Description
Stems
scandent, clambering or sprawling, branching, producing aerial roots, stiff, to 8 m long or more, (1,5)2,5-3,5(-4,5) cm thick; ribs 3; areoles with black, later white wool, internodes (1-)3-4(-6) cm; spines (0-)1-3(-5), 1-3 mm long, subulate or subacicular, cream to brown; epidermis light green, later faintly blue-glaucous.
Flowers
produced from subapical areoles, (9-)1-14 cm long, 10-15 cm wide, nocturnal, odorous; pericarpel 2-2,5 cm long, 15-20 mm thick, entire receptacle 5-6,5 cm long, 13-20 mm thick at middle, 30-40 mm at apex, yellowish green at base, green at apex, podaria with appressed deltoid, bracteoles, areoles with brownish black wool and 1-5 sinous, white, brownish or blackish hairs, spines -12, acicular, white, yellowish, brownish or blackish; outer tepals rotate-recurved, ascending, lanceolar to sublinar, innermist somewhat oblanceolate, 0,5-7 cm long, 5-10 mm wide, mucronate or dentate at apex, yellowish green with reddish apices, innermost greensih yellow to cream; inner tepals ascending, oblong-oblanceolate, apices obtuse or subacute, incised dantate, 5-7 cm long, 10-18 mm wide, cream; stamens declinate, those of throat circle less so, inserted in two zones, shorter than tepals, anthers yellow; style 8-9,5 cm long, as long or longer than tepals, stigma lobes 12-16 hardly expanding, papillose, yellowish.
Fruit 7 cm long, 6,2 cm wide, dull light yellow, fragrant, with hairs and spines, seeds brownish black.Two varieties are recognized:
| |
v. glaber |
v. mirandae |
flowers |
9-10cm |
(10-)12-13cm |
floral hairs |
rather sparse, 10-15 mm long. |
more profuse, to 20 mm long. |
|
