Xerophyte

Central Spines

3-4 cm long, bristle like, usually darker than radials, glassy gold-brownish to black.

Description

Eriosyce villosaSN|3030]]SN|3030]] is a small solitary cactus typically with long hair-like radial spines and several small magenta flowers at a time. It becomes shortly columnar in age.

Roots

Large tuberose tap-root.

Flowers

Borne at plant apex on young areoles, 2-2,5 cm in diameter, tubular to narrow funnel-form, bright magenta, showing various shades of purple-pink with clearer throat, pericarpels and floral tubes with long wool and gassy white bristles.

Blooming Season

Blooms early in the year. Occasionally forms some buds late in the previous year, and it can sometimes flower during the winter, although the main burst of flowering is in April.

Spines

More or less dense, the number of spines (especially the bristly radials) is quite variable.

Ribs

13-15 prominent, large, deeply notched between areoles.

Stem

Subglobose to globose, becoming elongated or short cylindrical, greyish-green to very dark green or dark blackish-purple, up to 15 cm tall, 8 cm in diameter.

Radial Spines

12-20, thin, grading from bristle- to hair-like, whitish, grey or brownish.

Fruits

Elongate, red, dehiscing by basal pores.

Areoles

Large felted.