Xerophyte

Seeds

Ovoidal, black up to 1,5 mm in diameter.

Description

Lobivia famatimensisSN|3315]]SN|3315]] (Referred to Echinopsis by Friedrich & Rowley.) is one of the most beautiful and distinctive small species. It is usually solitary or slowly clumping and slow growing. The stems are small flattened-roundish to cylindrical with very short spidery-pectinate spines and egg-yellow flowers. Lobivia famatimensisSN|12455]]SN|3315]] (a.k.a. Reicheocactus pseudoriecheanus) is very attractive and is used as an ornamental and is sought after by cactus enthusiasts.

Taxonomy

This species was confused by Backeberg with Echinopsis kuehnrichii Fric and re-named with the the unnecessary name Reicheocactus pseudoreicheanus, due to the misidentification of Lobivia densispinaSN|3315]]SN|12455]] with Lobivia famatimensisSN|3315]]SN|3315]]. A beautiful, slow-growing. The name is usually given as "famatimensis" and was originally spelt thus, but it appears to have been a typographical error, since the source was Famatina, so the correct name should be Echinopsis famatinensis.

Roots

Big, conical, tap root.

Flowers

The buds appears laterally near the top of the plant and are clothed with greyish-brown woolly. The flowers are short-tubular to bell-shaped, pearly-yellow, yellow orange to dull-red. Outer segments purple, inner usually orange above, yellow below; stamens in several series (throat-membrane not developed). Style yellowish white, stigmas 8-12, 4 mm, cream. The flower tube is short and densely clothed with woolly hairs. The flowers are to 3(-4) cm long, 3(-5) cm in diameter.

Blooming Season

The flowers, not so readily produced as in many lobivia species, appear in early summer, shortlived. (They last about 2 to 3 days)

Spines

No central spine. The 7 to 9(-12) radials are weak, flattened against the body, curved, more or less pectianted, almost hyaline, whitish, greyish, yellowish, amber or brownish with dark bases. (1-)1.5-3(-5) mm long.

Ribs

24 to 40 low, vertical, straight, cross-furrowed and forming about 12-18 small hemispherical tubercles 0,5-1,5 mm tall and up to 3(-4) mm in diameter.

Stem

Globular, oval, elongated to cylindrical (1-)3-3.5(-15) cm in height and (2-)2.5-3(-6) cm in diameter. The stem apex is strongly depressed (umbilicate). The epidermis is grey-green, dull-green, olive-green or brownish-grey and is often tinged purple in bright light.

Areoles

Oblong, brownish.