Matucana herzogiana var. perplexa
Natl. Cact. Succ. J. 11: 71, fig. 1956 ( From Karel Knize catalogue collection nr. KK577)
Family
Cactaceae
Genus
Species
Matucana herzogiana var. perplexa
Author
Backeb.
Chinese genus
白仙玉属
Chinese name
-
Accepted
DescriptionEdit description
Habit
It is a globe-shaped to elongate cactus densely covered by spines. The purple, tubular flowers project beyond the spines and present a most attractive appearance at flowering time.
Central Spines
1 to 4.
Description
Matucana herzogiana var. perplexaSN|1080]]SN|6014]] is one of the geographical form of the morphologically variable Matucana hayneiSN|6014]]SN|1080]] subs. Herzogiana distinguishes from the type for the longer and more numerous spines.
Flowers
Apical, dark crimson, up to 7 cm long and 2,5-3,5 cm broad, bilaterally symmetrical to nearly regular, limb scarcely oblique, with a long slender tube; scales on ovary and tube few, small, ovate, naked in their axil. The segments acute, purplish crimson. Filaments bright carmine, anthers yellow. Style bright carmine, stigma-lobes greenish.
Spines
Variable, white to pale brown, grey with age.
Ribs
Strongly rounded and tuberculate.
Stem
Generally single but occasionally many-stemmed, globular to shortly cylindrical, less than 7 cm in diameter, up to 10 cm high, green, densely covered and almost invisible under the numerous spines.
Radial Spines
Numerous, radially sreading, more or less curved, weak, and setaceous.
Fruits
Small, spherical to club shaped light reddish-green about 1 cm in length.
Areoles
Set closely together, with an abundance of wool when young, but without any when old.