Xerophyte

Central Spines

Absent or solitary and minute.

Seeds

Shining black an smooth, about 1 mm long, 0,75 mm large and 0,5 mm thick.

Description

Solitary or clumping slowly (occasionally dichotomously branched) by offsets at the base. Two subspecies are recognized, the nominate and subsp. laui (Diers). G.J.Charles (Hunt et al. 2006). However, most experts consider subsp. laui to be a separate species (see

Roots

Tuberous-napiform, connected though a narrow region to the main stem.

Flowers

Diurnal, apical, with the typical Copiapoa scented, yellow and pink broad 1,5-2 cm long and 30-40 mm wide.

Blooming Season

Hotter days in summer, blooms open about to hours after sunrise and close two hours before sunset.

Spines

Completely absent on older part of the plant.

Ribs

10-14(16) divided in extremely low often spiralled tubercles up to 4-8 mm apart, about 4-7 mm in diameter and up to 5 mm tall.

Stem

Grey-brown or more commonly bronzed, depressed-globose, 3-4 cm in diameter (up to 7 cm in cultivation), the aerial part is almost disc-shaped and almost sunken in the ground with white wool in the centre, also in the older areoles. Epidermis smooth or roughened.

Radial Spines

Very few (from 0 to 10) thin, short and less than 4 mm long. Brownish or black becoming ash grey and later deciduous.

Fruits

Slightly fleshy, small globular whitish with only few minuscule apical scales.

Areoles

Small 1-3 mm wide, sunken, oval, with white felt and well separated.