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Eriosyce napina
(Field
number: FR249 East of Huasco, Atacama, Chile, Date: 1954/05)
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 Description:
Tiny
geophyte, with
a
solitary
spherical or
flattened stem slowly growing atop a thick, underground
taproot,
with a
constriction between the stem and the root. eventually
becoming somewhat
elongated in cultivation.
Stem:
Slow
growing, up to 3-5 cm across, 2-6
cm tall,
brown-olive-grey tones
Tubercles : Larger than ssp. lembckei;
Areoles:
Grey.
Spines: Very
short black
radials.
Roots: Forms
a
tuberous root system with (usually) a very
large
carrot-like root
Flower: Approx
3,5 cm long, 4-6 cm in diameter, pale yellowish-red with a
silky shine,
buds densely
hairy with brown
wool.
Fruit:
Large, red,
clavate,
wrapped in white
wool.
Phenology: Flowers
already when young,
synchronised flowering of the whole plants
takes place over one or two days, and
they remain open for about three
or four days.
Blossoming time: late spring.
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Flowers & fruits
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Buds &
flower |
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Family:
Cactaceae (Cactus
Family)
Scientific Name:
Eriosyce
napina
(R. Philippi) F. Kattermann
Published in: Eriosyce (Cactaceae): The genus revised and amplified
1: 118, 1994
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Basionym:
Echinocactus napinus Phil. 1872
Conservation status: Listed in
CITES appendix 2.
Etymology:
The
genus name
"Eriosyce" derives from the Greek words
“Erion (εριον)” meaning “wool”
and “Sykos” meaning “fig (a fruit)” .
(The genus name implies: “woolly
fruits”).
The
species name
“napina”
derives from the
Latin
“napus” meaning "turnip” plus the adjective suffix for nouns "inus"
meaning "belonging to or resembling" (The specific name implies:
“resembling a turnip”)
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Distribution:
From coastal
Chile (Region III Atacama) South of Freirina in the Huasco valley
(Atacama Desert)
Habitat: E. napina grows in one of
the most
arid areas in the world, among rocky crags and sand dunes
in sandy-clayey soil in a
vegetable
formation called “Costal desert of Huasco,” a typical “desertic
mattoral”
that is just spectacular and impressive when it displays the phenomenon of
the
“flowering desert”.
Altitude around 200 m. |
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Synonyms: |
- Neoporteria napina,
(Philippi) Backeberg 1935
in: Blatter
Kakteenforsch., Pt. 9, [p. 4], 1935
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Neochilenia napina (Phil.) Backeb. 1942
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Thelocephala napina (Phil.) Y.Itô 1957
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Chileorebutia napina (Phil.) F.Ritter (Nom inval.) 1959
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Chilenia napina (Phil.) Backeb. 1939
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Echinocactus mitis Phil. 1894
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Neochilenia mitis (Phil.) Backeb. 1959
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Neochilenia imitans Backeb. (Nom. inval.) 1959
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Neochilenia neoreichei Backeb. (Nom. inval.) 1959
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Reicheocactus neoreichei (Backeb.) Backeb. (Nom. inval.)
1962
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Echinocactus napinus Phil. 1872 miniature
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Eriosyce napina
KK18a, Huasco,
Chile 200m
A plant grafted on Opuntia compressa
Cultivation: The eriosyces
have a thick
taproot and are
susceptible
to
over-watering.
Sometimes
they are
grafted to avoid
root
rot problems. Suited for
sunny-bright exposure;
they can
tolerate
light shade.
They like warmth (recommended minimum
winter temperature 5° C). But plant kept perfectly dry can easily
survive
in winter night temperatures below 0° C (In our
greenhouse there was no damage
at -10° C for a few hours in
the winter
of 2002-2003 )
They prefer
airy exposures. They also need
a deep pot
and good
drainage, to accommodate its
tap root. Keep dry in
winter.
Pests &
diseases: E.
napina is especially
prone to rot, therefore,
underpot in a
smaller container filled with a very
porous compost.
Propagation: Seeds or
graft. Seeds can be sown in the spring or summer. The seedlings
should not be disturbed until they are well rooted, after which
they can be planted separately in small pots. |
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Photo of conspecific taxa, varieties, forms and
cultivars of E. napina.
(This
Taxon
has lots of synonyms, with several controversial varieties and
subspecies, and comprises a multitude of different forms)
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Cultivation and Mail Sale 
