Description
Stems
scandent, clambering or sprawling, branching, producing aerial roots, stiff, to 1-2(-5) m long, 2-3 cm thick; ribs 4-6 or more, later terete, acute; areoles 1,5-2 mm on diameter, reddish brown at first, later greyish brown, internodes 1,5-2,5 cm; spines 6-8, 1 mm long, acicular, white or yellowish, later blackish, radial spines 5-6 central spines 1-2 , basally 0,25 mm in diameter above the swollen bases, apically attenuate-conical, circular in cross section, the bulbous bases 0,5 mm in diameter, hairlike spines none; epidermis light green, somewhat shining.
Flowers
produced from areoles near tip, 8-14 cm long, 7-8,5 cm in diameter, nocturnal but stays open fo2 2-3 days (John Ellis, UK), tepals rotate; pericarpel covered with spines, but no hairs, bracteoles small, triangular, reddish; receptacle ca 5 cm long, green, with clusters of 7-12 spines, 4-5 mm long, brownish, but no hairs; outer tepals 5,5-6 cm, narrowly oblong, acute, brownish; inner tepals 7,5 cm, 11mm wide, narrowly oblong, acute, white, sometimes with pink base or pinkish throughout; stamens white, much shorter than inner tepals; style yellow, stigma lobes 9-11.
Fruit globular, yellow, covered densely with yellowish spines. |
