Xerophyte

Central Spines

2 to 5 somewhat longer, to 20 mm long white.

Description

Rebutia sp. Huari Huari is probably one of the many geographical forms of the extremely variable Rebutia fiebrigiiSN|4932]]SN|4932]]. It is a small solitary or mound-forming cactus spreading out to 15 cm with glassy-white, silky, short spines and light green tubercles thickly covering the body. It is a free-flowering species with distinctive bright lemon-yellow blooms (orange red in Rebutia fiebrigiiSN|4932]]SN|4932]]). The dense spines would protect it from the extremes of cold and sunshine. The spines can become so dense on mature specimens that the plant's body becomes obscured from view.

Tubercles

Up to 5 mm high conical.

Flowers

Flowers produced basally or halfway up the stems, curving upward, lemon-yellow (never orange or red), funnel-shaped, 25-45 mm long, 4 cm diameter. Tube narrow 10-18 mm long, outside pale greenish, inside greenish-yellow. Ovary spherical, about 4 mm wide, with small triangular scales with few white wool few white bristly hairs. Tepals lemon yellow, rather rounded, often slightly toothed, 14-16 mm long, 4-6 mm wide. Filaments yellowish, anthers yellow. Pistil white, with 5-6 white stigma lobes 2-3 mm long, slightly protruding the anthers.

Blooming Season

Flowers all tend to come in one late Spring rush, rather than spread over the Summer, and remain open for up to six days.

Spines

30-40, all more or less similar, the central ones slightly larger, variously bristly, glassy-white, bristle-like, fine and soft.

Ribs

About 18, straight to spirally arranged tuberculate

Stem

Roundish to slightly elongated, depressed at the top, 50-60 mm wide and tall, glossy fresh green, flat, covered by distinctive tubercles similar to a Mammillaria, that are easy to see through the small spines. It grows quite close to the ground and offsets only with age. It would appear that in cultivation they grow larger and cluster more vigorously than in habitat.

Radial Spines

Less than 10 mm long, white.

Fruits

Tiny, spherical, berrylike, about 5 mm wide, greenish with few white wool and bristly, hidden among the spines, bursting when ripe.

Areoles

Elliptical, white-tomentose.