Xerophyte

Central Spines

14 to 20 up to 2,5 cm long (or more).

Description

Solitary or forming large clumps up to 1 m wide densely covered by spines, it one of the more beautiful and popular copiapoa, it is really the most extreme of a very variable population. It is a member of the Copiapoa cinereaSN|1380]]SN|1380]] complex.

Note

Pretty, white-spined forms need to be large before flowering; darker-spined plants grow faster.

Flowers

Clear yellow, 3.5 cm long.

Spines

Variable, densely distributed, needle-like, long, very thin, straight or curved, flexible usually white or greysh (or sometime brownish in the so called forma 'brunispina')

Ribs

13 to 24 ribs, straight.

Stem

Globose to cylindrical usually grey to green in hue, up to 12 cm wide with a woolly crown.

Radial Spines

10 to 12 greyish approx 2 cm long.

Fruits

White or rose, up to 1 cm long.

Areoles

Large, roundish, with grey wool.