Xerophyte

Habit

Solitary, but sometimes branched, columnar perennial cactus erect or somewhat procumbent when long.

Central Spines

4 to 8, occasionally up to 16, stronger, up to 4 cm long,straight or recurved and spreading, often darker at the tips..

Description

Eriosyce subgibbosaSN|2931]]SN|2931]] much better known under its old name, Neoporteria subgibbosaSN|3263]]SN|3263]], is a very variable species that has received numerous names. It is one of the few species that forms cylindrical stems. Four subspecies are recognized, the nominate form, subsp. clavata (K.Schum.) Katt., subsp. vallenarensis (F.Ritter) Katt. and subsp. wagenknechtii (F.Ritter) Katt.

Note

This species has many (very controversial) varieties.

Flowers

Pretty relatively small up to about 3-5(-6) cm long, bi-coloured with magenta, rose to the violet petal tips and pinkish-white, white or yellowish-white throat, giving the sensation of being fluorescent and being very difficult to photograph in good conditions because that particularity. Inner tepals erect, acute, concealing the stamens.

Blooming Season

Blooms early in late winter to spring. It is advisable to leave them dry from middle of November to obtain fantastic flowering later in January/March.

Spines

Partially hiding the ribs, needle like, more or less long and dense, white, yellowish, golden yellow, brown, or nearly black, while older one became greyish.

Ribs

(11-)16-20(-22) more or less notched with chinlike protrusions.

Stem

Globular to columnar, up to 90 cm tall (or more), up to 10 cm wide. Grey-green, yellowish-green, brownish-green or blackish-green.

Radial Spines

(8-)16-24(-40), 1-2(-3) cm long, radiating.

Fruits

Ovoid to cylindrical, 1,5-2 cm long, 1 cm in diameter, red or reddish-green partly hollow at maturity, only scarcely woolly, apical areoles not spinescent.

Areoles

Large and woolly.