Xerophyte

Central Spines

Solitary or 2(-4), round, straight, or slightly curving, 1.2-3.5 cm long, slightly bulbous at base, yellowish to purplish and dark tipped, uppermost one (or three) pointed upward sometimes very short, porrect, like the radials, lowermost one much longer pointing downward.

Seeds

1.5 x 2 mm.

Description

Echinomastus erectocentrusSN|31307]]SN|31307]] is a small solitary cactus heavily covered by spines. It is a distinct species, without varieties. Sometimes placed in genus Sclerocactus, Echinocactus, or Neolloydia. The varieties erectocentrus and acunensis are sometimes distinguished.

Tubercles

Nipple-like, 2-6(-12) mm high with a narrow groove in the upper side.

Flowers

Diurnal, short funnelform, pinkish to orange-pink (rarely white), (2-) 4 to 5 cm long, 3.8-5 cm across. Stamens short, greenish yellow. Style longer than the stamens, pale green. Stigma-lobes 6-8, pinkish to deep red. Ovary bearing a few ovate scarious scales.Fruits; Green, drying to brown, dehiscing by slits, to 1 cm long and 7.5 mm in diameter.

Ribs

15-21, somewhat oblique, very low, made up of closely set tubercles sharply divided by indentations.

Stem

Broadly ovoid to short-cylindric, 8 to 14(-37) cm high, (4-)7-12 cm broad, pale bluish green.

Radial Spines

11-17 (usually 13-14), ashy grey at base, grading into yellowish, pink, dull red or purplish toward the tips, round, straight, terete, 1.2-2.5 cm long, pale below, red above (in old dead plants dense and interwoven above but pectinate-appressed on lower part of plant).

Areoles

Broadly elliptical, 1.5-2 mm wide, 2.5-3.5 mm long.