Xerophyte

Habit

Solitary or basally suckering, barrel cactus. Multiple heads are produced as the plant ages and can form a very large mound.

Description

Ferocactus glaucescensSN|1532]]SN|1532]] f. nudus is the nice spineless form of Ferocactus glaucescensSN|1532]]SN|1532]] This cultivar varies from pure nude specimens to plants with one or few spine per areoles (Partially nudum), but usually the spines are present only in young plant (or on new lateral branches) and completely disappear in mature stems, all the other characteristics namely size and shape of stems, flowers, fruits, roots etc. clearly show that they are conspecific.

Flowers

Lemon yellow, funnel-shaped, 3-4 cm in diameter. The tepals are oblong, lanceolate, silky, shining; the margins are finely fringed. Stamen, style and stigma are yellow. Stigma lobes

Blooming Season

Late spring and summer. The flowers last a very long time. The plants start flowering when about 13 cm in diameter.

Ribs

11 to 15 prominent, acute, slightly tuberculate and expanded under areoles, 2 cm high.

Stem

Glaucous grey, up to 55 cm in height, 50 cm in diameter. Globular depressed at the apex, it becomes shortly columnar as it ages.

Fruits

White, 2 cm long with the remnants of the flowers attached.

Areoles

Greyish-white felted, young areoles circular, becoming elongate in mature flowering plants up to 15 mm long, constricted between the flower and the spine-bearing section, 2-3 cm apart or even less in old plants.