Xerophyte

Habit

They form low colonies of slender cerei with many erect stems, later much branched from the base or a little above ground.

Description

In recent times Morawetzia doelzianaSN|5964]]SN|5964]] has been referred to Oreocereus, but it does have an apical (pseudo)cephalium of wool and long bristles. It is a very hairy tall growing columnar cactus. The bright red flowers are borne towards the end of the stems in the pseudocephalium and appear freely at an early age. Three subspecies are recognized, the nominate form, subsp. calvus (Rauh & Backeb) Mottram and subsp. sericatus (F.Ritter) Mottram.

Cephalium

Terminal with brownish bristles and white wool.

Flowers

Long tubed, zygomorphic, deep purplish pink, vermilion-red about 10 cm long and 3 cm in diameter, produced in the apical tuft of bristles and hairs. Scales of tube with numerous loose axillary hairs, limb oblique with rounded tepal tips.

Spines

Variable. Stems are covered in long, white, hair-like, silky spines without bristle tufts, (which becomes more dense in strong light) to protect them from the mountain cold and hot sun. Hidden in this white down are up to 20 spines, up to 3 cm long, stout, needle-like, yellow, straw-coloured or dark-brown, sometime 4 longer centrals develop later.

Ribs

Protruding less than 1 cm divided by cross grooves, and slightly prominent where the areoles are borne.

Stem

Erect or ascending, up to about 1 m tall x 6-8 cm in diameter, right green.

Fruits

Ovoid to spherical, yellowish or greenish opening basally.

Areoles

Circular, on protuberances on the ribs, greyish-white and felted, separated by slight depressions, 1,5 cm apart, densely to sparsely hairy or hairs absent .