Xerophyte

Habit

It is a geophyte, stem succulent plant usually solitary and barely rising above ground level with a swollen underground root system.

Central Spines

Occasionally one central, brown, becoming grey with age up to 4 cm long.

Flowers

Near the apex, 70 mm in length and 60 mm in diameter whitish to reddish pink, sometimes with brownish tint, with short floral tubes.

Blooming Season

Blooms appear recurrently from June to autumn and flowers well as a young plant.

Ribs

Gymnocalycium weissianumSN|14401]]SN|14401]] has about 19 ribs, straight, broad, flat, divided into angular warts with prominent angular chins below the the large woolly areoles , with narrow furrows between them.

Stem

Globular, somewhat flattened and slightly depressed at the centre (or slightly elongated in cultivation), dark grey-green, olive-green, dark chocolate brown or red-violet, up to 10 cm in diameter.

Radial Spines

6-8, pinkish-brown when still growing, but turning soon bright, greyish-white ,spreading, curving backward encasing the brown body, one pointing downward, others to the sides, up to 20 (or more) mm long, but quite variable in length.

Areoles

Oval 10-15 mm apart, slightly furnished with yellowish grey wool.