Xerophyte

Seeds

Chestnut-brown.

Description

Hariota herminiaeSN|33516]]SN|33516]] is an epiphytic, erect or sometimes arching over succulent shrubs, to 30 cm high, branching dichotomously or in whorls. The flowers are dark pink to blue-violet, 2 cm long. The fruit are olive green. It looks a lot like Hatiora salicornioidesSN|22941]]SN|22941]] and also grows upright but doesn’t quite have the same little stems segments.

Stem Segments

Older basal stems brown, upper ones grey, matte dark green or olive green, purplish in full sun, dichotomous or whorled, cylindrical, only slightly thickened higher up (clavate), not ribbed or slightly 3-5-furrowed, 2-5 cm long, to 0.5 cm in diameter, with felt on tips.

Note

For Prof. Herminia Castellanos, wife of the Argentinian botanist Alberto Castellanos.

Flowers

Usually solitary, rarely paired, from terminal areoles, rose pink, pinkish magenta or blue-violet, to 1-2(-2.5) cm long and 1-2.5 cm in diameter. Pericarpel 4-5 mm long, 2-4 mm in diameter, hemispherical, pale green or yellow-green near the base. Perianth segments magenta. Filaments, anthers, stigma-lobes and e nectary disc crème-coloured.

Fruits

olive green, up to 8 mm long.

Areoles

Few, small, lateral, bearing small scales and one or two small bristles. Terminal areola c 5 cm in diameter with abundant greyish hairs.