Xerophyte

Seeds

Dark brown, helmet-shaped, shining, with a large depressed hilum, the margins being turned in.

Description

Astrophytum myriostigma cv. Double Ribs Nudum is a very rare cultivar that differs from the common Astrophytum myriostigmaSN|1845]]SN|1845]] var. nudum for its ribs forming two parallel lines of areoles on each crest.

Roots

Fine, fibrous.

Flowers

Funnelform, 4-7 cm long glossy yellow and sweet scented from the areole at the tip of the stem on mature plant.

Blooming Season

Flowers appear intermittently throughout the warm months from April to September.

Crested Growth

The crested "Double Ribs" myriostigma is one of rarest and pricey astrophytum cultivars. It is seldom seen in specialized collections and sought after by collectors, for its unique features. Though these crested myriostigma specimens are extremely rare (about 1 in 100.000 seddlings), cresting occurs naturally, and can be encountered in many other cactus species. The cause of cresting is not fully explained and some speculate that it is a genetic mutation, but whatever the stimulus, the growth point of the stem has switched from a geometric point, to a line, which folds and undulates as the crest expands.

Spines

Wanting.

Ribs

Vertical, regular, deep, prominent and acute.

Stem

Fan shaped, bright green, naked.

Fruits

2-2,5 cm in diameter, greenish to tannish-red, covered with brown, overlapping scales, with long wool in their axil.

Areoles

Closed together and forming a line that splits giving rise to two contiguous vertical lines of areoles along the each ribs. Sometime the two parallel rows of areoles are separated by a more or less V shaped furrow. Sometime two parallel rows of areoles separate deeply from one other and generate two new ribs.