Xerophyte

Seeds

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

Description

Astrophytum myriostigmaSN|26114]]SN|1845]] (many dotted) is a spineless succulent plant, usually solitary or with very few basal branches. A transverse section of the stem reveal a perfect star shaped form (like the common star-fish) giving the plant the appearance of a bishop's mitre (hence the common name Bishop's cap)

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. Outer perianth segments narrow, with brown scarious tips. Inner perianth segments numerous, oblong yellow with a silky shine. Scales on ovary tube scaroious, imbricated, very narrow often bristly tipped, with long wool in their axil.

Blooming Season

Flowers appear intermittently throughout the warm months from April to September. Plants may take up to six years to flower.

Spines

Wanting.

Ribs

Usually 5, sometimes 4(or 3) that increase to eight or more with age ( rarely even 10), vertical, regular, deep, prominent, very broad and acute.

Stem

Globular to cylindric up to 30 cm tall (but occasionally up to 50 or more cm tall) and 10-20 cm in diameter, bright green variegated with yellow, orange, red and violet, covered with many minute white hairy scales that give it a characteristic silvery-grey appearance, but sometime naked. The scales are composed of very fine interwoven hairs, which, under a microscope, are very pretty object.

Other

The pictured form (Astrophytum myriostigma f. pictaSN|1845]]SN|26114]]) has stem variegated with yellow, orange, red and violet. These pictured plants are very attractive and highly prized. They are often seen grafted on stronger columnar species, and cannot cannot be easily grown on their own roots. However some clones have enough chlorophyll in their tissues and can be grown on they own roots too, but very slow growing.

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