Xerophyte

Central Spines

10-17, reddish brown to almost black, straight and pungent. One of the central spines almost always vertical, the other surrounding it in a circle, at the same angle of inclination of the radial spines.

Note

This member of the Cactaceae family was named after the Brazilian artist and cactus collector Francisco (Xico) Stockinger.

Flowers

30 mm long, 34-40 mm wide. Tepals sulphur yellow to yellow, lanceolate, obtuse without a hooked tip. Stamens yellow, inserted about 2 mm below the margin. Pistil red with about 9 stigma lobes, 2-3 mm long, moderately spreading, self-sterile.

Ribs

21-28, flat, vertical with an indentations between the areoles c. 1 mm deep.

Stem

Solitary, rarely clumping, blue-green, up to 11 cm in diameter and more than 50 cm long, at first erect then lying on the ground except for their raised tips.

Radial Spines

20-25, white, 4-6 mm long, straight and laterally spreading.

Areoles

3 mm in diameter, 3-5 mm apart.