Eriosyce napina ssp. mitis
f. glabrescens
FR710 Totoral Bajo, 03 Atacama, Chile
|
|
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 5-8 cm across,
4-8
cm tall,
the colour of the stem is very variable from one specimen to
another. It can be glaucous-blue, glossy green or dark purple
with brown, olive, grey tones.
Tubercles : Larger than ssp. napina;
Areoles:
Grey.
Radial spines: Variable, from very
short and thin or almost absent (f. glabrescent), to black, recurved, and strong.
Central spines: None or one, strongly bent upward.
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.
|
|
Root system
|
The colour of the epidermis is very variable,
and ranges from pale blue-grey-green to dark purple.
|
|
Cultivation:
Watering Needs:
Its thick
taproot
is
susceptible
to
over-watering.
Sometimes
it's
grafted to avoid
root
rot problems.
Frost Tolerance:
It likes warmth (recommended minimum
winter temperature 5° C).
But
a
plant kept perfectly dry can easily
survive
at winter night temperatures below 0° C.
Sun Exposure: Suited for
sunny-bright exposure;
but
can
tolerate
light shade. Suited for
airy exposures. It needs
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 very
porous compost.
Propagation: By 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.
|
Fruit |
New spines
in spring |
|
|
Family:
Cactaceae (Cactus
Family) |
|
Scientific name:
Eriosyce
napina
(R. Philippi) F. Kattermann
Published in: Eriosyce (Cactaceae): The genus revised and amplified
1: 118, 1994
Distribution:
From coastal
Chile (Region III Atacama) in the Huasco valley
(Atacama Desert)
Habitat: It 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.
Conservation status: Listed in
CITES appendix 2.
|
Synonyms:
- Echinocactus napinus Phil.
- Neoporteria napina (Phil.)
Backeb.
- Chilenia napina
- Thelocephala napina
- Chileorebutia napina
- Neochilenia napina (Phil.)
Backeb.
- Echinocactus mitis Phil.
- Neochilenia mitis (Phil.)
Backeb. 1959
- Neochilenia imitans
- Neochilenia neoreichei
- Reicheocactus neoreichei
- Neoporteria reichei fa. neoreichei
|
|
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)
|
|
Cultivation
and Mail Sale 
