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T. swobodae L1499 Rayones, NL.
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Description: Small solitary,
depressed rarely
offsetting geophyitic cacti, partly underground.
Body: Upper visible part flat to hemispherical,
up to about 5-6 cm
wide, up to about 2-3 cm high, dark grey-green - pale blue-green (brownish
when dried in the sun), Lower, not visible part ± short cylindrical,
narrowing at the base, densely covered with the old, dried up
tubercles.
Areole: On the tip of the
tubercle, with white,
felt composed of short
hairs, later becoming yellowish-brownish and ultimately becoming
bare. This felt is densest and longest lasting on the upper half of the
areole.
Root: Thickened but not
turnip-like, which
branches greatly, however not forming an extensive
root system
Spines: 4-6 from the lower half of the areole,
bristle-like, piercing, not
paper-like; the lowest 2-3 mostly the shortest,
about 4-7 mm long; the
upper about 5-13 mm long; all spines, ± curved towards the apex and/or
diagonally to the sides, almost completely black or only top part black,
lower section whitish - pale grey, young spines partly horn coloured;
later becoming ± completely grey, easily removed from the Areole, often
as a whole bundle.
Flowers: From the
apex, wide,
funnel-shaped, about 13-22 mm wide,
on the outside pale
greenish-white, on the inside white-cream to very pale yellow, both sides
always with plain purple-reddish-brownish mid-stripe. Stamens
with glassy white
filaments and dark yellow
anthers curved towards the
style at full
anthesis.
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Fruits are
dry capsules, at first greenish, with increasing maturity brownish,
drying out and opening with a vertical slit. |
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Family:
Cactaceae (Cactus
Family)
Scientific Name:
Turbinicarpus swobodae L. Diers
Published in: KuaS, 38(4): 86-91, 1987.
Synonyms:
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Pediocactus swobodae
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Neolloydia swobodae
Conservation status: Listed in
CITES appendix 1.
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Fruits are
dry capsules, at first greenish, with increasing maturity brownish,
drying out and opening with a vertical slit.
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Cultivation: It’s a fairly easy and robust species to cultivate, but
slow growing. It needs a
very well-drained soil, and requires strong sun to part sun to
keep the plant compact and low and to develop a good spinal
growth. Waterings should be rather infrequent to keep the plant compact,
and avoid its becoming excessively elongated and unnatural in
appearance. Furthermore it has a tap root, and watering
it properly is often difficult, because it tends to crack open or rot if
over-watered. Careful watering away from the body of the
plant will allow the areoles to keep their wool. Keep dry in winter, or when night temperatures
remain below 10° C. It is hardy to -4°C for a short period. Assure a
good ventilation.
Reproduction: From seed, since the plant rarely produces
plantlets, or
grafted.
Turbinicarpus swobodae is part of the
lophophoroides
aggregate of taxa, together with the following:
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