Xerophyte

Habit

The stem is dark green and solitary, but tends to clumps when the plant is adult.

Seeds

Helmet-shaped, reddish-brown to black, approx. 2 mm long.

Description

Oroya peruviana var. depressa is one of the varieties or local forms of the wide ranging and very variable Oroya peruvianaSN|1494]]SN|1494]]. True to its name, it distinguish from the type species by having an heavy and very flattened (depressed) stem, growing slowly to 20 cm. across. Ribs are divided into broad, low tubercles with elongate areoles, which carry many strong spines, brown red, darker on the base and curving around the body. The flowers, like in other varieties, are many small pink-orange-red with a whitish to lemon yellow centre.

Roots

Tuberous.

Flowers

Small,1,5 to 2 cm long, bell to funnel-shaped, often very numerous, produced from young areoles, in a dense cluster or ring around the crown of the plant, pink-orange-red with a whitish to lemon yellow centre; outer perianth-segments acute, reddish, the inner pink, yellow at base, linear, obtuse or apiculate; style pink above; stigma-lobes pale yellow. Perianth tube very short and covered with small scales. The Areoles of hypanthium and Perianth tube are slightly woolly. Oroya flowers look very similar to Eriosyce flowers but shorter.

Blooming Season

Spring to summer.

Spines

Strong, brown-red, darker on the base, curving around the body, barely distinguishable as centrals and radials.

Ribs

12-35 (usually 21), low, obtuse, divided into low tubercles.

Stem

Depressed globose or hemispheric and deep-seated in the ground, that eventually becomes shortly columnar, much-ribbed, up to 20 cm broad and 5-10(-25) cm tall. Epidermis bright green to blue-green.

Fruits

More or less spherical or short club shaped, hollow berries, slightly fleshy, yellow or reddish brown., and covered with small scale. Flowers remnants persistent.

Areoles

Long, narrow 8 to 12 mm long, whitish, closely set, very woolly, on the extremity of a groove in the tip of tubercles.