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Gymnocalycium damsii is a very easy to grow and very
free-flowering cactus.
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Description: Gymnocalycium damsii is a
very easy to grow and very
free-flowering cactus, it may be solitary or
freely
offsetting.
Stem: Spherical-depressed to short cylindrical, up to 10 cm tall
, 8-15 cm in diameter, green, pale-green or
brownish-green,
and highly decorative, often with horizontal clear and dark
strips.
Ribs: About 10-11, broad to acute, and more or less notched into
chin-shape protrusions or warts .
Radial spines: 5-8 up to 12 mm (or more) long, straight or
slightly tortuous, short, nearly useless in terms of defence. Young
spine are pastel-white or yellowish with a darker tip, later become
pale-grey.
Central spines: Usually absent.
Flowers: From the centre,
narrow, funnelform, about 6 cm long. External tepals greenish
whit reddish margins, internal tepals white to light pinkish or greenish
spreading. Scales on the ovary and flower tube small, scattered.
Blooming season: It produces
flowers almost continuously during the year.
Fruit: Oblong, 2,5 cm long, 6 mm in diameter, reddish at
maturity.
Note: Seems to be a pretty variable plant you might get some
other names which are effectively the same plant.... and also not sure
all plants identified as this are really this.
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Family:
Cactaceae
(Cactus
Family)
Scientific name: Gymnocalycium damsii
(K. Schumann) Britton & Rose
The Cactaceae,
descriptions and illustrations of plants of the cactus family 3: 163, f.
175, 1922
Origin: Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay.
Habitat:
G. damsii (anisitsii) grows in open areas in semi-shade under
the protection of low bushes that have no or very few leaves. The light
filters through. The soil is usually a rich sandy loam. Rains are
frequent during the summer. It often form large groups and is extremely
variable.
Conservation status:
Listed in
CITES
appendix 2.
Synonyms:
Synonyms:
- Echinocactus damsii
K. Schumann
In: Gesamtb.
Kakteen Nachtr. 119. 1903
- Gymnocalycium anisitsii ssp. damsii
(Schumann) G. Charles
In: CSI 20: 17, 2005
- Gymnocalycium anisitsii
(K.
Schumann) Britton & Rose 1922
- Gymnocalycium damsii var. anisitsii
Catalog name in Schneekloth-Liste A
- Gymnocalycium tucavocense
Haage SL 1992/93?
- Gymnocalycium damsii var. tucavocense
Backeberg
nom. inval. (Art. 8.2)
In: Descriptiones Cactacearum Novarum 3: 6,1963
- Gymnocalycium anisitsii var. tucavocaense
- Gymnocalycium joossensianum
- Gymnocalycium damsii var. multiproliferum
P. J. Braun
Kakteen und Andere Sukkulenten 42 (10): 230, 1991
- Gymnocalycium damsii var. centrispinum
Backeberg nom. Inval.
Descr. Cact. Nov. 3: 6., 1963
- Gymnocalycium damsii var. rotundulum
Backeberg nom. Inval.
Descr. Cact. Nov. 3: 6., 1963
- Gymnocalycium damsii v. robural
- Gymnocalycium damsii v. roseiflorum
- Gymnocalycium damsii v. torulosum
Descr.
Cact. Nov. 3: 6., 1963
- Echinocactus denudatum bruennovianus
Haage jr.,
In: Monatsschr. Kaktee, 8:37. 1898
- Gymnocalycium griseopallidum
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Cultivation: It
is a summer grower species that offers no cultivation difficulties.
Water regularly in summer (but do not overwater ) Keep this
plant almost dry in winter at a minimum
temperature of 0°C, prefer relatively rich substrate and
low pH
compost (if possible not limestone) otherwise
growth will stop altogether. Feed with a high
potassium fertilizer in summer. It is quite frost resistant if kept dry
(hardy to -5° C)
Sun Exposure: Light shade. It may tolerate
bright situations but is
likely to suffer from sun scorch or stunted growth if over exposed to
direct sunlight during the hottest part
of the day in summer. This plant needs plenty of space for its roots,
repotting should be done every other year or when
the it has outgrown its pot. This species is particularly easy and
accommodating, seldom suffer of
cryptogamic diseases.
Propagation: Direct sow after
last frost. (seldom
produces offsets)
Seed
Collecting: Permit
fruit to
ripen.
Fruit must be significantly
overripe before harvesting seed; clean and dry seeds.
Photo of conspecific taxa,
varieties, forms and cultivars
of plants
belonging to the Gymnocalycium anisitii
complex
(This
Taxon has lots of synonyms ( like
many other cacti) with several controversial varieties and subspecies):
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