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Description: It is a
greyish-green
geophytic cactus that grow flat to the soil or often in
time of drought, shrunken back into the ground . Often it acquires a
reddish, purplish, brownish or almost blue-black colour due to sun
exposure.
Stem: 3-5 cm in diameter, subglobular (flattened in the upper
part) often spineless when old.
Ribs: 18-21 almost indistinguishable and tuberculate with the
podaria arranged in helical lines.
Mamilleae 4-6 mm in diameter.
Areoles: Sunken
Radial spines: 6-12 approx 2-5mm long, spreading,
flattened against the
tubercles and
pectinate, and not intertwining with those of the other areoles,
yellowish, white or pale coffee coloured.
Central spine: Usually absent or 1 short.
Root: Massive tap root.
Flowers: Funnel form at the plant apex, that open during the
hours of sun,
pericarpel with small scales and wool, floral tube with
abundant bristles, tepals pale coloured (whitish, yellow, pinkish or
orangish)
Blooming season: It starts flowering when the stem reach 2 to 6
cm in diameter.
Fruits: Covered with rigid bristles in the upper portion.
Dispersed by wind.
Remarks:
There are several subspecies,
variety and forms of this variable taxon, that differentiates for
size, number of branches, number of tubercles, number and colour of the
spines and for the size and colour of flowers:
Recognized
subspecies, varieties and forms:
Eriosyce odieri ssp. odieri
Eriosyce odieri ssp. krausii
Eriosyce odieri ssp. malleolata (var. malleolata y var. weisseri)
Eriosyce odieri ssp. glabrescens
Eriosyce odieri ssp. fulva
Eriosyce odiery var. monteamargensis Has longer and stouter
spines and a central spine.
Cultivation: The eriosyces
have a thick
taproot and are
susceptible
to
over-watering.
Sometimes they are
grafted to avoid
root
rot problems. Suited for
sunny-bright exposure;
they can
tolerate
light shade.
They like warmth
(recommended minimum winter temperature 5° C). But plant kept perfectly dry can easily
survive
in winter night temperatures
below 0° C (In our greenhouse there was no damage
at -10° C for a few hours in
the winter
of 2002-2003 )
They prefer
airy exposures. They also need 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 a very
porous compost.
Propagation: 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.
Heterotypic
synonyms:
Neochilenia atra, Neochilenia
carneoflora, Neoporteria reichei fa. carneoflora,
Echinocactus reichei ,
Neoporteria reichei ,
Neochilenia reichei, Chilenia reichei, Hildmannia reichei,
Malacocarpus reichei ,
Chilenia reichei ,
Notocactus reichei ,
Thelocephala reichei, Neochilenia pseudoreichei, Neoporteria reichei fa.
Pseudoreichei
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