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Eriosyce napina ssp. mitis
f. glabrescens
FR710 Totoral Bajo, 03 Atacama, Chile
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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 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
Flowers: Approx
3,5 cm long, 4-6 cm in diameter, pale yellowish-red with a
silky shine,
buds densely
hairy with brown
wool.
Fruits:
Large, red,
clavate,
wrapped in white
wool.
Blooming season: 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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Root system
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The colour of the epidermis is very variable,
and ranges from pale blue-grey-green to dark purple.
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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.
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Fruit |
New spines
in spring |
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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
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)
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