-skin-like, with wrinkled cross-grooves. The normal rib number eight is very stable but selected cultivars and hybrids can have from 4 to 13 ribs.
Stem
Non-branched, much depressed, disc-shaped to low dome-shaped, grey-green to dull green (unless stressed), mature plants up to 7 cm tall, 5-16 cm broad.
Fruits
Oval to round, about 1,5-2 cm long, green, pinkish or greyish-red densely covered with spines and dull-white wool, becoming dry and finally breaking off at or near base (not opening above the base).
Areoles
Round, prominent, 3-12 mm in diameters, felted to hairy, white, creamy, dirty-yellow till straw-coloured, then grey.