Xerophyte

Habit

Usually solitary (or occasionally branching after injury to the apical bud).

Central Spines

4 much thicker, longer, and usually darker yellow to tan coloured, straight except for the uppermost one, which may reach 5 cm of length, flat, and often annulate, terete, porrect or curved backward.

Description

Stenocactus albatusSN|6188]]SN|6188]] is a well-known in horticulture cactus species with a pale green epidermis, denser and thinner white/yellow spines and yellowish flowers. However its classification is controversial and all available informations about this taxon can only be described as contradictory, and most of the the plants labelled Stenocactus albatusSN|6188]]SN|6188]] don’t fits at all the original description of Dietrich, and some of which may correspond to other species.

Flowers

Small funnel-shaped 2 cm long with light yellow (or whitish), lanceolate perianth segments.

Ribs

Approx. 35 slender with sharp, flat, undulating, depressed at 1,5 cm intervals where areoles appear.

Stem

10 to 12 cm. in diameter, glaucous, depressed-globose, spherical that may elongate with age, with white-woolly apex covered with spines.

Radial Spines

About 10 to 25 bristle-like, silky, whitish to cream-coloured almost transparent, 1 cm long, and partially erect, from one to three may be missing from upper areoles.