Xerophyte

Description

Echinopsis subdenudataSN|1041]]SN|17377]] is a globular, almost spineless or with very short cream spines that produces splendid night-blooming, white fragrant flowers up to 22 cm long. It is generally included within (as a synonym of) Echinopsis ancistrophoraSN|1041]]SN|1041]], suggesting that there is not really a fundamental difference between the two. The key difference by which this species was separated, namely

Flowers

These cacti produce gorgeous, night-blooming flowers borne near the stem tips. They are fragrant, white (or very light pink), narrow funnel-shaped, with long, slightly curved tubes 15-22 cm long. Old plant may have many flowers at a time.

Blooming Season

This species blooms from late spring to all summer long, the flowers open on the morning of the first day and remain opened all the night long but last only one day in full beauty, at the second day they start to wither.

Spines

Almost spineless or with very short cream or greyish brown spines, often hidden by areolar wool. Central spine one, directed upward, to 2 mm long. Radial spines 3-7, swollenbasally, to 1.5 mm long.

Ribs

8 to 12, very acute, slightly notched.

Stem

Solitary or offsetting from near the base, globose, grey-green, depressed apically, 5-8 cm tall, 7-12 cm in diameter (often elongate and up to 30 cm high in cultivation)

Areoles

Small, cream coloured, transversely elliptical, to 1.5 cm apart.