Piccolo cactus geofita con corpo porpora scuro e piccole spine pettinate arancioni. I fiori sono prodotti dalle areole più giovani nell'apice della pianta. I fiori ocra-arancioni hanno una bellissima lucentezza come di seta.

Family: Cactaceae (Cactus Family)

Scientific name:  Eriosyce aerocarpa (F.Ritter) F.Kattermann 1994

Origin:  Chile, Atacama, Huasco (Around Carrizal Bajo at west of Canto del Agua )

Habitat:  Grows in some extremely arid areas in the Atacama desert, in superficial soils covered with quartz, and then the sand sustain the roots or in rocky quebradas deep seated in rock crevices. They cohabit with Eriosyce napina ssp. Challensis

Conservation status: Listed in CITES appendix 2.

Synonyms:

It is difficult to take good pictures of this plant because the petals are translucent and some colours are not captured well by digital cameras.

Description: It is a small geophytic cactus with a dark body and very short pectinated spines.
Stem: Flattened, globose to short cylindrical, brown or grey-greenish with a reddish-violet nuance. 2-4 cm in diameter but in culture it grows slowly more than 7 cm tall and about 7 cm in diameter.
Ribs: Several, spiralling and disappearing into tubercles.
Radial spines: 6-10(-14) short, about 2-3(-5) mm long, more or less pectinated, needle like, straight to somewhat curved against to the stem yellow-orangish to dark reddish-brow that turn to grey as they age.
Central spines: 0-1(-2). Thick, erect up to 10 mm long.
Root: It has a large, conical taproot.
Flowers: Born on young areoles, 3-5 cm wide, cream white to dirty orangish or reddish with darker midline. The flowers have a beautiful silky shine, the tube is covered in thin brown hairs.
Fruit: Elongate, dehiscing by a basal pore.

Cultivation:  It is a summer-growing species of relatively easy cultivation. It has a thick taproot and is susceptible to over-watering if kept in a non ventilated place. , sometimes it is  grafted to avoid root rot problems. Likes warmth (recommended minimum winter temperature 5° C) But plant kept perfectly dry can easily survive to winter night temperatures below 0° C. Sun Exposure: Suited for sunny-brightly exposure; can tolerate light shade.
Cultural Practices: Suited for airy exposures. Needs deep pot and gritty mineral substrate with a very good drainage to accommodate its tap root. Water regularly in summer, keep dry in winter.

Propagation: Usually propagated from Seeds. (seldom produces offsets) 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.