Xerophyte

Central Spines

Absent.

Seeds

Large, black.

Description

Tiny globular succulent plants, usually solitary (Slowly clumping in cultivation)

Roots

Somewhat fleshy, thickened root

Tubercles

Pyramidal with short white wool in the axil.

Flowers

Cherry red to fuschia-red (or occasionally white) with a paler throat, relatively large in relation to the stems size, up to 20 mm long, 2,5 cm large. The flowers are diurnal and close at night.

Blooming Season

A characteristic of this species is that, at least when cultivated northern Europe and US, the flowers appears during Autumn and Winter, and often fails to develop properly due to cold, damp, and lack of light in a temperate climate. A sufficiently sunny October day is needed to prompt them to open.

Stem

Depressed-globose to globose, soft, dark green, usually not more than 2,5 cm in diameter and height (but in cultivation it can slowly grow up to 4,5 cm in diameter). Without latex.

Radial Spines

17 - 25, white, cream coloured or tan, radiating, somewhat pectinate and curved backwards, not interlacing, 1.2 - 2.2 mm long.

Fruits

Remains embedded in the stem.