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Description
Stems
sprawling-scandent, branching profusely, to 3 m long or more (10-)15-20 mm thick; ribs 4-5, 4-5 mm high, 4-6 mm wide at base, margins slightly rounded, protruding 1-2 mm within 1 cm below areole, the groove between ribs subacute on young stems, obtuse on older stems; areolar wool in a hemispherical mass, curly, at first white, later blackish, internodes on mature stems 40-45 mm, leaflets adpressed agains areolar wool, deltoid, abruptly acute, less than 1mm long and wide, green, reddened apically, soon deciduous; spines usually 1, expanding to ca 45 degrees, ca 2 mm long, subulate, sharp, sometimes with an additional spine to 1 mm long.
Flowers
18-19 cm long, 18 cm wide; pericarpel ca 25 mm long and 18, thick, podaria ca 60, 2-4 mm apart, ca 3 mm wide and 2 mm high, bracteoles expanding, ovate, to 2 mm long and 1 mm wide, abruptly acute, green, apex reddened, spines 7-12, 3-7 mm long, some thinner and redder, the other thicker and more yellow or whitish, the thickets ca 0,33 mm thick with a creamcolored mass of areolar wool, ca 2 mm wide; reminder of receptacle 9,5-10 cm long13 mm thick, abruptly widening to 25 mm at apex, podaria 1-3 cm long, ca 5 mm wide and 1-2 mm high, nearly flattened, light green, bracteoles sxpanding, with a reddish acute mucro to 2 mm long, lover ones ovate, upper ones oblanceolate, 2-10 mm long, 1-4 mm wide, deeply cooncave on inner face, lower ones light green, upper ones yellowish or sometimes tinged reddish, spines 7-9, 3-9 mm long, otherwise as on the pericarpel, both spines and areolar wool in a circilar grouping in lower areoles, in a lateral line in upper ones; outer tepals ca 20, linear, acuminate, acute, 2-11 cm long, 5-10 mm wide, strongly concave adaxially, basal half dark rosy-magenta, apical half greenish cream often tinged reddish; inner tepals ca 16, linear-oblanceolate, 9-10 cm long, ca 6mm wide at base 12 mm wide at middle, 15mm wide 2 cm below apex, abruptly acuminate and acute, basal 2-3 cm deeply tinged rose-margenta on both surfaces, the reminder cream; ovule-chamber globose-turbinate, ca 7 mm wide; nectaries 2-3 cm long, protuberant, yellowish; stamens inserted in a continous zone from apex of nectaries to apex of receptacle, filaments 5-9 cm long, the lowest ones being the longest, ca 0,5 mm thick, anthers ca 3mm long and 1mm wide, yellow; style 15-15,5 cm long, 5mm thick at apical and basal thirds, 6-7 mm thick at cetral third, the apical and basal 2cm cream, elsewhere deep rose-magenta; stigma lobes erect, 18-24, 15-19 mm long, 1,25 mm thick near base, acuminate, acute, densely papillose, light yellow.
Fruit and seeds unknown. |
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