Xerophyte

Central Spines

1 (or up to 4 in adult plants) the principal central (the lower one) curving and prominently hooked 5-9 cm long, 1-1,5 mm wide.

Seeds

Black, 1,3-1,5 mm long, 1 mm broad, 0,8 mm thick.

Description

Plants typically solitary with atractive hooked central spines, occasianally branched from the base. The flowers are a unique coppery colour.

Roots

Diffuse.

Flowers

Produces several buds in spirals at the plants apex on the new growth of the current season, with usually 3-5 or more flowers in clusters opening at a time. The flowers are cylindrical to funnelform, 2-4 cm long, 2-3 cm wide. Inner petal tannish, to brick red obtuse to acute, outer tepals with brownish midribs., filaments yellow or maroon up to 6 mm long, anthers yellow, style 1,2 cm long reddish, stigma lobes 10-14 yellow or orange. Pericarpel with toothed scales up to 6 mm long.

Blooming Season

March to May (some flowering episodes are possible after heavy summer rains as late as August) The flowers open stimulated by warm temperatures in the morning and close partially at night and open again for 2-3 days.

Spines

Strong, tannish-white to greyish-pink or purple slightly flattened, not obscuring the stem.

Ribs

9-13, prominent and strongly tubercles, approx 6-9 mm broad and 9-15 mm tall.

Stem

Flattened globular to egg-shaped, green to bluish-green with a grey glaucescence. Up to 15 cm tall and 8 cm wide.

Radial Spines

5-8 of which the 2-3 upper ones straight in quasi-central position, the three lower hooked and reddish-tan (one strong straight lower radial may be present underneath the hooked ones), lateral and upper radials subulate, tannish-white or yellowish spreading.

Fruits

1,5-2,5 cm long, ovate to globose, fleshy, red, indehiscent, with few conspicuous white-fringed scales, floral remnants persistent. The fruit matures in about one month (in May-June or later) and is edible.

Areoles

Approx 2-2,5 mm apart, roundish 3-5 mm in diameter with greyish-yellowish wool, and with several yellowish glands in the short woolly groove in the upper part of the tubercle (hence the genus name Glandulicactus).