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  Denmoza rhodacantha "flavispina"
(Syn: Denmoza erythrocephala)
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Denmoza rhodacantha  "flavispina" is the form with yellowish to clear amber amber coloured spines.

 

Description: Demnozas is a large slowly growing columnar cactus. It stay globulous during a long period before becoming shortly column-shaped, 0.5 to 1.5 cm high.
Stem: The plant's diameter ranges from 15 to 30 cm, the stem colour varies from pale green to dark green
Ribs: 15 to 30, , parallel straight, slightly undulate, broad basally up to 1 cm tall.
Areoles: Well spaced at first, later confluent. Flower producing areoles often bears many long bristles and up to 7 cm long spines.
Radial spines: 8 to 10, usually brownish-red becoming grey, awl shaped and slightly curved, very different in young and old plants. There is also a form ("flavispina") with orange-yellow spines.
Central spines: 1 (But often absent) stouter up to 3 cm long
Flowers: They need to reach a reasonable size in cultivation before producing their flowers. First flowers appear near the top of the stem, however, on plants of very unequal age and size, some time on relatively young plants but also on 30-40 years old specimens! Flowers are zygomorphous (bilaterally symmetrical), of a maximum length of 7.5 cm, reddish to bright scarlet in colour and have white hair on the tube. Floral tube usually curved and slightly dilatated above the pericarpel, which bears small appressed scales. The flower open sufficiently widely so that the stigma and red stamen filaments are visible from outside. Anther exerted at least 10 mm beyond the tube.
Fruit: Globose, dry at maturity, dehiscent with tuft of short hair-like spines.

 

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Family: Cactaceae (Cactus Family)

Scientific name:  Denmoza rhodacantha, (Salm-Dyck) Britton & Rose 1922

Origin:  Widespread throughout the mountains of Argentina (Mendoza to Salta) at 2000- 2800 m of elevation.

Habitat: Eastern slopes and foothils.

Conservation status: Listed in CITES appendix 2.

Etymology: The name of the genus is an anagram of the north-western province of Mendoza.

Taxonomy: The genus Denmoza comprises only one species allied to Cleistocactus, but it has also been referred to Echinopsis, Cereus, Echinocactus and Pilocereus.

The plants described as Pilocereus erythrocephalus and later transferred to Denmoza has sometimes, for instance by Backeberg, been considered as another species of the genus. D. rhodacantha changes considerably in the habit with age. The description of D. rhodacantha refers to young plants having strong spines in areoles. Old plants of the same species with multiple number of spines and sometimes with thin, 6 cm long bristly spines correspond to the description of D. erythrosepala.

Synonyms:

  • Echinocactus rhodacanthus
  • Echinopsis rhodacantha
  • Cleistocactus rhodacanthus
  • Cereus rhodacanthus and erythrocephalus
  • Pilocereus erythrocephalus,
  • Denmoza erythrocephala


 

 


 
A young specimen. Older plants have numerous spines but younger plants much fewer. The spines on young plants are yellowish to amber in colour, aging to grey with time.

Cultivation: D. rhodacantha is very slow growing cactus but requires no special condition in cultivation, need full sun and a very draining soil.

Photo of conspecific taxa, varieties, forms and cultivars of

Denmoza rhodacantha:

 

Photo gallery: Alphabetical listing of Cactus and Succulent pictures published in this site.

Photo gallery DENMOZA

Home | E-mail | Plant files | Mail Sale Catalogue | Links | Information | Search

All the information and photos in cactus art file are now available also in the new the Enciclopedia of Cacti. We hope you find this new site informative and useful.