Description
Stems
scandent, clambering or sprawling, branching, producing few aerial roots, very vigorous, to 5-12 m long or more, often growing 2 m or more in a season, 16-22 mm thick; ribs 4 or rarely 3-5, strong, later terete, acute; areoles small, brownish or black, remote, on the upper edges of knubby projektions, these often forming obtuse, deflexed spurs about 1 cm long, internodes 4-5 cm; spines 5-6, ca 5 mm long, whitish, bristle like, 1-3 lower or central spines usually brown or black; epidermis glossy grass or light green.
Flowers
produced one by one over a longer period than most other species, born sparingly near tips of mature stems, 30-40 cm long, 20-30 cm in diameter, nocturnal and strongly scented with an aromatic fragrance, tepals rotate, inner ones forming a broad cup; pericarpel oval, knobby, ca 4 cm thick, covered with white spines and brown or black hairs, bracteoles green with white tips.; receptacle ca 10-14 cm long, green, purplish towards the apex, ca 22 mm in diameter, its areoles with short, retuse, 1-12 mm long bracteoles, long black hairs and spines, upper bracteoles longer, the uppermost tipped purple; outer tepals 15 cm long, in 4 series, the outermost more narrow, reddish purple outside, chrome yellow inside, innermost broader, to 2 cm, acute to acuminate, greenish yellow outside, chrome yellow inside; inner tepals 12 cm, in 3 series, very broad, retuse, mucronate, white; stamens creamy white, anthers yellow; style thick, longer than the stamens, yellowish, lobes 15-18.
Fruit oval, 10x8cm, green or yellow, covered densely with yellowish spines, 2,5 cm long. |
