Xerophyte

Seeds

Black.

Description

Gymnocalycium berchtiiSN|16398]]SN|16398]] is a tiny geophyte, with a solitary flattened stem slowly growing atop a thick, underground taproot. It is not common in collections or in catalogs, may be due to the dark and unattractive colour of his body, but more certainly because of its slow growth (it much faster grows underground, with its big napiforme root) and perhaps also its difficulty to adapt to culture. This species shows a large variability of spination. The 3 to 5(-7) spines are minimal, thin, about 1 centimetre long and adpressed to the body, occasionally with one central spine. Most of the plants have black-brown spines and some of them very light ochraceous with light brown bases. The flowers grade from pearl-white to lilac with brownish pink throat, and are out of all proportion to the body almost 8 cm long, and up to 6 cm wide, probably to attract the attention of pollinators and Gymnocalycium collectors on a plant otherwise almost invisible.

Note

This member of the Cactaceae family was given this name for Dr. C. A. Ludwig Bercht , Dutch cactus hobbyist and Gymnocalycium specialist.

Flowers

Funnel-form, mother-of-pearl coloured to rose, 5.3-7.9 cm long, 4.3-6 cm in diameter.

Spines

3-5, straight, dull, dark brown to black, sometimes with lighter coloured tips, 7-10mm long.

Ribs

7-9, flattened.

Stem

Solitary, flattened with slightly sunken tips, dull blackish grey or blackish brown, to 2 cm high, 4-6 cm in diameter.

Fruits

Elongate globose, grey-green, 21-42 mm long, 9-20 mm in diameter.

Areoles

Oval, with white to yellowish wool.