Melocactus pruinosus var. concinnus
Bradleya 6: 95. 1988
Family
Cactaceae
Genus
Species
Melocactus pruinosus var. concinnus
Author
(Buining & Bredero) P.J.Braun
Chinese genus
花座球属
Chinese name
-
Primary
Accepted
DescriptionEdit description
Central Spines
One, bent upwards, 10-19 mm long.
Description
Melocactus concinnusSN|17767]]SN|11349]] is one of the dwarfish and more elegant Brazilian tropical specie rarely getting up to 15 cm before maturing and forming a cephalium, (the curious bristly head of the plant, which is a specialised structure in which the flowers and fruits are borne and protected.). Pink buds of flowers sprout around and on top of the cephalium, providing additional colour to the plant.
Cephalium
Fairly short, to 5,5 cm high, 4-9 cm in diameter, with fine, dense, pale pinkish red bristles and cream-coloured wool, which caps the vegetative part of the stem. The cephalia can become extremely hard and thick as these cacti get older.
Pests and Diseases
The roots of Melocactus plants remain shallowly grounded in the soil, and they generally grow in a horizontal direction.
Flowers
Barely to well protruding from the cephalia, deep pink, 20-23 mm long, 6-12 mm in diameter.
Blooming Season
It flowers off and on all summer and spits fruits out constantly after the blossoms wither, apparently they take some time to form.
Spines
At first red, black or yellowish passing to grey with the exception of the darker tips.
Stem
The bodies of the plants are small, shaped like a sphere that has been squashed from above, or hemispherical, grey-green and glaucous, 8-13 cm high, 11-16 cm in diameter.
Radial Spines
6-8, recurved, sometimes hooked at the tip, 15-26 mm long.