Xerophyte

Description

Astrophytum capricorneSN|3564]]SN|3564]] var. senile forma rosa is a rather dubious name for a form which produces flowers in shades of peach. It is a cactus so densely wrapped with soft spines that the body is hardly visible and looks like a dry grass bundle.

Flowers

Orangish or pink with a red centre.

Spines

16 to 20(-30) whitish, dark reddish brown till black coloring, later getting grey, bristly, flexible, square in cross-section 5 to 7(-10) cm long and pointing in all directions that often form up spirals, they are so densely nest wrapped that the body is hardly visible and looks like a dry grass bundle. The lateral ones grows horizontally sideways at first and then buckle while the others point +/-upwards. After rain they wet and become very flabby.