Xerophyte

Description

Echinofossulocactus erectocentrusSN|1737]]SN|1737]] (Stenocactus) is a quite variable plant and the dissimilarity among seedlings spination and ribs shape may be considerable. According to Anderson, E. erectocentrus was not a validly published name,nom.nud. (not a name at all although it keeps cropping up on labels), and he refers plants with this name under the Stenocactus multicostatusSN|1730]]SN|1730]] group-complex. However the two are easy to tell apart. S. multicostatus plants have short (no more than 3 cm) or very thin and flimsy spines, and the plants have few areoles and many ribs (as many as 120) where E. erectocentrus typically has 43 or fewer. On E. erectocentrus the long, flexible spines (to 13 cm) come up and close over the top of the plant. It produces whitish flowers with purple midvien in early spring. Echinofossulotattus erectocentrus SB116 Emilio Zapata, Nuevo Leon, Mexico。 This form of E. erectocentrus has central spines that are all about 3 cm long, but still they want to close over the growing point of the plant.

Flowers

Flower buds are set in late fall and are held in the dense wool of the stem's apex, often with just the tips visible until mid-winter, when some sunny days come along and both the buds and plant start to grow. The plant will throw quite a few buds in early spring and open several 3 cm flowers at a time over the course of a month. If the conditions are right it can bloom again later in the year. And once flowering is complete the spines close up over the stem tip again. The blooms are white with a violet to purple midvien.

Spines

6 to 9 radial spines, the upper ones are longer with a stout, flat, erected central spine sometime up to 13 cm long, while the lower ones are shorter and point downwards. The spines are different lengths.

Stem

Solitary, globose, vivid green with a flat tops 8-15cm wide and up to 7-12 cm tall, typically with less than 43, very tight, thin, wavy ribs

Areoles

There are only 2 or 3 areoles in each rib, witch are covered with white felt in young plants.