Description
Stems scandent, clambering or sprawling, branching, producing aerial roots, stiff,
to 6m long or more, 20-30mm thick; ribs 5-6, slightly wavy to strongly knobby, obtuse or rounded; areoles 2mm in diameter, with white wool, internodes 10-20mm, depressed or shallow; spines
10-30mm, acicular, black to grey or pale yellow often passing to white, 4-6 radials, 1 central, bristles from lower part of areole 1-2, 4mm, depressed, young areoles have 3-5 short white hairs,
depressed; epidermis glaucous green with ribs flushed purple, smooth.
Flowers
produced from year-old areoles or older, 22-30cm long, 20cm widenocturnal, fragrant reminding or vanilla and orange-flowers, outer tepals strongly recurved so they touch the receptacle; pericarpel green or purplish covered with long white, silky hairs and yellowish bristles 10-13mm long, bracteoles linear, reddish, receptacle brownish red, ca 11cm long and 13mm thick at its most narrow point, often S-curved. outer tepals linear, 4-7mm wide, brownish purple on the outside, light orange to bronzed to lemon-yellow inside; inner tepals in 4 rows, c 10cm, apiculate, acuminate, 7-8mm wide at base, 15mm near apex, white, forming a broad conical cup, their limb 12cm; stamens greenish, anthers yellowish, shorter than inner tepals or just as long. Style much shorter than inner tepals, 2mm thick, lobes 15-17, greenish yellow.
Fruit globose, 6cm in diameter. |
