Xerophyte

Seeds

Black, egg to pear-shaped, 1 mm long with very small tubercles.

Description

Turbinicarpus pseudomacrocheleSN|12802]]SN|12802]] ssp. krainzianus is a small geophytic cactus forming brain shaped mouns with age. The crested form is particularly priced by cactus impassioned.

Roots

Deep napiform.

Note

this species is one of those turbinicarpus which pass a purely radial-spined youth stage in which they are already floriferous. Most of the plants after several years develop the long curled central spines, giving the plant its fuzzy appearance.

Tubercles

Rhomboidal at the base, tapering at the top, about 2-4 mm tall.

Flowers

Usually not produced in the crested parts, but from areas reverting to the normal growth form. Diurnal, apical up to 2 cm long, with about 12-16 narrow yellow cream or greenish yellow tepals, but other flower colour varieties exist. Styles white, with 4 white stigma lobes. Anthers lying below the stigma, yellow.

Blooming Season

Summer.

Spines

Usually the crested form has only juvenile pectinated spines, however sometime produces mature curved wiry spines 12-30 mm long. The spines are flexible, not piercing, in new growth yellowish-brown later becoming grey with dark tips, dropping off from older areoles.

Stem

, with fan like 5-12 mm thick, dark green. Apex white wooled almost concealed by the spines.

Fruits

Spherical to oval, mostly from the top, 3-5 mm long, bare with remnants of dried flower. Green turning red at maturity, with persistent dried up flowers remains. They open split vertically when ripe and contains 20-25 seeds.

Areoles

On the apex of the tubercle, white woolly becoming bare with age.