Description
Stems
scandent, clambering or sprawling, branching, producing aerial roots, stiff, to 10 m long or more, 1-2 cm thick; ribs 3-8, well marked, rounded, almost terete in age, slightly if all undulate to undulate; areoles 1 mm, with brown or greyish wool, aging white, internodes 13-17 mm, young areoles with short purple hairs; spines conical, radial spines 3-4, 1-2 mm long, conical, stiff, central spine 1, to 2 mm long, stiffer than radials, at first purplish, bristles from lower part of areole, numerous, white, depressed; epidermis light green, smooth.
Flowers
produced from year-old areoles or older, 24-39 cm long, 20 cm in diameter, nocturnal, reported as both scentless and scented of vanilla or easter lilies, outer tepals spreading, inner tepals forming a broad cup, 12 cm in diameter, exceeding the stamens. Pericarpel elliptical, strongly tuberculate, 2 cm long, covered with long brownish, silky hairs and bristles, bracteoles 2 mm long, purple, linear, acute. Receptacle 14 cm long, 2cm thick at base, swollen above, 5 cm thick. Outer tepals linear, brownish to brownish green on the outside, yellowish on the inside, sometimes with red tip, the innermost yellow throughout, darker on outside. Inner tepals oblanceolate to lanceolate, widest near apex, abruptly terminated in a short-acuiminate point, 10 cm long, 3 cm broad at widest, pure white. Stamens greenish, slender and weak. Style greensih, 4 mm thick, lobes many, pale yellow, as long as inner tepals.
Fruit globular, 5-6 cm in diamter, knubby with brown hairs, reddish yellow. |
